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Folk Tales
Highland Folk Tales
The Highlands of Scotland are rich in traditional stories. Even today, in the modern world of the internet and supermarkets, old legends dating as far back as the times of the Gaels, Picts and Vikings are still told at night around the fireside.They are tales of the daoine sìth – the fairy people – and their homes in the green hills; of great and gory battles; of encounters with the last wolves in Britain; of solitary ghosts; and of supernatural creatures like the selkie, the mermaid, and the Fuath, Scotland’s own Bigfoot.In a vivid journey through the Highland landscape, from the towns and villages to the remotest places, by mountains, cliffs, peatland and glen, storyteller and folklorist Bob Pegg takes the reader along old and new roads to places where legend and landscape are inseparably linked.
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 26, 2022
As a lover of Great Britain culture (specially their legends), I found this book to be a nice compilation of tales and a brief (but beautiful) overview to the tradition of storytelling.
As a non-English speaker, it is easy to read, and I specially loved the section "a guide to Gaelic pronunciation".
As a non-English speaker, it is easy to read, and I specially loved the section "a guide to Gaelic pronunciation".
November 27, 2022
Enjoyed this book, got confused with place names, character names and roads. I liked hearing about the Norse connection and vikings.
I felt I often had to go back and retrieve what was happening as the twists were unexpected.
This book was gentler and nicer that a lot of fateful fairy and folk tales.
I really looked forward to reading this and will reread it hopefully with better concentration.
I felt I often had to go back and retrieve what was happening as the twists were unexpected.
This book was gentler and nicer that a lot of fateful fairy and folk tales.
I really looked forward to reading this and will reread it hopefully with better concentration.
August 1, 2026
A cool collection of folk stories that checks all the boxes. All the stars are here: witches, freaky fairies, giants, selkies, all the bizarre kind of whacky, kind of creepy logic that makes fairy and folk tales so cool.
August 29, 2026
What a neat book!
I picked this up while I was in Scotland, and I couldn't help but enjoy it quite a lot. My girlfriend had gotten me "Shetland Island Folktales" a few years back from the same publisher, so when I saw this at half price, I knew I had to have it, and I'm glad I did.
There's a lot of good in here, though there are a few bad. Let me start off with the good, at least.
Positives
The biggest positive of this book is that the stories are varied. Unlike other books of collected stories, a lot of them tend to be similar to one another with similar themes. Here, you mostly come across similar themes, but not similar stories, which at least makes it a better read.
Plus, the stories themselves tend to only run 2-4 pages, making them perfect for bite-sized reading. Seriously. I read each story in between an episode of a series I was binging and I finished this before the series ended.
Of course, there are still a few downsides.
Negatives
Okay I lied. There's not really several downsides but one. The preambles to the stories.
Look I get why Bob Pegg did it, but half of them weren't terribly exciting or could have been been somewhere else in the book. There were a few that were bigger than the stories he presented. I'm glad they're there of course. Its interesting. It's just that the way they were put in the book that made them hit or miss.
Overall, an excellent book to my growing collection of Scottish works in my library.
I picked this up while I was in Scotland, and I couldn't help but enjoy it quite a lot. My girlfriend had gotten me "Shetland Island Folktales" a few years back from the same publisher, so when I saw this at half price, I knew I had to have it, and I'm glad I did.
There's a lot of good in here, though there are a few bad. Let me start off with the good, at least.
Positives
The biggest positive of this book is that the stories are varied. Unlike other books of collected stories, a lot of them tend to be similar to one another with similar themes. Here, you mostly come across similar themes, but not similar stories, which at least makes it a better read.
Plus, the stories themselves tend to only run 2-4 pages, making them perfect for bite-sized reading. Seriously. I read each story in between an episode of a series I was binging and I finished this before the series ended.
Of course, there are still a few downsides.
Negatives
Okay I lied. There's not really several downsides but one. The preambles to the stories.
Look I get why Bob Pegg did it, but half of them weren't terribly exciting or could have been been somewhere else in the book. There were a few that were bigger than the stories he presented. I'm glad they're there of course. Its interesting. It's just that the way they were put in the book that made them hit or miss.
Overall, an excellent book to my growing collection of Scottish works in my library.
August 10, 2025
I cannot say that I was grabbed by the first half of the book. The preambles to the stories were not the most interesting nor were the opening stories.
However, once I reached the Black Isle section and the stories based around Cromarty I found myself more engaged and the stories more entertaining.
The interest levels continued with the later stories, including the ones not necessarily set in the highlands but rather were told in the highlands. The inclusion of the Orkney stories was good too.
A mixed selection of folktales covering the highlands of Scotland of mixed quality. I definitely preferred the second half of the book.
However, once I reached the Black Isle section and the stories based around Cromarty I found myself more engaged and the stories more entertaining.
The interest levels continued with the later stories, including the ones not necessarily set in the highlands but rather were told in the highlands. The inclusion of the Orkney stories was good too.
A mixed selection of folktales covering the highlands of Scotland of mixed quality. I definitely preferred the second half of the book.
October 12, 2020
I picked up this book from the Highland Bookshop in Ft. William a couple of years ago, started it right away but other things got in the way. Picked it up again last week and couldn't put it down. What a great collection!
The stories Bob Pegg collected (39 in all) are priceless, and his delivery/explication most enjoyable.
There is a concentration on areas I do not know well (northeast Highlands) and the stories and introductions make me want to explore even more.
The stories Bob Pegg collected (39 in all) are priceless, and his delivery/explication most enjoyable.
There is a concentration on areas I do not know well (northeast Highlands) and the stories and introductions make me want to explore even more.
June 22, 2025
A fabulous collection of tales and stories. Very enjoyable
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews