Legend Post #6 -- The Loch of the Lost Sword

Well, hello, again. I'm back with a 'proper' legend for this week. However, I'm a little under the weather, so my brain is not working on full power. Plus I have a 15-25 installment series to plan out for a job assignment. Due to these two things, I've chosen a smaller legend that will require a little less explaining on my part. I guess it sounds lazy, but I have to work with what I have, and I don't want another Thursday to go by without a legend.

The Loch of the Lost Sword is a minor legend in Scotland. You probably would never hear of it unless you looked up the West Highland Way, which is a 96mi. hiking trail through the Scottish Highlands starting at Milngavie and ending at Fort William. Technically this little spot of water is too small to be called a loch, and is rather referred to as a lochan.


I found it difficult to find a lot of information on the Lochan of the Lost Sword, but with persistance (and no brain power for anything else) I finally found a snippet, and an article. Both have to do with Robert the Bruce, but one says he scored a great victory....

"Legend has it that when Robert the Bruce of Scotland was fleeing the English troops pursuing him, he ordered all his mens heavy weapons be tossed into this small loch to lighten their load. A day later the two armies met in battle only a mile from this spot, and despite being only lightly armed, the Scots routed the English." [source unknown]

.....while the other fills in quite a few missing details that paint a very diferent picture.

"As we already know Bruce had made a few enemies when he stabbed Comyn. By far the biggest of these north of the Border were the MacDougalls a powerful clan who held the lands around Argyll. This clan was descended from Somerled a great Hebridean king and it’s testament to their power that they had inflicted heavy defeats on both the MacDonald and Campbell clans. They had been great Scottish patriots, unfortunately for Bruce though Comyn was related to the MacDougalls and so they had come out in support of Balliol and the English. With Bruce and his surviving army fleeing westward they ran out of the frying pan and smack into the fire where a large force of MacDougalls were sharpening their swords in anticipation.

When Bruce reached Strathfillan, just to the south of Tyndrum around a thousand MacDougalls were there to meet him, led by the son of Alexander the chief John of Lorne (also known as ‘John the Lame). Bruce was trapped! With Valence pursuing him and the MacDougalls blocking his path he was forced to fight. Bruce and his men were not prepared for battle and the result was a foregone conclusion. What few horses Bruce still had were cut down by the MacDougall axemen and many of his most valued allies such as Sir James Douglas and Gilbert Hey were wounded during the engagement. This rather fanciful poem gives account of the battle:

They thereupon withdrew. In this
There was no mark of cowardice.
They kept together; and the king
Was ever busy rescuing
The rearmost of his company.
With skill and valour there wrought he,
And safely all his men withdrew.
He daunted those that would pursue
So none durst leave their cloe array,
For he was never far away.

The fighting was desperate for Bruce, at one point cut off from his allies he was fighting alone against a small lochan. A MacDougall man attempted to pull Bruce from his horse by grabbing his cloak. Bruce killed him but lost his cloak in so doing. The dead MacDougall was found later still grasping the cloak with Bruce’s brooch still attached. This brooch is still in the possession of the clan to his day.

Bruce and a handful of men escaped with their lives. His army was now non-existent and he fled to the caves and into the history books!
He hadn’t finished with the MacDougalls though and in 1308 at the Pass of Brander Bruce took bloody revenge against the MacDougalls. Once again with the Black Douglas by his side he completely destroyed the MacDougall’s and finally put an end to Scottish resistance to his claim to the throne.

 The Lochan of the Lost Sword

The place where Bruce’s darkest moment had come was named ‘Dail Righ’ or ‘The Kings Field’. Bruce had escaped by a hairs breadth (of maybe a brooch pin’s width). As Bruce had escaped he and many of his men threw any unwieldy heavy arms they had into a small lochan. Local legend has it that the king’s sword still lies beneath the surface. Whether its guarded by a ‘lady of the lake’ would be mere speculation." [taken from http://www.bletherskite.net/2012/05/02/the-battle-of-dalrigh-and-the-lost-sword-of-robert-the-bruce/]

Though a small legend, it still has tingles the imagination a little bit, doesn't it? It's hard to think a sword would remain just sitting at the bottom of a lochan for all these years, but perhaps if it was discovered by a peasant long ago, and is sitting in an attic somewhere, a forgotten family heriloom......

