Scottish Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends

by Mairi Kidd

A complete collection of Scottish fairy tales, myths and legends, bound in a beautiful new edition. From the mysterious cat-faced lady whose magic allows a servant girl to attend a prince's ball, to the princess who meets an enchanted frog; from ogres and hooded crows, to faery bagpipers and shape-shifting monsters... This book includes traditional favourites that readers will love to spot, alongside classic myths and legends from Scottish heritage.

Genres: Mythology, Fairy Tales, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Scotland

138 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2020

About the author

Mairi Kidd is Head of Literature, Languages and Publishing at Creative Scotland. She was formerly Managing Director of Barrington Stoke, a prize-winning publisher. A fluent Gaelic speaker, she has an MA in Celtic Studies from Edinburgh University. As CEO of Stòrlann, the National Gaelic Education Resource Agency, she worked with Scottish Government, Bòrd na Gàidhlig and local authorities. She is a contributor to BBC Radio nan Gàidheal's books coverage and writes for broadcast, including Gaelic comedy series FUNC.

Reviews

[Choirstaidh NicArtair · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really lovely collection, I especially loved how much Gaelic was included.

[Garance J. Bonadonna (The Nerdy Artivist) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this collection of fairy tales.
I was immersed in the legends and myths of Scotland, aka the country of my heart. I learned a lot of things, and it made me want to study the tales even more. I learned new words in Gaelic which was awesome. It was great to see how the tales we all know were different and yet recognizable. And I enjoyed the little introductions before each tale.

Then again, as in every collection, it's quite repetitive. And some tales... I didn't really see the point. Or didn't understand.
So it was good, I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it for kids. But personally, I want more.

[Ana Poppe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ☆

This book was not really special. It was a fun read for in between some heavier / larget books. It was nice to learn stories that goed around in other countries and where some fairytales came from.

[brooke:) · Rating 3 out of 5]

very fun lil read ! loved learning about some scottish lore hehe a great book to read a lil chapter before bed :)

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very interesting to see how the stories interlink with other stories from around the world

[Elva Bisschop · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely, enjoyable, and accessible collection of Scottish folklore

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this while in Edinburgh under the recommendation of a worker at a Barnes and Noble, and I’m glad I picked it up! The cover is stunning, so once I saw it I knew I had to get it. The stories are great for kids, and adults like me who know nothing of Scottish tales, myths, and legends.

Since I don’t know any of these tales I cannot speak to how accurate they are or are not (though at the end there is an explanation as to why some things were altered or removed for the sake of kids). I expect it to be fairly accurate, but still, it is a kids book so I’m sure we get a lighter side to these stories. As is, some are pretty gruesome in the sense of being tales that went by different standards and practices from the time in which they were told.

What I love about this is how informative it can be. There is some backstory, descriptions, and even pronunciation guides before each story which helped a ton for me as someone who did not know a whole lot. That was why I wanted to go with this book as well, I was hoping there would be some help in understanding these tales and this culture I’m not familiar with.

The tales are entertaining and I read through each story quite quickly, which I enjoyed. I feel like I learned a lot while also reading for my own enjoyment.

That being said, in the beginning of the book, there are a lot of stories that were so similar I began to wonder if they were different versions of the same story. The first is a Cinderella retelling, and I enjoyed hearing the differences in this version, but the stories that came after were so much alike. It got repetitive to read about a girl with a mother who has passed and a father who has gone off to war and introduced an evil stepmother to his children. I suppose there are lots of stories like it but I felt that section could be a bit shorter.

The rest of the book was great and had a variety of stories. Some that had some teachings at the end, others that were meant for a good laugh, and some that explain culture and history.

My favorite stories were: Three Shirts of Bog-Cotton, Molly Whuppie, The Ropes of Sand, and How Oisean Outlived Fianna.

TW: mention of abuse, death, loss of parent, stabbing, animal deaths, grief, missing children, ableist comment, captive, violence, mention of blood, deception, nonconsensual marriage, kidnapping, mention of slavery, sexist comment, starvation, poverty, mention of sick children and illness.

Popular Retellings: Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rumpelstiltskin.

[Omiai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stories but too many are more Irish in origin, and some of the stories are even in the Irish edition of this book! So I felt a bit cheated, especially when there are so many actual Scottish stories out there, it was disappointing to see them ignored and replaced with Irish stories.

