Thomas the Rhymer and the Fairy Queen by Meredith Morris Williams, 1910 |
- Edwin Muir
This is the sixth in my series, highlighting the rich
diversity of folktales, fairy tales, legends, and myths from around the world. My hope is that this will make it easier
for you to find new and unique tales to add to your repertoire, and in the
process, we will learn more about our global neighbors. I encourage you to
conduct further research on the specific region and/or culture behind the
stories. I also offer some book suggestions, crafts resources, and articles for additional reading on the magical country of Scotland.
At the end of this blog, you will find links to my previous journeys to the continent of Africa, and the countries of Germany, India, Russia, and Turkey. While we may not be able to travel safely just yet we can still explore the world with our imaginations!
STORY COLLECTIONS
Clan Traditions and
Popular Folktales of the Western Highlands and Islands, 1895 - You will find stories about
faeries, folktales, beast fables, and more between these virtual pages.
https://archive.org/details/clantraditionspo00campuoft/page/n9/mode/2up?view=theater
Folklore and Legends
– England and Scotland by Charles J.
Tibbets, 1894. This volume is a mixture of English and Scottish folklore.
http://tinyurl.com/yhjapjv
The
Folktales of the Orkney Islands – This amazing site offers tales of the trows, sea tales,
ghosts, restless spirits, traditions, and history of these beautiful islands.
http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/index.html
Mysterious Britain - I know the title
reads ‘Britain” but there are stories from Scotland as well, so I decided to
include it. Banshees, Black Dogs and Bessie Dunlop are but a few of the
folktales and legends from England, Wales, and Scotland. Visit with faeries,
selkies, dragons and giants but beware, don’t stay tarry too long in one of the
haunted castles.
http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/
The Scottish Fairy Book by Elizabeth W. Grierson, 1910 - “It may interest some of these children to
know that when James IV was a little boy, nearly four hundred years ago, he
used to sit on his tutor, Sir David Lindsay's, knee, and listen to some of the
same stories that are written here:—to the story of Thomas the Rhymer, of the
Red-Etin, and of The Black Bull of Norroway.”
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37532/37532-h/37532-h.htm
Scottish Fairy Tales, Folklore, and
Legends by Geoffrey Strahan, 1902 - Stop by and visit with the Minister
and the Fairy, The Fisherman and the Merman, or perhaps the The Mermaid Wife,
or anyone of the thirty-three tales that await you.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433086946641&view=1up&seq=2
Scottish Fairy and
Folk Tales - “Art is not only a thing of bound
volumes and of exhibitions; and the Scottish peasant has shown perhaps as keen
a sense of it--of the story-teller's art…” Words shared by Sir George Douglas
in the introduction to this lovely collection of Scottish fairy and folk tales.
Printed in 1901 the work is now in the public domain.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/sfft/index.htm
Scottish Folktales
and Legends - Forty-six stories
from Scotland and the Orkney Islands.
http://oaks.nvg.org/scottish-folktales.html
Scottish Ghost Stories by Elliot O’Donnell, 1911 - Come and meet The Sallow-faced Woman of No, greet The Floating Head of the Benrachett Inn, and have dinner with the White Lady of Rownam Avenue, and many more strangers if you a dare!
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20034
Wonder
Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend by Donald Alexander Mackenzie,
1917. Fairies, friends, and foes fill this
volume of stories from mythical Scotland.
https://tinyurl.com/ycxxlnon
INDIVIDUAL STORIES
I have not offered many individual stories below as I usually do as they are already in the above story collections. However, here are three additional tales to add to the offerings.
The Dreammaker –
Scotland
Ursilla and Her
Selkie Lover
Mallie and the Trow
http://www.katarina-dejan.com/hbd-folk-tales
ARTICLE
The Language of Traveller Storytellers - A brief article on the origin of the Scottish traveling people. https://arts.gla.ac.uk/STELLA/STARN/crit/langtrav.htm
BOOKS
Munroe Library - Scottish Folk, Fairy Tales, and other Traditional Lore - A
nice selection of books from the Munroe Library.
https://mcpl.info/staff-picks/Scottish%20Folk%20and%20Fairy-Tale%20Tradition
CRAFTS
Activity
Village – Make a Loch Ness Monster, a Teddy Bear Kilt, or your very own
tartan. These are just a few of the fun crafts for children to make and take.
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/scottish-crafts
DLTK-KIDS.COM - Crafts
to celebrate St. Andrew’s Day, bagpiper craft, jigsaw puzzles, and more to
celebrate Scotland.
https://www.dltk-kids.com/World/scotland/index.htm
MUSIC
Scottish Songs - A collection approximately 200 Scottish songs either written
by Scots or about Scotland. This page also has a link to a large collection of
Scottish poetry.
http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_index.htm
Tobar
an Dualchais/Kist o Riches – A collaborative project of the BBC Scotland,
School of Scottish Studies (University of Edinburgh) and the National Trust
offering thousands of hours of Gaelic and Scots recordings. The project
includes folklore, songs, music, history, poetry, traditions, stories, and
other information. A true treasure!
http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/
SOMETHING EXTRA
Scotclans.com – This site offers some stories, along with short synopses to enhance further research. There are specific sections on:
- Jacobite Legends
- Supernatural Scotland
- Religious Legends
- Royal Legends
- Scottish Monsters
- Scottish Heroes and Villains
https://www.scotclans.com/scotland/scottish-myths/
Scottish Myths, Folktales and Legends - Background information on some of Scotland’s famous locations and people.
https://www.scotland.org/features/scottish-myths-folklore-and-legends
The Six Creepiest Creatures from Scottish Folklore –
Background information to help you jump start your story research.
https://folklorethursday.com/legends/the-six-creepiest-creatures-from-scottish-folklore/
Trees for Life - “Award winning conservation charity dedicated to restoring
the Caledonian Forest in the Highlands of Scotland.” From Alder to Yew, this
site offers an array of myths and folklore of the Caledonian Forest that will
surely complement an Arbor Day storytelling program. Note: Unfortunately, the original link no longer
exists but you may still access the information via the Wayback Machine at this
link.
https://web.archive.org/web/20120124135501/http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythfolk/index.html
Celebrating
the Continent of Africa
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/01/celebrating-continent-of-africa.html
Celebrating the Country of Germany
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/02/celebrating-country-of-germany.html
Celebrating
the Country of India
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/01/celebrate-country-of-india.html
Celebrating the Country of Russia
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2021/03/celebrating-country-of-russia.html
Celebrating the Country of Turkey
https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2017/11/celebrating-country-of-turkey.html
Please
note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or
break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or
broken links. At the time of this posting all links were in working
order. Thank you for understanding.
Karen Chace 2021 ©
This blog post was researched and
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