Dia duit,
~Penny

Memories For Ever After

So we made it back home safe and sound after almost a month of vacation. It would seem appropriate to give a dissertation on what has been going on while my blog was so sadly neglected, so I'll give a brief dialogue on it.

As the last post suggests, we spent the first week playing imagination games. On the second week, I, Percy, Seph, Dana, Bob, and Ani had the privilage of attending the OYAN Summer Workshop/Reunion. Saying it was amazing seems inadequate by tenfold at least! The blessings and lessons we learned could not even begin to fit on a single page.

Seph and I and another OYANer looking over song lyrics.

One part I particularly enjoyed -- the awesome lectures by Mr. S, Jeff Gerke, Mark Wilson, and others aside -- was Celtic Day. On Wednesday of the Workshop week, as many as wanted dressed in something Scottish or Irish themed. I and the PenKnights all wore a medieval outfit, and Dana wore his kilt and beret. Ani wore her Korean Hanbok instead of a medieval dress, though, because hers didn't get made in time. We looked rather spiffy, if I do say so myself.

In the afternoon, and that evening, all of us involved in Celtic Day had a jam session. Pennywhistles, violins, a guitar, a bodhran, and even a cello, plus all the excellent voices lent to two truly amazing performances of Celtic folk music and hymns. One of the things I love so much about Celtic music is that it has a magical way of bringing people together. None of us had ever played or sung together before in our lives, and yet we still played and sang the simple Celtic melodies well enough to put angels to shame. The music left everyone smiling with gladness in their hearts, and that evening sent me to bed glowing inside for the beauty of people coming together and just having honest fun with music and dance.
I can say without a doubt that the entire OYAN Workshop experience was an incredible blessing, and it has undoubtedly changed my life in many ways that I haven't even noticed yet. There is a revolution going on in the realm of Christian writing, and I got to meet and be a part of the next generation of storytellers who will change the world. God is doing great things, and the future is actually looking like an exciting place, now.

The third week! Ah, the third week. Thirty people in one house. We all stayed at, I shall say, the MacDonald place in Maryland. All three of our large families living practically on top of each other for a whole week straight. It was great! Good thing I don't mind doing dishes. There were dishes to do. A lot of dishes.

A lot of dishes.

Anyway, the fun part was that Bob had written a script and gotten a new amazing stupendous camera. Movie time! We filmed a whole movie -- fully choreographed fight scenes, brilliant costumes sewn by Lynn and Lynnae, better acting that in our previous two movies, and some pretty neat props that included a passle of PVC pipe swords made especially for this occasion -- called A Heart of Corruption. It was a learning experience in and of itself to make this movie, as we've never done one with this ammount of consecutive dialogue, complex plot, that many actors, or over that many days in a row. (I believe it took three days in all to get all the shots needed.) Bob had a little bit of a hard time because he was director this time instead of me, so he had to learn to deal with the pressures that come with that position. I told him to come up with five things he learned over the course of filming before I and my family left, and here's what he said:

1. Patience
2. Flexibility
3. Not to work with small children (or animals) if possible
4. Time management
5. Never give up

Isn't that an excellent list? I'm very proud of him. You did an amazing job, Bobby my boy, even if you don't agree. I'm very proud of you!

And thus with very teary eyes and many hugs, the three of our families parted ways at the end of an amazing three weeks of friendships and many, many lessons learned. Leaving the MacDonald house, I had the strangest feeling. Even though the three weeks had come to an end, it felt good; like a relief. Not because I was tired of them, quite the contrary, I miss them very much even now. No, a relief because we'd made it. Months and months of praying, several close calls, numerous doubts, and God allowed us to have those three weeks together. I don't know if there's any way I can express to God how grateful I am to Him for allowing us to have that time together. So, so many things had to go right, so many 'coincidences' had to happen, in order for this vacation to have even been considered, and God put everything right in line for us one after the other from start to finish. He led us all the way through to the end, and now it's safe in our memories forever. Forever! Do you know how long that is? That's until the day we die, and even beyond.

