3. Which 1929 Nobel Laureate, famous for his novel "Buddenbrooks", has a name which can be the same as, or homophonic with, a self governing British Crown Dependency, roughly equidistant from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales?
From Quiz No Man is an Island. Or is he?
Answer:
Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann, novelist, is best remembered for "Buddenbrooks", the story of the decline of a merchant family in Lubeck over three generations, and for "Death in Venice".
The Isle of Man (alternatively called Mann) is in the Irish Sea. It is more or less the same area and shape as Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland. The legendary reason for this is that the Irish folk hero, Finn McCool, lost his temper with a Scottish rival, scooped up a huge chunk of earth and flung it at him! It fell in the sea and became The Isle of Man, while the hole it left became Lough Neagh! Its capital is Douglas and it is world renowned for its motor cycle racing.
The island has a fund of mythology and folklore. According to legend, the name comes from the Celtic sea-god, Manannan Mac Lir who was the island's protector. St. Patrick's Isle, connected to Mann by a causeway, boasts Peel Castle, the fortress of Magnus Barefoot, an ancient Viking King of Mann, and is said to be haunted by Moddy Dhoo, a ghastly black dog.
On April 30 the islanders used to fasten, with sheep's wool, a wooden cross to the front door to ward off malicious fairies. On the Douglas to Castletown Road is a bridge called the Fairy Bridge and any who pass over it must call "Laa Mie" ("Good day") to the fairies to avoid misfortune.