Scottish Myths & Legends

by Rosemary Gray

Scotland draws her Myths and Legends from a rich and diverse legacy of powerful cultural influences. Kept alive over centuries in their ancient native vernacular by an exceptionally strong oral tradition, they retain their spellbinding qualities when translated to the written word. Spinechilling tales of evil wrought by malignant supernatural beings, heart-warming stories of good deeds done by more well-meaning other-worldly creatures, gripping accounts of epic struggles and bitter conflicts from the truly heroic to the downright grisly, dark and disturbing glimpses of low cunning and treachery relieved by whimsical anecdotes full of wry humour.

Brought together in this volume is a wide-ranging gallery of creatures outlandish and bizarre - from weirds and witches, monsters and mermaids, brownies and bogles to hags and hunters, kings and kelpies - whose stories will haunt and horrify, ensnare and enchant modern readers of all ages, and perhaps leave them with an uneasy sense of invisible forces at work.

Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Scotland, Fiction, Short Stories, Folklore, Historical

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Tim Pendry · Rating 3 out of 5]

You will probably find this as a cheap edition, without notes, introduction or index, in any one of a number of Scottish tourist locations. It is published by Lomond Books on the same principle as Wordsworth - just get the text out there dead cheap and let the reader do his own assessment.

Having said this, one should not be a snob. You get your money's worth with tales that cover most of the main themes of ancient, medieval and early modern Scottish popular culture. Between 50 and 60 stories give a taste of a distinctive network of cultures in these islands.

I write 'network of cultures' because the manufacture by nationalists of a single Scottish culture is as false here as it is in every case where petty nationalists get their grubby fingers on the education system and the museums. Scotland is a damned complex place culturally.

We start with a mythological nature religion that personifies mountains as giants and the seasons as gods and goddesses. In the Western Isles and around the coast there is a mythology of a land beneath the waves that men may visit and of mermen and mermaids who shed their skins.

The old nature religion re-emerges later as laird and crofter struggles with ghostly giants and spirits, mermaids who return to the sea when they recover the skin stolen by their earthly husbands and helpful brownies who are always chased away by insensitive offers of payment.

Many of these stories contain hints of the culture behind the story. On one side, men contesting the elements and having to fight for resources. On the other, women having to be submissive - most revealingly when faeries are found plotting to replace the good wife with a bad one of wood.

Interestingly, the Christian religion plays only a small role in this book though that may be because of editorial choices. We really have only St. Columba, a bit of superstition about water in caves and, rarely, good presbyterian ministers chasing off naughty spirits but that's about it.

There is a rich heritage of faery lore across the land, shared with the English, an entire parallel world which we humans deal with at our peril. We have to remember that the lawless borders were never clearly Anglo-Saxon or Celtic, Scots or English until quite late in British history.

The faeries play their role in border ballads that can sometimes be about the medieval courts of the Scottish kings but are just as likely to be about ordinary folk (though predominantly 'bards') who find themselves losing years of their lives in attending a faery orgy in a mound.

Politics comes into play with the Scots' legendary stories that sometimes speak of the English as Rangers' fans speak of Celtic F.C. and you sense the struggle of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce but also of the robber barons on either side of the Scots-English border behind them.

Since the Western Isles with their Nordic heritage were as likely as not to be allies of the medieval English and the Scots be stirring it up against the Plantagenets in support of France, these stories tend to represent the culture of the loyal Scottish lowlands.

Then there are the folk tales and fairy tales (not Faery tales) with their things done in threes, their princesses, their brutal moral lessons, wise old men and talking animals that have their analogues with much of the rest of Europe and speak to a common European heritage.

Towards the end the sources of some of the stories become clearer in the round-about Victorian circumlocations of the authors suggesting antiquarian folklorists re-envisioning the tales for a genteel and sentimental urban reading public.

A lurid Galloway Gothic tale of haunted ships strikes me as about as authentically ancient as a Glasgow Tikka Masala. And there are the heavy-handed peasant jokes wrapped up as folk tales and hints of a widespread peasant belief in witchcraft which led to vicious persecutions in history.

You might spend a lot of time analysing each and every story but that would take half the fun out of the reading. Overall, I would treat this book as an entertainment and, as an entertainment, it is value for money

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

All good stories

[Blanca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I've mostly enjoyed this book and it could give me a first insight into the Scottish mythology.
I'd like to warn people whose mother tongue is not English or who don't live in Scotland, because it may be REALLY difficult to understand some times.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

All over the place, no index, some stories are not even myths. Was hoping for a more decisive telling of Scottish local legends.

[Joseph R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scotland has had a long tradition of telling tales of fairies and the fantastic. This book gathers dozens of stories centered in Scotland. They are all entertaining, some more so than others. Only one or two are written with a strong Scottish accent, giving the reader a taste of that style without making the whole book that style. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the diversity of the tales.

The book starts with myths that explain the weather, the seasons, and the geography. Beira is the Queen of Winter whose grip on the weather is only broken in the spring, when she leaves to a sort of Fountain of Youth to become young again. She has many children who helped make the mountains and lochs of Scotland and have many adventures.

