Scottish Myths and Legends

by Rodger Moffet

  Andrew is now the patron saint of Scotland, Russia, Romania, Amalfi, and Luqa - Malta. He was also the patron saint of Prussia. The Saltire a representation of the cross of the saint is not only present in the Scottish (and subsequently the Union Flag) but is also the Flag of Tenerife and the naval jack of Russia. The Confederate flag also features a saltire commonly referred to as a St Andrew's cross, although its designer, William Porcher Miles, said he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would not be a religious symbol but merely a heraldic device.

  Saint Andrew is generally pictured as an old man, generally with a book and transverse or saltire cross. Sometimes the image may contain fish, a fishing net or rope or Andrew sitting in a boat.

  St Ninian

  By Donald Cuthill

  Scotland welcomed Pope Benedict XVI for his first visit to Britain on 16 September 2010, on St Ninian's Day. The Pope began his visit in Edinburgh, where a St Ninian's Day parade welcomed him to the city. But who exactly was Saint Ninian, and what was his historical significance? The precise details of Ninian's life are disputed.

  The Catholic Church described him as the man from south west Scotland "who first brought the Christian faith" to the country around 397AD, when he is said to have established a religious community at Whithorn in Galloway. The church said Ninian studied in Rome before being ordained a bishop. His monastery in the south of Scotland was known as Candida Casa, from the Latin meaning "White House". The name possibly refers to the stone used to construct it or the whitewash used to paint it, and has survived as the modern name, Whithorn. It was from this base that he is said to have set about proclaiming the Gospel to the southern Picts.

  The first historical reference to Ninian of Whithorn came from the Northumbrian scholar and monk Bede, in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written around 731. He described him as a Briton who was instructed in Rome and noted that his church was made of stone, which was unusual at the time. Bede said Ninian named his episcopal see after Saint Martin of Tours, although other accounts claim he actually met the French patron saint on his return to Scotland.

  The historian conceded he was only passing on "traditional" information in his brief reference to Ninian, and does not claim it is factual. In the 12th Century, Aelred, the abbot of Rievaulx in Yorkshire, wrote A Life of Saint Ninian - thought to be at the behest of one of the new bishops of Galloway, who was eager to promote their bishopric to the wider world. Aelred attributed 10 miracles to Ninian, six during the saint's lifetime and four after his death.

  Whatever the truth of Ninian's life, over the centuries his tomb at Whithorn became one of the centres of Christian pilgrimage. It was also an important place of worship for the Scots royal family. In the 14th Century it is said a dying King Robert the Bruce went there to pray for a cure from leprosy.

  Two centuries later, King James IV spent eight days walking to the shrine, and is said to have distributed money to the poor as he travelled.

  When the visit of Pope Benedict was confirmed, Scotland's most senior Catholic, Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien, said he wanted to resurrect the festivities that used to surround St Ninian's Day. He suggested organising "a grand Scottish spectacle to welcome Benedict XVI".

  The Font Stone of Abriachan

  By Amanda Moffet

  If you're walking through the Abriachan Gardens by the shores of loch Ness you will come across a heart-shape stone which is deeply embedded in the ground called the Font Stone. The flat rock has a hole in the middle which is filled with water.

  The stone is within the Abriachan Community Gardens, if you follow the path up through the gardens to the left it's about 3/4 of the way up. The gardens here are definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

  There is some dispute over the origins of the stone; some associate it with St. Columba, others with St. Finian's monastic cell, whilst some claim it's just a post-hole from a normal house. However, what isn't disputed is the claim that the water hole is never dry, no matter what the weather is like, and if it's emptied then it will refill itself quickly. It is a mystery where the water comes from, but it is believed to have apotropaic as well as healing qualities.

  As recently the 20th century, drops of water from the Font Stone were put in the baptismal bowls of newly born babies believing that this would relieve the pain of childbirth, and women would also secretly let their infant have a taste of the magical water before being baptised by the minister at the church. It was thought that the water would help keep fairies away from the child, and pieces of cloth were even kept around the stones, and were later worn by the child as an anti-fairy talisman.

  Royal Legends

  Ask anyone what they know about Scottish Kings and they may say Robert the Bruce, or even MacBeth. With such a bloody past Scotland's rule changed hands many times whether by design of by force. Some Royal legends are well known bedtime or inspirational tales such as Bruce and his spider. Some stories have been warped by time and literary licence such as Shakespeare's version of MacBeth. But with so many great Scottish kings we have no shortage of great Royal legends.

  The Stone of Destiny

  By Rodger Moffet

  I'm sure most of our readers have either read Dan Brown's book 'The Davinci Code' or at least watched the film of the same name. The connection with Scotland is seen as the story reaches it's climax in the enigmatic Roslyn Chapel. The tale of intrigue surrounding an ancient biblical artefact is a popular subject for storytellers, from the tale's of The Holy Grail and even films such as 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.

  But strangely the story of one such artefact has so far not been turned into a Hollywood blockbuster - and yet it contains more twists and turns than the B869 to Drumbeg, more mystery than the contents of an Aberdonian's wallet. We are of course referring to the Stone of Destiny.

