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This is a fabulous treasury of legend and wonder; tales of monsters who dwell in lakes, of small people who trap humans in earthen mounds where time stands still; of dark, shape- shifting spirits whose cloak of human form is betrayed by the sand and shells which fall from their hair. In the absence of a written tradition, for generations of Skianachs, these tales, handed down orally, contained the very warp and weft of Hebridean history. They take us far beyond Christian times, to the edge of the Iron Age, and interweave with threads from the wider Atlantic tradition of Gaelic heroic myth and legend.
History, folklore and local myths of Ross, Cromarty and Sutherland counties in Scotland.
The Cuillins of Skye are famous the world over but Skye has much else to offer, from the little crofting townships of the Sleat peninsula with their modern university, to the bustling town of Portree. In the north the weird rock formations of Trotternish - the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr - are some of the oddest and most dramatic sights in Scotland; while to the West lies Dunvegan, Talisker and much else besides. Rich in history and archaeology this is an exploration of one of the worlds most famous islands, celebrated in poetry and song. Few know it better than Cailean Maclean whose family's roots in the area go back generations.
Queen of the Night helps readers understand the role and power of the moon in the ancient religions, folklore, and mythology of Ireland and the British isles and then discover how to tap that power in their daily lives. Queen of the Night is a journey into the world of Celtic cosmology, shamanism, and sacred animals, as well as Celtic language, art, and culture, to discover the power and centrality of the moon. Since the earliest times, from stone circles and passage graves to the rites and customs of Druids, the moon has been the symbol of the Goddess and has played a crucial role in worship and celebration. In 13 chapters representing the moon's monthly and annual cycles, NicMhacha tells t...
This is quite simply the best, most detailed, and authoritative history of the island yet written. Originally published in 1930, this 1994 second edition includes a great deal of new materials and illustrations. Nicolson provides a thorough history of the families who lived on the island, their social conditions, and their literature and customs.
The Rough Guide to Unexplained Phenomena is an exploration of the zone that lies between the known and the unknown, a shadowy territory that's home to lake monsters, combusting people, teleporting frogs and man-eating trees. Taking a Fortean path between dogmatic scientists and credulous believers, the authors trace tales of wonder back to their sources, drawing from a huge archive of observations, opinions and discussions. As the third millennium begins, many things are not yet known or understood about our world -- as this Rough Guide shows, there are still many riddles to solve and wonders to experience.
The Brahan Seer is a legendary figure known throughout Scotland and the Scottish Diaspora and indeed anywhere there is an interest in looking into the future. This book traces the legend of the Seer between the sixteenth and twenty-first centuries. It considers the seer figure in relation to aspects of Scottish Highland culture and society that shaped its development during this period. These include the practice and prosecution of witchcraft, the reporting and scientific investigation of instances of second sight, and the perennial belief in and use of prophecy as a means of predicting events. In so doing the book provides a set of historicised contexts for understanding the genesis of the legend and how it changed over time through a synthesis of historical events, oral tradition, folklore and literary Romanticism. It makes a contribution to the debates not only about witchcraft, second sight and prophecy but also about the relationship between 'popular' and 'elite' culture in Scotland. By taking the Brahan Seer as a case study it argues that 'popular' culture is not antithetical to 'elite' culture but rather in constant (and complex) interaction with it.
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In April 1923 the SS Metagama weighed anchor off Stornoway and set sail for Montreal. On board were three hundred young men and women bound for a new life in North America. Partly driven by the lure of opportunities overseas, these young Leosachs were also participants in the new government programme of state-aided emigration. Based on personal interviews with those who travelled to the New World on the Metagama and other ships, Jim Wilkie sets their story in the context of emigration in Lewis over the centuries, to produce a fascinating insight into one of the central events in the island's history.