Folk-Lore and Legends: Scotland

What It's About

Folk-Lore and Legends: Scotland is a collection of Scottish folklore, first published in 1889 by an anonymous compiler. Drawing on the country's oral storytelling tradition, it brings together tales of fairies, brownies, ghosts, mermaids, and other supernatural figures said to haunt Scotland's moors, lochs, and glens. Stories such as "Canobie Dick and Thomas of Ercildoun," "The Brownie," and "The Mermaid Wife" sit alongside accounts of doomed riders, fairy encounters, and haunted ships, reflecting a wide sweep of regional belief and legend.

Key Concepts

The collection's prefatory note frames Scottish folklore as a direct reflection of the country's landscape — the rugged mountains, brooding moors, and deep lochs shaping a body of legend that is darker and more solemn in character than its Irish counterpart, despite sharing the same fairies, brownies, and bogles. Recurring figures include fairies and the "Men of Peace," household brownies, second sight and prophecy, and water spirits such as mermaids and the "dracae." Many tales also carry a moral or cautionary weight, particularly those involving bargains with supernatural beings or the doom awaiting those who cross them.

About the Author

No compiler is credited for this collection; it was published anonymously by W. W. Gibbings of London in 1889, as part of a wider series of national folklore anthologies issued by the same publisher.