  Its difficult to know where to begin with this story - Since it appears to have several beginnings, depending on which version of the legend of its origin you adhere to. So let's begin somewhere in the middle...

  The year is 1296 - Scotland has been ravaged by Edward I 'The Hammer of the Scots' He arrives at Scone Palace in Perthshire with his army and drags off a large sandstone block (the metal rings seen on the stone were attached by them in order to remove it). They happily set off for London and have the stone installed under a specially designed throne in Westminster Abbey. This is the Stone of Destiny, a sacred artefact going back through the millennia that had been used in the coronation of Scottish Kings since Kenneth MacAlpin in 843.

  Or was it?

  The legend of the stone begins in the Holy Land where Jacob used it as a pillow. In the story he falls asleep on the stone and during a dream witnesses angels ascending into Heaven - there is also a story that this stone was anointed and became the pedestal for the Ark in the Temple of Solomon (so that's the 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' reference) so the stone was linked to the Ark of the Covenant.

  The stone then travelled through Egypt and was brought to Spain by Gaythelus (the original Gael), A Greek prince. From there is moved to Ireland where St Patrick blessed the stone so that it could be used as a coronation stone for the kings of Ireland. The legend also says that the Stone was accompanied by Scota a Pharaoh's daughter. From Scota we get Scotia and so Scotland!

  As the settlers from Ireland began to cross over to Scotland to establish the Kingdom of Dalriada the stone came with them. At first setting in Dunstaffnage or Dunbeg. But this was a troubled time with frequent Norse Raids so the stone was moved to Scone where it was safer. And there it stayed until Edward arrived in 1296.

  Edward sets off to London with his prize but what did he actually take away, there are some strong suggestions that the monks realising that Edward was approaching made a quick switch - the English had no real evidence of what the stone looked like so the ancient sandstone block could well have been the real thing - except that some accounts say the stone was white marble - others still that it was of a black basalt and that the original s
tone bore an inscription: "Ni fallat fatum, Scoti quocumque locatum Invenient lapidiem, regnasse tenetur ibidem": "If the Destiny proves true, then the Scots are known to have been Kings wherever men find this stone." There was no such inscription on the official Stone. The fact that this type of Sandstone is indigenous to Perth does suggest that it was switched and that the original was hidden - some say in nearby Dunsinnan Hill. The great joke perpetrated by the monks on the subsequent kings of England is that the stone probably covered a cess pit in the castle so every king of England since Edward's successor right up to Queen Elizabeth has been crowned - perched over an old drain cover!

  The Siege of Leith

  By Rodger Moffet

  Living in Edinburgh you are always aware that wherever you go you are trekking over centuries of history, that you can't walk anywhere without walking on ancient bones. However in our little office in Leith we were completely unaware of the history right under our feet.

  King James V died in 1542 when the heir to the throne Mary (Queen of Scots) was only six days old. His Queen Consort, Mary of Guise ruled as Regent until such time as Mary was able to take up the throne. Mary was French with strong family connections so the bond between Scotland and France, the 'auld alliance' was stronger than ever.

  This did not please the English and the Protestant movement in Scotland which had been gathering momentum for some time. As the situation worsened Mary called for support from her home nation. France responded and 3000 troops arrived in Leith and set up a garrison there.

  English troops, assisted by the Protestant Scottish factions had been camped around the entrance to the River Forth and the French (crack troops fresh from European wars) set about routing them. The French were commanded by Monsieur D'Essé, he quickly realised the strategic importance of Leith and set about building massive fortifications around the town. The French mounted a successful assault on the island of Inchkeith, killing the garrison commander, and returning in triumph. The Scots had mounted batteries around the Leith fortifications and once again the skilled French broke out to attack them. They easily captured cannons mounted on Calton Hill. Fighting raged across Leith links and up onto the higher ground by Hawkhill and Prospect Hill. The protestant Scots began to feel that their God had deserted them. A more convenient excuse rather than the reality that their relatively inexperienced and ill disciplined army were no match for the French.

  Gradually though the English and Scottish alliance began to gain the upper hand. English warships blockaded the port and stopped supplies from reaching the French garrison. Fortified batteries and siege trenches grew nearer to the French positions. Three massive batteries were set up surrounding them; Mount Falcon (near Leith hospital) Mount Pelham and Mount Somerset (situated on high ground to the south of the current Leith links). The constant bombardment wore down the French and the terrified Leithers still living in the town. Despite several successful French raids they were beginning to starve, reduced to eating horsemeat the end was in sight (an excavation in recent times at the bottom of Easter road discovered an old well full of horses heads).

  Nevertheless the French had been given orders to defend the town to the last man and no amount of force was going to remove them. The English, tired of the conflict and of the constant jibes from the French ramparts looked for a different route to victory and looked towards their diplomats to settle the issue.

