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    Isle of Skye Folklore

    Author: Kate Wilson
    More by Kate

    Scotland’s Storybook Island

    The Isle of Skye, also known as the Misty Isle, gets its name from the Old Norse. Clouds often shroud the island, but history, culture and most intriguingly, folklore profoundly shape it. Whether you’re already a folklore enthusiast or just curious to learn more, there are many sites to visit and stories just waiting to be discovered on the Isle of Skye.

    Old wives’ tales, superstitions, myths, legends, folklore—whatever you like to call them—clearly weave the mythical and magical into Scotland’s past and present. After all, our national animal is the unicorn! From Broonies to Faeries, to tales of Norwegian princesses and battling ox, the Isle of Skye has it all.

    Let’s delve into the world of fantasy, where the lines between fact and fiction begin to blur and the imagination is allowed to run wild.

    The Legend of ‘Saucy’ Mary

    Many people arrive on the island via the Skye Bridge, which connects the island to Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland. While boats still move between the sound and Loch Alsh today, in days gone by, many more boats and ships would have sailed these waters. However, sailing through the straits between Kyle of Lochalsh and Kyleakin on Skye in the 10th century would have incurred a toll.  

    Legend claims that ‘Saucy’ Mary, a Norwegian Princess who married the Chief of Clan Mackinnon, collected this toll herself. A large portion of the clans’ income came through imposing a toll on passing ships. To avoid paying it would mean sailing around the far more treacherous Minch, known for its ferocious storms. The Clan Chief and his wife are said to have hung a chain across the straits from their home, Caisteal Maol in Kyleakin, to the mainland and demanded a hefty toll to be allowed through. Mary took it upon herself to collect the toll.  She would show gratitude for those who paid by flashing her bare chest as they sailed past, so the name ‘Saucy’ Mary came to be.

    Castle Maol

    Whilst the chain and the toll are long gone, the ruins of Mary’s home, Caisteal Maol, remain today. In fact, it remained the clan’s seat until 1601. And what became of Mary, you ask? Mary had always had a strong bond with her homeland; she even waved the toll for passing Norwegian ships (whether they received a glimpse of what lay beneath her clothing is unclear). When she died, she was buried on top of a hill now named Beinn na Caillich, meaning “Hill of the Old Woman,” in Gaelic, so that she could feel the wind from her beloved homeland in her final resting place.

    The Old Man of Storr

    The Norwegian princess is not the only person to become immortalised on the island. Around 40 miles north of the domain of ‘saucy’ Mary stands the Old Man of Storr. This 50m high pillar of rock was carved in memory of a man from Portree who went by the name of Macsween. A local Broonie, whom Macsween had once saved from death, constructed this fine rock spire in his honour. A Broonie is an ugly, naked creature who lives in the sea and survives by eating the bones of drowned seamen.

    When Macsween saved the Broonie, he asked for no reward, and the pair became good friends until Macsween unfortunately died of a broken heart after his wife passed away. Greatly upset by the sad events and to pay tribute to his rescuer and friend, the Broonie not only carved the ‘Old Man,’ but also the nearby needle, a smaller, thinner pillar of rock to represent Mrs Macsween, who was a deft seamstress.

    Alternative tales do exist, like many other legends in parts of Skye, Scotland and beyond. So if this version isn’t to your liking, another version tells of a battle with a giant who, when defeated, was buried under mounds of earth, except his thumb, which was left sticking out. Whilst the giant’s body now forms the basis of the Trotternish Peninsula, his thumb stands out as the ‘Old Man of Storr.’

    The Faeries of Dunvegan Castle

    The Fairy Flag

    Like other parts of Britain and indeed the world, faeries have been in our midst for thousands of years. These days, we don’t often see faeries, but in the years that have gone by, it has not been uncommon for faerie folk and humans to intermingle.

