The Lore of Scotland: A guide to Scottish legends
- ISBN-10
- 140906171X
- ISBN-13
- 9781409061717
- Category
- Social Science
- Pages
- 576
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2012-08-30
- Publisher
- Random House
- Authors
- Sophia Kingshill, The Estate of Jennifer Westwood
Description
Scotland's rich past and varied landscape have inspired an extraordinary array of legends and beliefs, and in The Lore of Scotland Jennifer Westwood and Sophia Kingshill bring together many of the finest and most intriguing: stories of heroes and bloody feuds, tales of giants, fairies, and witches, and accounts of local customs and traditions. Their range extends right across the country, from the Borders with their haunting ballads, via Glasgow, site of St Mungo's miracles, to the fateful battlefield of Culloden, and finally to the Shetlands, home of the seal-people. More than simply retelling these stories, The Lore of Scotland explores their origins, showing how and when they arose and investigating what basis - if any - they have in historical fact. In the process, it uncovers the events that inspired Shakespeare's Macbeth, probes the claim that Mary King's Close is the most haunted street in Edinburgh, and examines the surprising truth behind the fame of the MacCrimmons, Skye's unsurpassed bagpipers. Moreover, it reveals how generations of Picts, Vikings, Celtic saints and Presbyterian reformers shaped the myriad tales that still circulate, and, from across the country, it gathers together legends of such renowned figures as Sir William Wallace, St Columba, and the great warrior Fingal. The result is a thrilling journey through Scotland's legendary past and an endlessly fascinating account of the traditions and beliefs that play such an important role in its heritage.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Folklore of the Scottish Highlands
By Anne RossIn this substantially revised edition of a classic work first published 30 years ago, she portrays the beliefs and customs of Scottish Gaelic society, including: seasonal customs deriving from Celtic festivals; the famous waulking songs; ...
-
Scottish Folk-lore and Folk Life: Studies in Race, Culture and Tradition
By Donald Alexander MackenzieScottish Folk-lore and Folk Life: Studies in Race, Culture and Tradition
-
The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England's Legends, from Spring-heeled Jack to the Witches of Warboys
By Jennifer Westwood, Jacqueline SimpsonWhere can you find the 'Devil's footprints'? What happened at the 'hangman's stone'? Did Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, ever really exist? Where was King Arthur laid...
-
Scottish Wonder Tales from Myth and Legend
By Donald Alexander MackenzieSixteen lively tales tell of giants rumbling down mountainsides, of a magic wand that turns stone pillars into warriors, of gods and goddesses, evil hags, powerful forces, and more.
-
Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore
By Ellen HopmanEllen Hopman has given us a volume that belongs in Harry Potter's library. This wonderful collection of enchantments, faery lore and herbal potions, is presented by a practicing herbalist and (I suspect) magician.
-
The Scottish Fairy Book
By Elizabeth Wilson GriersonThese stories, which are also common to the North of Ireland, are wild and fantastic, and very often somewhat monotonous, and their themes are strangely alike.
-
Celtic Tales: Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales
By Kate ForresterFor she told him how she and her friends had met in one of their cottages and, having heard that the Lord Bishop of Carlisle had some very rare wine in his cellar, had placed their feet on the crook from which the pot hung, ...
-
The Fabled Coast: Legends & traditions from around the shores of Britain & Ireland
By Sophia Kingshill, The Estate of Jennifer WestwoodThe folklore collector Michael Denham, who was told this story in the mid nineteenth century, calls it a 'pure version' of what had become a famous ballad, 'The Laidley [Loathly] Worm of Spindleston Heugh', composed by Robert Lambe in ...
-
The Scots Herbal: The Plant Lore of Scotland
By Tess DarwinThis is the new edition of the first ever comprehensive guide to the many ways in which wild plants have been used in Scotland from prehistoric times to the present day.
-
The Scots Herbal: The Plant Lore of Scotland
By Tess DarwinThe Scots Herbal represents a comprehensive guide to the many ways in which wild plants have been used for various purposes in Scotland from prehistoric times to to the present...