Scottish Traditional Tales

Scottish Traditional Tales

Author: Alan Bruford

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Published: 2007-07-07

Total Pages: 530

ISBN-13: 0857909703

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

All over the world traditional tales used to be told at the fireseide until their place came to be taken by books, newspapers, radio and television. This is an entertaining collection from Scotland, recorded and collected by researchers from the School of Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University over the past fifty years. Taken from a variety of sources, from the Hebridean Gaelic tradition to recordings of Lowland cairds (travelling people), some are well-known tales which have equivalents in other cultures and languages, whilst others are unique to Scotland. The tales are arranged by theme: - tall tales - hero tales - legends of ghosts and evil spirits - tales of fate and religion - fairies and sea-folk - children's tales - trickster tales - tales of clan feuds - robber tales This is a welcome reprint of a book that quickly established itself as a classic. It was previously published by Polygon.


Gaelic Scotland in the Colonial Imagination

Gaelic Scotland in the Colonial Imagination

Author: Silke Stroh

Publisher: Northwestern University Press

Published: 2016-12-15

Total Pages: 551

ISBN-13: 0810134047

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Can Scotland be considered an English colony? Is its experience and literature comparable to that of overseas postcolonial countries? Or are such comparisons no more than patriotic victimology to mask Scottish complicity in the British Empire and justify nationalism? These questions have been heatedly debated in recent years, especially in the run-up to the 2014 referendum on independence, and remain topical amid continuing campaigns for more autonomy and calls for a post-Brexit “indyref2.” Gaelic Scotland in the Colonial Imagination offers a general introduction to the emerging field of postcolonial Scottish studies, assessing both its potential and limitations in order to promote further interdisciplinary dialogue. Accessible to readers from various backgrounds, the book combines overviews of theoretical, social, and cultural contexts with detailed case studies of literary and nonliterary texts. The main focus is on internal divisions between the anglophone Lowlands and traditionally Gaelic Highlands, which also play a crucial role in Scottish–English relations. Silke Stroh shows how the image of Scotland’s Gaelic margins changed under the influence of two simultaneous developments: the emergence of the modern nation-state and the rise of overseas colonialism.


Scottish Customs

Scottish Customs

Author: Margaret Bennett

Publisher: Birlinn

Published: 2012-12-10

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0857905449

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A highly readable and absorbing anthology of traditional Scottish customs and rites of passage, Scottish Customs from the Cradle to the Grave draws upon a broad range of literary and oral sources. Scotland has been fortunate to have written accounts of intrepid early travellers such as Martin Martin, Edward Burt and John Lane Buchanan, and extracts from their writing are found alongside modern interviews made by Margaret Bennett and researchers from the School of Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University. This expanded edition includes a large amount of new material. The result is a detailed and comprehensive picture of social behaviour in Scotland over the last 400 years. The book is divided into three sections, each covering a stage in the cycle of life: Childbirth and infancy; Love, courtship and marriage; Death The first edition was originally published by Polygon and was joint runner-up of the 1993 Katharine Briggs Folklore Award.


Scottish Fairy Belief

Scottish Fairy Belief

Author: Lizanne Henderson

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 9781862321908

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The authorities told folk what they ought to believe, but what did they really believe? Throughout Scottish history, people have believed in fairies. They were a part of everyday life, as real as the sunrise, and as incontrovertible as the existence of God. While fairy belief was only a fragment of a much larger complex, the implications of studying this belief tradition are potentially vast, revealing some understanding of the worldview of the people of past centuries. This book, the first modern study of the subject, examines the history and nature of fairy belief, the major themes and motifs, the demonising attack upon the tradition, and the attempted reinstatement of the reality of fairies at the end of the seventeenth century, as well as their place in ballads and in Scottish literature.