The book has an assortment of stories about fairies, merfolk, brownies, witches, and other mystical beings. Mermaids are quite different from what Americans are used to--the Scottish variety can shed an outer skin to visit the surface world and it is a great woe to whatever merperson who loses their skin because they cannot return to the land under the sea. Brownies are like fairies but are always helpful. They don't want praise for doing good deeds and will leave if they are given gifts or other tokens of gratitude. Ghosts and giants also populate the stories.

Mixed in are some familiar tales of young boys going on quests (eg., do three tasks to get the girl), royalty mixing with commoners, and a few nautical adventures. Fantastical elements may or may not be part of the story. These are a lot of fun too.

The stories have a great mixture of history, humor, and horror.

Recommended.

[Tom Andersson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boken innehåller många historier och har en bred spännvidd. Dock är de väldigt varierande till innehåll och stil, vilket gör att vissa berättelser är väldigt enkla att ta till sig medan andra är nästan oläsliga pga att de är skrivna på skotsk dialekt. Dock känner jag att boken ger en helhetsbild av skotska myter och legender så den är läsvärd.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful collection of stories from Scotland. I found that some of the themes were familiar to me from other tales and it appears that most countries have similar stories. A nice work of escapism.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me compré este libro en el que, por ahora, fue mi viaje favorito. Fui a Edimburgo, Escocia, y me quedé prendada de la ciudad, de su gente, de su cultura. Y, en el aeropuerto, me compré este librito para traérmelo de recuerdo y seguir teniendo una parte de Edimburgo en casa.

El libro, tal como reza el título, recoge una serie de mitos y leyendas de Escocia. Redactados al estilo de cuentos de hadas, se introducen desde cuentos muy fantásticos (seres mitológicos, mundos mágicos) hasta fábulas más realistas (el rescate de un hombre preso por parte de su hijo en un ambiente algo medieval). Los cuentos varían en longitud: hay desde cuentos de tres páginas hasta cuentos más largos, unas treinta.

Al estar escrito en un inglés muy... "oral" (palabras escritas tal como las pronuncian en el dialecto, muchas abreviaturas, estructuras propias de la literatura oral antes que la escrita), se me ha hecho algo difícil su lectura, pero a la vez, como filóloga que ha estudiado un inglés más "formal" o típico de academias, me ha resultado muy enriquecedor.

Pero debo admitir que en ocasiones se me ha hecho algo pesado. Quizá sea porque las fábulas no son santo de mi devoción, pero ya hubiese quedado satisfecha leyendo la mitad de las que hay en el libro.

Pese a ello, es un libro entretenido, al que le tengo especial cariño por su historia externa y que, en un futuro, quiero releer con algo de más calma.

3,5 [🌟🌟🌟⭐]

[Helen Pugsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3 stars.
This is a WONDERFUL introduction to folk lore. Particularly Scottish folklore. Unfortunately, I'm a pretentious asshole who has been reading college level materials about folk stories since the 8th grade. I want the full Monty. How the stories vary region to region, footnotes, text in the original language, then translated to English for my benefit (God bless the Americans that won't learn a second language 🫡🇺🇲), a side story about the granny you met that told you this story on five occasions. I WANT ALL OF IT.
For £5 in a gift shop, it is not a bad book.
However, I will never forgive these folks for not calling "Tamlin" Tamlin. It was put it this book as "Old Ballad" EXCUSE ME?! You disrespect Janet Byrd in MY HOUSE?!
Then, sometimes, one story would be in Scottish/Scotts(? I've heard it both ways) while the rest were in the queen's English. I didn't know how to feel about that. You do your own thinking.
It did its job and kept me from having a panic attack while being a passenger princess in Glasgow traffic.

[RebeccaEAK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am at a loss to express the magic lore held within these pages. My heart overflows with love for this book, and I still cherish the memory of buying it nearly ten years ago. It awakens a deep yearning for Scotland, and the stories fill me with both delight and smiles, even bringing tears to my eyes. It’s quite impossible to pick one favorite from all these wondrous tales. These enchanting tales, ranging from the ethereal world of fairies to the mischievous antics of brownies (not the dessert kind!) were a delightful mixture, making each page turn more captivating than the last. What truly made it special for me, was the way some stories were written in a Scottish accent.

Bhí sé go hálainn

[Snowdrop · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is interesting to read many of the Scottish myths and legends, especially of places which I had the chance to visit. However, it got rather monotonous after a while and the last 10 stories or so weren't the most exciting.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book containing various tales of fairies and myths from various parts of Scotland. Most of the tales seemed to be based on the Western Highlands and islands and much of the language was archaic and stuffy hence only three stars.

[Kathleen Duffy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book of tales is so beyond boring. Resist the urge to purchase it at the rest stop. It just took me over six months to finish it. I finished 40 other books before I finished this one.

[Sarah Elizabeth Runyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not a bad read. It took me forever to finish reading it because that's how I am with anthologies.

[Paul Hebron · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK but not very satisfying to read. Felt like it all needed a little more context.

[Tessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun to read but gets boring fast. All the tales are told in the same ton and are casual.

[AlannaMorgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sehr interessant

[Tammy Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories are well written and engaging, but several, especially near the beginning of the book, ramble and often loose the reader in the disorganization.

[Ana TM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just some Scottish stories. I was interested in them at the beginning but, as I continued reading, I found them repetitive and sometimes even boring. Not the perfect compilation for me.