Celebrating the Country of Scotland

Thomas the Rhymer and 
the Fairy Queen by
Meredith Morris Williams, 1910

"The winter gathered us into one room as it gathered the cattle into the stable and the byre; the sky came closer; the lamps were lit at three or four in the afternoon, and then the great evening lay  before us like a world: an evening filled with talk, stories, games, music and lamplight."
                                                       - 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

ADDITIONAL CULTURAL RESOURCES

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 compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

                                                                     

 

Silence Makes a Powerful Noise



From Sinbad the Sailor and Other Stories of
the Arabian Nights by
Edmund Dulac, 1914

“The first duty of love is to listen.” 
                                     ~Paul Tillich

Julie,* one of my storytelling students was debilitatingly shy, barely speaking above a whisper, not only to me, but her teachers and peers. Her mother shared, “She's not only shy but struggles with a social disability. It’s a gigantic step for her to even ask to be part of the storytelling troupe.”

Julie* attended all of the storytelling classes, participated in activities, chose a story, and allowed me to coach her, but I had to lean in very close to hear the story. Slowly, she learned to trust me and began to tell me about the things she loved. One day she said, “I love horses!” On the advice on my friend and colleague Mark Goldman, I found her a new, wonderful Scottish story, The Kelpie of Loch Garve, a tale about a magical black horse. I adapted the tale down to very manageable size, and she took to it like, well, like a kelpie to water!

She could tell the tale with “and then what happened” prompting from me but never as one fluid piece. Then, one day while coaching Julie* I noticed a very large ice cream scoop in the room (my coaching space was also storage for PTO supplies).Let’s use this as your microphone” I said. I moved a small desk in front of her, (as her stage front) handed her the scoop, and asked her to tell the story. She thought the scoop was quite funny and this time, with a smile and a giggle, she told it all the way through without prompting!

During another coaching session Julie* agreed to come to the auditorium with me. I took her on stage, positioned her in front the microphone and said, “Will you help me with a sound check for the upcoming festival? I left the stage and standing in front of her walked slowly backwards towards the far wall. Stopping at various intervals, I encouraged her to say her name and the name of her story. Each time she projected her voice just a little bit louder until I reached the back wall. Success!

With all of the troupes in-school performances I made sure Julie* could assist me in some way, pouring the water, arranging the chairs, etc. and assured her that she was our “featured listener.” "After all, how could we tell stories without our listeners?" She sat with the tellers, listening, applauding, but still never told her story.

As the festival night approached I spoke with her mother, and requested that Julie* still attend the festival, emphasizing that she was part of our team. Every year, at the end of each festival the storytellers receive my “Applause Award,” which specifically honors those who take the stage. As I printed out the awards the week before I realized it wouldn’t be appropriate for Julie* and might diminish the award for the other tellers. Yet, I couldn’t leave her out of this significant part of the evening. Hadn’t I been telling her that she was a valuable part of our team? What could I do to honor her contribution as well? My words came back to me…”Julie*, you are the featured listener!” And so, the Featured Listener Award was brought to life!

The night of the festival Julie* arrived beautifully dressed in purple, her favorite color, and took her place with the tellers in the Green Room. Did they tease her for deciding not to tell? I’m delighted and proud to share that they greeted her with love and care, tenderly supporting her choice and thanked her for being there for them.

Although Julie* didn’t step onto the stage that night I truly believe she has begun to rewrite her life story. I applaud her incredible bravery and hope she always remembers how valuable her voice is, no matter how softly she speaks.

*Julie is a pseudonym

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.