Picturesque Scotland in Lay and Legend Song and Story

by E.W.C. Junner

    

That's the title of a school prize awarded my father in 1907. When new, this would be a handsome volume, with many colour plates as well as black and white sketches to accompany the text; it still retains an air of faded dignity. 

The late Hugh Trevor-Roper, Lord Dacre of Glanton, has this to say at the beginning of his book on my native land: 'The early history of all countries is obscure, but the mist which envelopes the early history of Scotland is unique, both in density and duration.' 

I recommend Trevor-Roper's historical, ah, piece as being both highly readable and entertaining. That man's fascination with the legend-laden land of my birth has prompted many a book, poem, song, play and film is indisputable and in this blog I’ll show just a few examples.

To take film first. I have not seen - nor have I any intentions of seeing - Mel Gibson's film 'Braveheart'. From what I read, the film sounded ridiculous and the trailer I saw confirmed that opinion. Sir William Wallace, a national hero to the Scots, stood closer to seven feet than six in height, while Mr. Gibson, who as director, producer, and actor plays the lead part, measures five foot something. Travesty! I cry (okay, tongue in cheek).

As a small girl I saw two movies set in Scotland. 'Brigadoon' was a light-hearted musical starring Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, and Van Johnson. The plot followed the adventures of two Americans who got lost in the woods while on a hunting trip to Scotland. There they stumbled on the village of Brigadoon. In order that the village and its way of life would be forever preserved, it appeared only once every hundred years and was ephemeral. Naturally, one of the American lads would fall in love with a Scots girl and, equally naturally, complications would ensue.                 

Wikipedia describes the film 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', made in 1948 as 'historical'. All I can say is the director took liberties with what was surely the saddest episode in Scotland's history.

Photo of 'Scene from the Battle of Culloden' painting by David Morier

The only clear memory I have of the film is one which caused great hilarity in the cinema. As Cumberland's victorious troops cleared the field, the renowned actor Finlay Currie rose from his death throes to cry, "I guess it's all over McDuff!" I guess... though the audience's reaction wasn't quite what the director intended, I'm sure.

Among the songwriters Carolina, Lady Nairne, was a poetess and songwriter who kept her identity secret. Her father, Laird Laurence Oliphant, was a Jacobite and Carolina's songs, such as 'Charlie is my darling', reflect this. Today Robert Burns is better known world-wide for his Scots poetry and songs than is Carolina. It is reported she was most put out when Rabbie Burns was credited with her work; had Carolina chosen to reveal her identity she could have refuted this, but she never did, contenting herself with complaining to a friend.

There are numerous modern Scots songwriters and poets; are any as (in)famous as William McGonnagal (1825 - 1902)? McGonnagal's   poetry was so excruciatingly bad he was in demand as a music hall turn. His work is rather painful to read.

Literary works set in Scotland, classic and light, for adults and for children, are plentiful. Sir Walter Scott's Rob Roy is a stirring novel set around the time of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. Anyone who can wade through Jane Eyre can surely follow the adventures of Frank Osbaldistone when he meets and joins Rob Roy MacGregor Campbell.

It's still worth a read, as are the books of Robert Louis Stevenson. Of the latter's works, Kidnapped is my personal favourite.

And now we come to legends. Many are the tales of the powerful properties of the rowan tree, the Wee Folk, and Michael Scott the wizard. One of the most famous legends is that of the Kelpie. Kelpie is a water sprite who can assume any form he pleases. He most often likes to take the shape of an enormous black horse. It was said should anyone chance to mount him while he was roaming the glens, he would plunge into the loch and drown his overbold rider in the depths.  Since he's chancy and mischievous, and mostly not to be believed, people were wary of Kelpie. Two books for middle graders deal with Kelpie. Molly Hunter's The Kelpie's Pearls is the story of Morag who lived in a tiny croft above Loch Ness. She rescued a Kelpie, who insisted on giving her a necklace of pearls from the bottom of the loch. It is also the story of Torquil, an orphan who loved animals which, thanks to Morag, he could keep safe. A trapper saw Morag's pearls, heard from whence they had come and tried to dredge all the pearls from the bottom of the loch. By fashioning a cross from rowan twigs and reciting an old rhyme, Morag intervened before Kelpie, in shape of a huge black horse, could kill the trapper. Unfortunately, thanks to the  trapper's loose tongue,  poor Morag was thereafter dubbed as a witch. led to all sorts of misery for her, It is a gentle story, with an appropriate ending.

Kelpie, by William Mayne, has a very different, more modern take. Children from England’s Lake District had gone on a camping trip to the Scottish Highlands. Lucy found a pretty, glittering thing which she didn’t realise was the Kelpie’s bridle.

The story follows Kelpie leaving his loch for Vendale Water in an attempt to retrieve his bridle. A warm, funny little story.

Now for a tale from the Borders. George MacDonald Fraser’s The Candlemass Road

is a tale of Lady Margaret Dacre’s trials and tribulations with the Border Reivers. Before the Union of the Crowns in 1603 the strip between Scotland and England, known as the borders, was totally lawless. Raids, theft, especially of cattle, burning of properties, murder and blood feuds were commonplace. It took stern action by King James Vl to bring some kind of order.  George MacDonald Fraser has also written many, very funny, books on army life in the Sottish Regiments during the second world war. After the war he did Hollywood screenplays, notably Flashman.

Running Scared is a super, very exciting book for middle graders. The three Lang children are staying in a remote Highland village with their grandfather for Christmas. He has to go to Glasgow overnight; they go on a hike, get trapped in a blizzard, and involved in a dangerous game with an undercover agent and murderous smugglers. A really gripping tale of suspense.

Much, mostly starry-eyed romance, has been written about Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite uprising of 1745. The Jacobites, by Jacqueline Riding is an extensive work on the uprising, which I found fascinating although it turned upside-down the history dunned into our little Scottish heads in elementary school.  In her book, Riding portrays Charles Edward Stuart 

in very unflattering light. He engineered this uprising against the advice of his father; he ignored the wisdom of the intelligent and competent Lord George Murray, relying instead on his own inexperience and that of his Irish friend O’Sullivan in the battle of Culloden. He fled the rout which ensued and escaped back to France. Such a waste of life by a wastrel.

Finally we have Tim Newark’s compelling Highlander, The History of the Legendary Highland Soldier. This book takes the reader from the disaster of Culloden to U.S. camp Dogwood at Fallujah. He starts with the tale of Captain John Maclean, a soldier in the Black Watch regiment and ends with the betrayal of the Highland Regiments. The troops on the ground have lost something irreplaceable.