In the past each Shetland croft would have had 1 or 2 working wells to draw water from. THis was a target for the trows who were known to poison the well or empty it. To protect the well people would put a silver coin in it. Another tradition was to put a trout in the well to keep it clean. A few houses in Shetland have 3 taps , hot,cold and well water.
This well is at Burrian;Look on the lower side of the road and you will see the stones in the banking and an upturned sink between 2 stones. Many wells are filled in to avoid livestock accidents.
In the folkloric traditions of the Orkney and Shetland islands, a trow (alternatively trowe or drow) is a small, troll-like fairy creature.[1] Trows, in general, are inclined to be short of stature, ugly and both shy and mischievous in nature. Like the troll of Scandinavian legend, with which the trow shares many similarities, trows are nocturnal creatures; venturing out of their 'trowie knowes' (earthen mound dwellings) solely in the evening, they often enter households as the inhabitants sleep. Trows traditionally have a fondness for music, and folktales tell of their habit of kidnapping musicians or luring them to their dens.