    An early Chief of the Clan Macleod married a fairy, and together they had a son. When the time came for the fairy to return to her people, the clan Chief followed her but could go no further than the Fairy Bridge, situated on the present-day road to Trumpan on the Waternish Peninsula. Stricken with grief, the clan’s Chief was handed a small wooden box from his wife containing a magic banner or ‘Fairy Flag.’ The flag holds great powers, but one must carefully decide whether to wave it, as legend permits only three uses.

    To date, the flag is said to have only been waved twice by the clan. Once, when going to get revenge on a rival clan, the MacDonalds, after the massacre at Trumpan. On this occasion, waving the flag supposedly summoned a host of armed men who helped the Macleods win the battle.

    Dunvegan Castle, Skye

    The Fairy Cup of Dunvegan Castle

    When plague struck the clan’s cattle, they waved the flag a second time, and faerie magic cured the herd, saving the clan from starvation. One wave remains, so the flag patiently sits and waits in Dunvegan Castle, the ancestral home of the Chiefs of Clan Macleod, for when it is needed again.

    Also, housed at Dunvegan Castle is the Fairy Cup, otherwise known as the Dunvegan Cup. The Fairy or Dunvegan Cup is a wooden ceremonial cup thought to have been created for Caitriona, the wife of John Maguire of Fermanagh, Ireland. It somehow managed to find its way into the hands of the Macleods. However, that is only one version of events. Some believe the faeries gifted it. Others insist someone stole it.

    A third relic held at Dunvegan Castle is the Ruairidh Mòr Drinking Horn. Ruairidh Mòr was the 15th Chief of Clan Macleod and had the ox horn made into a drinking vessel after fighting and killing it to save the life of a young man. The horn holds 1.5 litres and it is clan tradition that each new Chief must fill it with wine and drink it in one go. This act demonstrates the new Chief’s physical strength along with their readiness to take on the responsibilities of leading the clan.

    Dunvegan Castle sits on the eastern shore of Loch Dunvegan and is certainly worth visiting, whether you’re interested in the folklore surrounding the clan and some of their belongings. Along with the three items mentioned above, it is home to numerous other artworks, heirlooms and pieces of memorabilia from the days of the Jacobite Rebellion. The castle and its sprawling gardens practically beg visitors to explore them.

    The Blue Men

    The water of Loch Dunvegan flows out into the Minch, the strait of water between the Outer and Inner Hebridean Islands. The Minch, also known for being a treacherous section of sea, is home to the Blue Men. The Blue Men of the Minch are blue-skinned, half-human, half-fish creatures that enjoy harassing sailors and luring them to their deaths. The Blue Men’s ability to control the weather and create ferocious storms has brought many sailors to an untimely end. However, when the Blue Men are asleep, the sea and accompanying weather are calm, and sailors can enjoy safe passage through the straits, at least for a while.

    If you’d like to try to meet a Blue Man, why not catch the ferry from Uig on the west of the island to the Isle of Lewis or North Uist? For those not keen on sea travel, tales also place the Blue Men of the Minch at the Fairy Pools in Glen Brittle. These pools have been carved out over time by the water of the Allt Coir’ a’ Mhadaidh, a burn that flows down from the Cullin mountain range. In addition to being home to Blue Men, the pools are considered a window or access point between the human world and the faerie realm.

    Learn More About Scottish Water Mythology

    Visit the Isle of Skye

    Meet the Author: Kate Wilson

    It is my pleasure to guide others through the wild and beautiful landscapes of Scotland, whether on foot, by bike or by boat. Originally from Edinburgh, I began my guiding career while studying Adventure Performance and Coaching in Fort William, spending four years at the foot of Ben Nevis and summiting it 28 times (I’ll stop counting at 100!). My work has taken me from the Cairngorms to North Wales, where I completed a Masters in Applied Sport Science, before returning to Edinburgh to combine my NHS role as a physiotherapy assistant with guiding. I love physically challenging myself, exploring new places, and connecting the natural environment with human history - preferably after a plate of macaroni cheese worthy of my ratings list.

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