My friends -- you know who you are -- I love you all more than I could say or show. You're all awesome, and I mean that in every sense of the word.

My God -- you certainly know who you are -- I love you more than I'm capable of even feeling. I will serve you all my days, and in your name I will wield my sword and pen for as long as I inhabit this Earth, and still then after that.

To all who read this blog -- yes, you there -- may God keep you strong and bless you and yours for all the days of your life!

Dia duit,
~Penny

Thursday Legend Post #4 -- Rob Roy

First off I'd like to say that I've seen the 1995 movie "Rob Roy" starring Liam Neelson and I hated it. Rephrase: I still hate it. I hate it simply because it was over the top inappropriate. I don't care how heroic the hero is, how adventerous the story, or how amazing the swordfights; that one element, no matter how realistic, I don't care, ruins entire movies and poisons minds.

Just sayin'.

In spite of that, I do actually really like the legend of the Scottish outlaw Raibeart Ruadh MacGregor, also known as Red Robert, also known as Rob Roy. He's the Robin Hood of the Highlands.

Like with Robin Hood, Rob Roy was made into a legend. Since we don't have a time machine it's hard to say what kind of person he was in real life. Unlik Robin Hood, however, there's more historical fact to go on than just a mysterious headstone in an obscure graveyard as with the English outlaw. A book was written by Sir Walter Scott, titled simply "Rob Roy", during Rob's lifetime, and while it was undoubtedly romantisized to some degree, it's still based in more fact than Robin's legend simply because there was more material to go off of.

But who cares? I like legends as legends. I'm not one of those people who tries to pick each of them apart and prove the heroes were really scoundrels and dogs. The heroes in legends -- be they truth or the result of hunger for true heroism -- are valid, in my mind. Of course, one must look out for predjudices, but if nothing else, legends give insight to how the people of the time percieved life and what they desired to see in those they chose to exalt.

But back to Rob Roy, who I'm not going to refer to as Raibeart, because I think it's cool.

Born Glen Gyle, 1671, died Inverlochlarig, 1734

Robert MacGregor was born at Glen Gyle, at the western end of Loch Katrine, in the Trossachs region of Central Scotland. His popular moniker 'Rob Roy' comes from the Celtic for 'Red Robert', a reference to his red hair. His father was Donald MacGregor, and his mother was Margaret Campbell. At that time the MacGregor clan was 'proscribed', which meant that no one was allowed to use the name MacGregor, or wear the clan tartan.

In another article it mentioned that sometimes Raibeart used his mother's maiden name, Campbell, instead of MacGregor. At age 22, Raibeart married his cousin, Mary MacGregor, and they had four sons, James, Renal, Coll, and Robin. If you're like me you'll find it amusing that the Scottish outlaw had a son who shared the name of the famous English outlaw. But maybe I'm just weird.

Rob fought with his father Donald in support of the Catholic James Stewart in his struggle with the Protestant king of England, William of Orange. Donald was captured and imprisoned and Rob's mother died while Donald was captive.

After the cessation of struggles Rob turned his hand to cattle. In a nutshell, he stole cattle and ran a protection racket, offering to protect the herds of others for a fee. This makes him sound like a Chicago gangster, but it is important to remember that the customs of the time were quite different from our own; cattle were considered common property, so taking them was not a crime, and the protection racket, as I called it earlier, was a common and very respectable way of making a living.

It looks like the author of this article may be attempting to reconcile the cattle racket aspect, but in this case I'm not inclined to discredit it. Not just because I like it when heroes live up to their legends to a certain degree, but because I've learned that customs of various timeframes really do play a significant role in a given culture. Things people did back then that we would consider low nowadays were not considered low, and sometimes were even acceptable, by the people of the time. We have to remember to look at things through the context lense and not judge based solely on our perception, which is tainted by the rules of our own modern culture.

