Great Scottish Myths & Legends
The Loch Ness Monster
Perhaps the world's greatest unsolved mystery, there have been recorded sightings of the Loch Ness Monster, or "Nessie", since the 6th century, but no one has been able to conclusively prove or disprove her existence.Loch Ness is a long and narrow loch hemmed in by high mountains. It is exceptionally deep with very black water that makes underwater visibility almost impossible. It is separated from the open sea by the short two miles of the River Ness and one theory is that Nessie is some form of prehistoric creature that was trapped in the loch when it was shut off from the open sea after the last Ice Age.
No one knows if there is one Nessie or a whole family of them and hundreds of expeditions have been mounted to find her. But she is a shy creature. Many expeditions have recorded strange, inexplicable sonar readings at the bottom of the loch, but no one has yet produced conclusive evidence of her existence.
Loch Ness is not the only Scottish loch with a monster. Loch Morar on the west coast boasts Morag, whose appearance is a harbinger of doom for a local family. Loch Morar is very similar to Loch Ness. It is the deepest lake in Europe and only a few miles from open sea. Legend has it that there is a vast underground tunnel between Loch Ness and Loch Morar. Perhaps Nessie and Morag are one and the same!
Bruce and the Spider
Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland in 1306 but almost immediately had to go into hiding when the English invaded his country. After many months of constant movement to avoid the invaders, Bruce hid in a cave when he was at his lowest ebb. There he watched a spider try to spin its web from one part of the cave roof to another. Six times it tried and six times it failed. On the seventh attempt it succeeded. Bruce took this to be a message that he should not give up his struggle to free Scotland from the English. He was eventually victorious at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 when the Scots soundly defeated a much large English army.There are a number of caves in South West Scotland that claim to be the one where Bruce watched the spider. No one is certain which is the authentic cave or even if the incident with the spider ever really happened.
Was Pontius Pilate a Scotsman?
Pontius Pilate is notorious in history as the Governor of Judea who sentenced Jesus Christ to be executed. However, legend has it that he was born in Scotland at Fortingall beside the River Tay in the Great Scotland area.The Romans certainly had a fort or outpost at Fortingall at one time. One version of the legend has Pilate as the illegitimate outcome of an illicit liaison between a Roman legionnaire and a Celtic chieftain's daughter. Another version has his father visiting the Picts as an emissary from the emperor Augustus. The second version is more likely as the Romans did not establish forts in Scotland until around 80AD, long after the time of Christ's crucifixion.
Today at Fortingall, visitors can see the Fortingall Yew, a tree that is estimated to be up to 5,000 years old and is officially recognised as the oldest living thing in Europe.
Bonnie Prince Charlie & Flora MacDonald
Bonnie Prince Charlie was the grandson of King James II, a Catholic monarch who was deposed by Protestant nobles. In 1745, Charlie came to Scotland from exile in France and raised an army of Highlanders to claim back the throne. He got within 100 miles of London, but was eventually defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He then was forced to constantly move secretly through the Highlands to escape the English army that was looking for him. At one stage he relied on a faithful follower, Flora MacDonald, to disguise him as a woman to smuggle him to Skye from where he escaped back to France. This event inspired the composition of the famous Skye Boat Song,"Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing
Onwards the sailors cry
Carry the lad who is born to be king
Over the sea to Skye"