Folk Lore in Lowland Scotland

Folk Lore in Lowland Scotland

Author: Eve Blantyre Simpson

Publisher:

Published: 2019-12

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 9781710120615

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Originally Published in 1908. Legends and Folklore from the Scottish countryside. CHAPTER I Beltane and the Vanished Races CHAPTER II The Romans and Wells of Water CHAPTER III The Scandinavians CHAPTER IV Fairies CHAPTER V Fishermen's Superstitions CHAPTER VI Flowers and Birds CHAPTER VII Witches and Wizards CHAPTER VIII Fairs, Festivals, and Funerals CHAPTER IX Adages and Omens


Wee Gillis

Wee Gillis

Author: Munro Leaf

Publisher: New York Review of Books

Published: 2006-05-30

Total Pages: 89

ISBN-13: 159017206X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A Caldecott Honor Book by the creators of the beloved Story of Ferdinand Wee Gillis lives in Scotland. He is an orphan, and he spends half of each year with his mother's people in the lowlands, while the other half finds him in the highlands with his father's kin. Both sides of Gillis's family are eager for him to settle down and adopt their ways. In the lowlands, he is taught to herd cattle, learning how to call them to him in even the heaviest of evening fogs. In the rocky highlands, he stalks stags from outcrop to outcrop, holding his breath so as not to make a sound. Wee Gillis is a quick study, and he soon picks up what his elders can teach him. And yet he is unprepared when the day comes for him to decide, once and for all, whether it will be the lowlands or the highlands that he will call his home. Robert Lawson and Munro Leaf's classic picture book is a tribute to the powers of the imagination and a triumph of the storyteller's and illustrator's art.


Up Yon Wide and Lonely Glen

Up Yon Wide and Lonely Glen

Author: Elizabeth Stewart

Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published: 2012-07-02

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 1496801830

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Elizabeth Stewart is a highly acclaimed singer, pianist, and accordionist whose reputation has spread widely not only as an outstanding musician but as the principal inheritor and advocate of her family and their music. First discovered by folklorists in the 1950s, the Stewarts of Fetterangus, including Elizabeth's mother Jean, her uncle Ned, and her aunt Lucy, have had immense musical influence. Lucy in particular became a celebrated ballad singer and in 1961 Smithsonian Folkways released a collection of her classic ballad recordings that brought the family's music and name to an international audience. Up Yon Wide and Lonely Glen is a significant memoir of Scottish Traveller life, containing stories, music, and songs from this prominent Traveller family. The book is the result of a close partnership between Elizabeth Stewart and Scottish folk singer and writer Alison McMorland. It details the ancestral history of Elizabeth Stewart's family, the story of her mother, the story of her aunt, and her own life story, framing and contextualizing the music and song examples and showing how totally integrated these art forms are with daily life. It is a remarkable portrait of a Traveller family from the perspective of its matrilineal line. The narrative, spanning five generations and written in Scots, captures the rhythms and idioms of Elizabeth Stewart's speaking voice and is extraordinary from a musical, cultural, sociological, and historical point of view. The book features 145 songs, eight original piano compositions, folktale versions, rhymes and riddles, and eighty fascinating illustrations, from the family of Elizabeth, her mother Jean (1912–1962) and her aunt Lucy (1901–1982). In addition, there are notes on the songs and a series of appendices. Up Yon Wide and Lonely Glen will appeal to those interested in traditional music, folklore, and folk song—and in particular, Scottish tradition.


Folklore In Lowland Scotland

Folklore In Lowland Scotland

Author: Eve Blantyre Simpson

Publisher: Arabi Manor

Published: 2021-10-05

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9781608641864

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Originally published in 1908, Eve Simpsonʼs collection of folklore is an interesting artifact of its time. The author covers diverse topics of Scottish lore including fairies, regional superstitions, witches & wizards, plants & birds, the mysteries of Roman wells, the influence of Scandinavians, fishermenʼs superstitions, and fairs, festivals & funerals. Eve Blantyre Simpson (1855-1920) wrote biographies of Professor James Young Simpson, who pioneered the use of chloroform as an anesthetic, and of Robert Louis Stevenson. She lived her life in Edinburgh.


Welsh Witchcraft

Welsh Witchcraft

Author: Mhara Starling

Publisher: Llewellyn Publications

Published: 2022-02-08

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9780738770918

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The history of magic and witchcraft in Wales will inspire any modern-day witch. Written by a Welsh practitioner, this book shares the magical traditions of the land of the red dragon, exploring deities, fairies, folklore, charms, plants, and magic with dozens of exercises for hands-on practice. Explore the history and terminology of Welsh magic and methods for honoring the land. Learn to connect with Cerridwen, Rhiannon, and other deities as well as fairies and mystical creatures. Discover how you can incorporate traditional Welsh folk magic into your modern witchcraft practice, with exercises for honoring those who came before, connecting with the spirit of your home, protecting against adversity and malignant spirits, changing the weather, and much more.