Tales of the Picts

by Stuart McHardy

For many centuries the people of Scotland have told stories of their ancestors, a mysterious tribe called the Picts. This ancient Celtic-speaking people, who fought off the might of the Roman Empire, are perhaps best known for their Symbol Stones – images carved into standing stones left scattered across Scotland, many of which have their own stories. Here for the first time these tales are gathered together with folk memories of bloody battles, chronicles of warriors and priestesses, saints and supernatural beings. From Shetland to the border with England, these ancient memories of Scotland’s original inhabitants have flourished since the nation’s earliest days and now are told afresh, shedding new light on our ancient past.

Genres: Scotland

185 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Stuart McHardy is a Scottish writer, broadcaster and storyteller.

Reviews

[Philip of Macedon · Rating 3 out of 5]

In retrospect I guess it’s not surprising that Tales of the Picts isn’t a collection of myths or folktales passed down through time from the Picts, since the Picts didn’t write. If they did, we don’t have any records of it. Instead, Stuart McHardy has put together a collection of retold Scottish folktales spanning many centuries, some of which are fairly current, some that originated in the Middle Ages. Some tales deal directly with the Picts, or tell of events occurring during the ages of their existence. Others have almost nothing to do with the Picts, instead treating them as ghosts or mysterious ancient beings the Scottish folk fear, or who dabble in mischief.

The quality of the tales is highly variable. They’re broken into four categories.

The first category of tales is the General Tales. These are basic stories, most of which take the form of folktale that sees the Picts as mysterious old ancestors of Scotland whose ghosts and music and presence and stones can still be seen, heard, felt. Some stories are good, some are mundane. The better ones involve the Picts themselves, taking place in their time and often fusing some supernatural or fantastical elements into the telling, with demons or People of Peace (fairies), spells, or magic treasures. “The Wise Women” provides some brief detail around the witches of Macbeth, who Shakespeare later borrowed, telling of their powers of knowledge and healing and prophesy.

The best tale in this section is “The Golden Cradle”, a story occurring in the time of the Picts, telling of the final days of the Pictish king Druskin in his battles against Kenneth MacAlpine, king of the Scots. The Scots wish to take the fabled Golden Cradle from the Picts, so that their descendants might sleep in it and legitimize their rule over the Picts. This tale is a minor saga relating Kenneth’s quest to obtain the cradle, which he is deterred from by magic and a mighty entity who protects it throughout time.

The next category is Stories of the Saints, ostensibly from the times of the Picts, including figures of history and legend, like St. Columba, St. Cadoc, and St. Merchard. Some involve blessed artifacts left behind by these saints, others involve giants, or battles of magic, or encounters with Pictish kings, the sacred powers of healing Columba was known for, or healing wells that later became holy sites. There’s even a story that involves the creature that passed through centuries of legend to become what we now call the Loch Ness monster.

The Stories of the Stones are a group of Scottish folk stories said to be inspired by the Pictish standing stones, either because of the vague history that surrounds them, or because the images on them came to be interpreted through legend. These involve tales of imagination blending with history, tales of dragons and warriors, a giant and a dwarf, battles with treacherous Vikings, heroic feats involving wild boars or eagles, the myth of the Nine Maidens of Abernethy, a story that has surprising parallels in many mythologies around the world, all involving a group of nine women. One tale is an Arthurian story, “Vanora’s Stone”, and tells of the infidelity of Vanora, who is the name of Arthur’s wife here, instead of the familiar Guinevere, leading to the battle against Mordred at Camlann, and Arthur’s death.

The Battle Tales at the end are the most consistently good ones. These tend to be longer on average than the rest, having space to unfold into miniature sagas. They involve Pictish battles with the Vikings, the Scots, conquests, landmark victories over invaders. These tales are rooted in history, with very little of the fantastical elements from other tales, but they are geographically precise and focused, intriguing and by contrast somewhat realistic. They are tales that are probably told in triumphant tones, as tales of pride in the ancestors’ achievements, in one case describing the origin of Scotland’s flag, in others describing the defeat of the Northumbrians or the Vikings.

The book closes with McHardy’s brief retelling of the legend of Hamlet, not as Shakespeare told it, but following the events as told in the Danish chronicle Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus in the 12th century. This version tells of Hamlet seeking out a Pictish queen on the pretext of marrying his father in law. In reality his father in law, the King of England, sends him on this journey into the dangerous Pictish lands in hopes the queen will murder the prince.

This is a satisfying collection of tales, some very good, some so-so. While many are not as Pict-oriented as I would have liked, or expected, given the book’s title and description, many are good folktales despite their questionable inclusion here. I can picture these tales being shared in the dusk, in a remote corner of the Scottish countryside, or close to the wave-beaten shore as the sea stacks disappear in the fog, or a few being told in a tavern over glasses of beer or whisky. McHardy retells them in his own way, nothing stylish or with a cadence carried over from past generations, but simple and modern and at times a bit dry. A livelier delivery or a more archaic sounding exposition might have made some of the bland tales stand a bit taller, pack more power. But this is a minor complaint. As a collection it is a good read, and its stronger tales make it a rewarding experience.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the mysticism of this book. It wrote of the Picts as magical, fey and ghostly. Most of the stories had cairns. I loved most of the tales, sometimes I got lost about all the battles. Most of the stories had death.
My favourite story was the eagle story and I loved the first set of stories. I loved all the ghost stories. I found the stories about Kenneth MacAlpine intriguing. There was even a Fionn MacCool story towards the end, about a battle.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasing collection of folk tales and ancient stories. All of these stories were new to me. This may be the normal way of things, but I grew up in Abernethy, a place oft mentioned in this book. Some further research is required.

[Darcee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this when I was Edinburgh and I love reading the tales. They are short but not sweet. If you like stories of ancient civilizations you should read it!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read.

[Reba · Rating 3 out of 5]

some of these stories were familiar some were new