  Mary of Guise had fallen gravely ill by this time and Queen Elizabeth's secretary, Sir William Cecil arrived in Leith to negotiate a truce. The Treaty of Edinburgh was drawn up and the French were offered safe passage home with the English also returning south. On the 16h July 1560, the French troops marched out of Leith after sacking it and so twelve years of French involvement in Scotland came to an end.

  However the story was not over yet. Mary, Queen of Scots who had become Regent on the death of her mother refused to accept the treaty; this was down to one condition, that she ceased using the coat of arms of England. This may seem a minor point but with her marriage to Lord Darnley, who was grandson to Margaret Tudor Mary's claim to the English throne had become stronger – coupled with the Catholic belief that Elizabeth was illegitimate this made Mary the true heir. Elizabeth never forgave her cousin for this and it became one of the reasons for her execution.

  The siege of Leith has to a certain extent been forgotten and regarded as just another incident in an eventful and bloody period of Scottish history however it has great significance. For one thing it was the first time that Scotland and England fought side by side. It could also be considered as the last significant foreign occupation of the British mainland and marked and end to both the alliance with France and the catholic domination of Scotland.

  Robert The Bruce And The Spider

  By Rodger Moffet

  Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, was descended from a Norman knight, Robert de Bruce, who came to England with William the Conqueror. His grandfather had been one of the 13 claimants to the Scottish throne in 1291, during the reign of the English king Edward I. Edward had chosen John de Balliol, an English baron, declaring him rightful king of Scotland in 1292. Later, Balliol refused to acknowledge the superiority of the English, and in 1296, was defeated by Edward at Dunbar. Edward then took over Scotland, receiving the oath of fealty from over 2000 Scots. At the same time a nationalistic movement demanding freedom from England slowly began gaining strength among the Scots. Leaders such as William Wallace fought the English but were defeated and executed.

  After Wallace's death, Robert Bruce revived his grandfather's claim to the throne, and declared himself king of Scotland in 1306. Edward I sent a large army north, defeated Bruce at the Battle of Methven, and forced him to become an outlaw. But Bruce did not give up, and came out of hiding a year later to win an important victory against the English. Clans from all over Scotland now came to his aid, and Bruce's growing army fought bravely and successfully against the English. Meanwhile Edward I died, to be succeeded by his son Edward II. The new king was no match for Robert Bruce - in 1314, at the Battle of Bannockburn, Bruce's army of 5,000 defeated Edward II's much larger army of 20,000, driving the English finally and firmly out of Scotland.

  Robert Bruce was known as 'Good King Robert' and was undoubtedly one of Scotland's greatest rulers, bringing peace and freedom to his country.

  On the lonely island of Rachrin, off the Irish coast, stood a mean and miserable hut. The chill wind of winter rattled its wooden door, demanding to be let in, sending icy fingers in through cracks and knotholes in the flimsy wooden walls. Inside, a man, his cloak wrapped close about him, lay on a straw pallet set against the wall opposite the door. A fire smoked in the centre of the rough earthen floor, and the remains of a frugal meal lay on a small wooden table.

  The man was no other than Robert Bruce, crowned king of Scotland, made an outlaw in his own country by Edward I, king of England. Edward I, better known as Edward Longshanks because of his long legs, had defeated Robert and harried him and hunted him, forcing him at last to leave the lochs and craggy mountains of his native land. He had left behind his queen in Kildrummie, his only remaining castle, in charge of his brave and valiant younger brother Nigel. But alas, Kildrummie had been taken by the English, his brother executed, and his queen held captive.

  Robert was close to despair: was the freedom of Scotland worth the great price that he was paying? Was it worth the lives of all those slain in battle, worth the misery of their wives and orphaned children? And what of all the men that he himself had killed, one at least not in the heat of battle, but in cold blood?

  Perhaps, thought Robert, he should give up his fight for freedom and go instead to the Holy Land, there to fight by the side of the brave knights against the enemies of Christendom. Perhaps that would make up for the killing and the deaths that his ambitions and dreams had brought about. Yet, how could he abandon Scotland, while there was still a hope, a chance, however slender, of success?

  The wind howled louder; the fire had died down. Rober
t lay still and silent on his mean straw bed, oblivious of the cold and discomfort of his surroundings, troubled and disturbed by his thoughts. Suddenly his eye was caught by a spider - the creature was hanging by a long silvery thread from one of the wooden beams above his head, and trying to swing itself to another beam. The spider tried again and again, failing every time. Six times, counted Robert, the spider tried and failed. 'Six times,' thought Robert to himself, 'have I fought against the English and failed.'

  Robert looked at the spider more intently. 'Now if this spider fails again on the seventh attempt, I too shall give up the fight for Scotland. But if it succeeds, I shall try again.' The spider, as though aware of Robert's thought, swung itself again with all its tiny strength - and finally, on the seventh attempt, it succeeded. It swung on to the beam it had been trying to reach, and fastened its thread, thus stretching the first line of the web it was trying to weave. Robert Bruce smiled, and sat up. He threw off his despair and grief, and determined to set out for Scotland again and continue his fight against the English. He fought against the English for the next eight years, defeating them and finally driving them out of Scotland in 1314, at the Battle of Bannockburn.