Spooky Scotland! Dark history, haunted castles, myths and legends.
The Frittering is a shapeless being from Shetland folklore, also known as the Boneless. It is not a creature with a fixed form, clear motives or a familiar body. Instead, it is an unsettling presence associated with the shore, night-time terror, sickness and misfortune. Accounts describe the Frittering as pale, wet and foul-smelling. Yet its […] The post The Frittering or The Boneless appeared…
Scottish Eclipse records reveal they were not seen as just astronomical events in the past. Many people believed eclipses could signal divine displeasure, royal death, war, famine or disease. Yet interpretation varied according to education, religion, social position and political circumstances. A court astrologer might interpret an eclipse through planetary tables and zodiacal signs. A […] The…
The Battle of Dupplin Moor was fought during the Second War of Scottish Independence. It took place near Perth in August 1332, when Edward Balliol’s small, English-backed army defeated a much larger Scottish force loyal to the young King David II. This victory opened the road to Perth and Scone, which allowed Balliol to claim […] The post The Battle of Dupplin Moor: Edward Balliol’s Bloody Victory…
Name pronunciation: KROH MAH-ra General Information: Crodh Mara are the fairy cattle of the Scottish sea. Their Gaelic name means “cattle of the sea”. In Highland and island folklore, they live in both salt water and freshwater lochs. Unlike the dangerous each-uisge, Crodh Mara are usually beneficial. They may come ashore to graze beside an […] The post Crodh Mara appeared first on Spooky Scotland…
The Muckle Spate (or ‘Big Flood’) of August 1829 remains the most catastrophic flood event in modern Scottish history. From May through to the end of July, the Province of Moray had suffered from a drought. With precious little rain falling, newly planted trees and shrubs withered away and died. Across the Laigh of Moray, […] The post The Muckle Spate of 1829: Scotland’s Most Catastrophic…
The aftermath of Culloden is a memory that lies deep in the psyche of the Scottish people, both Highlander and Lowlander alike. But why should a battle that lasted a mere forty minutes hold such a special place in the hearts of a nation? Perhaps, it has become the emblem of something that is gone, […] The post The Aftermath of Culloden: The Human Cost of the Act of Proscription appeared first on…
Fortrose Cathedral now stands in ruins. However, according to local folklore a different cathedral once stoon in its place. Fortrose lies on the northern side of the Moray Firth, while the county of Moray lies to the south. The main administrative town of Moray is Elgin, which also has a Cathedral that lies in ruins—a […] The post Fortrose: Cathedral Ruins, Chanonry Point and Highland Legends…
Wester Ross is a wild and enchanting corner of the Scottish Highlands. It is a land of water and ancient mountains, some of which are over two billion years old. Heather-clad mountains dip their feet in sea lochs and disappear when the mists descend. It is a liminal place where sea, land and skies converge […] The post Haunted Wester Ross: Monsters, Lost Villages and Dark History appeared first on…
Fride is a small supernatural being from Scottish Highland folklore. In Scottish Gaelic, it is known as frìde, while the plural form is fridean. These elusive beings were believed to dwell in rocks, caves, knolls, and the deepest parts of the earth. Although some English accounts call the Fride a gnome, pigmy, elf, or rock […] The post Fride appeared first on Spooky Scotland .
The Battle of Harlaw is remembered by its aftermath: Red Harlaw. The moorland lay red for days in its wake. It would go down as one of the bloodiest battles in Scottish history. On 24 July 1411, on a plateau north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, two Scottish armies tore each other apart over a political […] The post The Battle of Harlaw: The Brutal Legacy of Red Harlaw appeared first on Spooky…