[Rona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not love these books anymore if I tried ❤️

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first encounter with Scottish folk tales. As expected of a book dedicated for children it was an easy, quick read. I really liked that it was very informative and the author explained the background before each of the stories. I don’t really have a comparison for these particular tales but while reading this book I had a feeling they could’ve been told in a slightly slower pace. Still, it was a very enjoyable read. The fact that most of these stories have women as protagonists was a nice surprise, but it was also a bitter reminder of how fairytales usually paint women as incomplete without a man to marry and it made me contemplate about all the fairytales I was told as a child. At least the ones in this book show women being admired for their wisdom and kindness so that’s a plus. This book also made me realise that there are many many many similarities between Scottish/Irish and other European oral traditions. It was a bit surprising to see the same tales of my childhood retold in a very different way with the same characters but placed in different customs and traditions. I particularly loved The Three Shirts of Bog-Cotton, Molly Whuppie, The Tale of Hoodie Crow, Whuppity Stoorie and Mester Stoor Worm. Definitely want to read the Irish and Welsh editions.

[Kaitlyn Bancroft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book bought and read while traveling through the U.K. I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the Welsh fairytale book in the same series, perhaps because these stories were much more familiar to me, but they were still a lot of fun and highly appropriate to the landscapes we were driving through as I read them out loud to my friends. I especially appreciated the Gaelic influenced fairytales as we made our way through Northern Ireland, and we even read the Giant’s Causeway story the day before we saw the place itself. And while these fairytales have clearly been modernized and watered down for child appropriateness, I still found a lot to appreciate in this simple collection.

[Esther Dijkhuizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to see whether I could implement it into my English classes, and I have to say; it would. The stories are short are easily read, recognisable in some way and in others surprisingly understandable despite the Gaelic words. Due to translations in the book for the Gaelic sentences and words, the experience is even better. It creates a whole other level to English and is great for learning about the English Speaking World (which is a class in my education). I would definitely recommend this to teacher of English.

[Alan Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know whether children are read fairy tales anymore, but they should be. Fairy tales are the literature of our ancestors, and it's important to read their literature and understand what they believed (or at least what they wanted their children to believe if there was a moral involved). And of course, many fairy tales are just captivating stories. Why else would Disney be able to make successful movies out of them? Mairi Kidd has spent much time and effort collecting these stories, and it's for a good cause. Anybody who grew up with Snow White or Jack and his beanstalk will enjoy them.

[Loie☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since going to Scotland with my boyfriend and his parents, I’ve been super interested in ​Scottish folklore and tales! I absolutely loved everything about Scotland. I loved the atmosphere and the history behind everything and the scenery. And so I just knew that I wanted to read this book to get a little more insight to Scottish folklore and beliefs!
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I loved reading every tale in this book. I loved the familiarity of classic tales, but with a little Scottish spin on them. I loved the stories that I’ve never heard of, but were told with such beauty that I could visualise them perfectly! I also appreciated the little bits of historical facts that were thrown in every now and then as they really helped the stories to come alive in my head. ​
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I’m so excited to be going back to Scotland in September of this year with my parents, and I’m so grateful for the tales that I now have logged in my brain that I’ll be able to carry around with me as we explore more of the Scottish lands! I’m hoping I’ll discover even more stories whilst I’m there!

[Eleah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is interesting to see how the same basic structure of a fairy/folk tale changes based on where it is told.
I quite enjoyed these Scottish tales, especially in the inclusion of numerous women who were brave, clever, and strong. It was also nice to see that these women were often loved by the men of these tales for these qualities and not just for their beauty.

[Rachel S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love, love, love folklore, fairytales and legends and I adored reacquainting myself and exploring new stories in this collection of Scottish myths. There's something so wonderful about connecting something so accepted in our modern world to a legend of some kind. It always sparks the imagination. A delightful read that is only inspiring me to delve further into more folklore.

[Jonathan Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

Brilliant collection of short tales.
Some familier and some unfamiliar but all good remnants of traditional oral story telling. Definitely recommend.

[Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heard several of the stories told better elsewhere

[Sam]

No rating.
I loved reading these stories as much as I loved reading the Irish edition of this book.
Hopefully I can soon find the Welsh one and read that as well 🥰

[Wout · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun stories, some are very similar to familiar fairy tales and some were new to me. Provides some insight in the history and culture of Scotland, and the influences on its storytelling.

[Simone McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and enchanting, and a very relaxing read!

[Luna :)]

Kk

[Lucy Donaldson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the stories but felt that they could have been brought together a bit better. Also a fair bit of repetition for such a small book.

[_all_by_my_shelf_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Alyssa Zacchia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Picked this up during my trip in Scotland, super quick read. Sweet cute book with multiple stories spanning from magical creatures, the lands of Scotland, and hero’s and heroines. Lots of the stories have similar bones from tales around the world like Cinderella. Learned some facts about Scotland - as well as the Josephus mathematical problem!