But anyway, Raibeart was a bit of a rogue right from the start, as one would expect from a red headed Scotsman. But as the legend goes, there were rogues far worse them him and with much more power...

Things began to unravel however, when Rob Roy borrowed money from the Duke of Montrose to expand his herd. Here is where the story gets murky. One version is that Rob Roy stole the money. Rob Roy's version was that his chief herdsman absconded with the coins. Whatever the truth, the money was gone, there were no cows to show for it, and Rob Roy was unable to repay the loan. As a result of this episode Rob Roy was declared an outlaw. He fled from his home at Inversnaid, leaving his wife, Mary, and their children. Montrose's men descended on Inversnaid, burned Rob Roy's house to the ground and forced his family to leave.

So now Raibeart's an outlaw. If I were to write my own version of this legend, I'd have him steal the money and turn the story into one of redemption. However, I believe the more commonly accepted theory is that Raibeart's chief herdsman betrayed, and that Raibeart was persecuted nonetheless. This would more easily reflect the Scottish ideals of freedom and the tyranny of Brittish rule.

Either way Montrose is a villain in my book because noone is allowed to mess with the family. Ever.

From this point on Rob Roy was a thorn in the side of the Duke of Montrose and the forces of the law sent to find him. He roamed the hills of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs like a sort of Scottish Robin Hood. On one occasion he abducted the Duke's factor and held him on an island in Loch Katrine. Finally, in 1722 he was captured and imprisoned for five years.

Loch Lomond!!

Yes, that's one of the places in Scotland I really want to visit. That short little paragraph there is where the majority of a legend would take place, after setting up the inciting incident of Roy being declared an outlaw. However, it's during Raibeart's imprisonment that the legends begin to grow. Daniel Defoe writes "Highland Rogue" in 1723, and Raibeart's fame grew. (As a side note I'd like to point out that this is a perfect example of how powerful stories are.) This could possibly have led to the issuing of Raibeart's pardon by King George I of England in 1727, just before Raibeart was due to be transported abroad.

He returned to the Trossachs and lived a Inverlochlarig, at the western end of Loch Doine. He died in 1734 and was buried in the churchyard at Balquhidder. Later, Mary and his sons Coll and Robin were laid beside him.

In some ways the story of Rob Roy MacGregor's life has come to represent the struggle of the Highland clans for recognition and fair treatment by a largely English aristocracy.

A very Scottish theme if ever I saw one. Overall, the legend carries traces of themes like justice against injustice, redemption (like I mentioned earlier), freedom, perseverence, loyalty, and even compassion, honor, and patriotic pride. All in all, the fiery red headed outlaw Raibeart Ruadh MacGregor is quickly becoming one of my favorite legendary characters.

Dia duit,

~Penny

Introducing Dana MacDonald

One of the Lords of our humble realm, Dana MacDonald. Normally one would bow and give proper salutations and blessings, but seeing as it would be rather odd of you to wave at the computer screen, we'll skip that. (By the way, yes, that's him in the picture.)

Dana and I share a measure of admiration and enthusiasm for celtic -- especially Scottish -- culture and style. So when he informed me that he'd recieved his kilt outfit in the mail, I immediately demanded pictures. I must say I'm very impressed, and quite pleased. Kudos to any guy who can, and does, wear a kilt unashamedly. You have excellent taste because, quite frankly, kilts are awesome.

This outfit is hopefully going to be used in an LARPG the PenKnights have planned called Lore. Dana plays the character Beowulf in it,. Doing a passable Scottish accent, and with the PVC claymore my brother is going to make him, the whole get up will be legend worthy. Definitely going to take pictures...

From what Dana's told me, the quality of the outfit is excellent. He ordered it from a website called YourDressMaker, and seems quite happy with the outcome. I've had tabs on this website for some time, as it has a tartan dress that I want to purchase from them someday, and overall it looks to be a fairly good source for medieval and rennaissance costuming. Their prices, compared to other medieval costuming sites and even Armstreet (where I purchased my green medieval dress), appear reasonable, as well.

It's late, so I shall turn in to bed now. Tomorrow I exact revenge on my brother for impaling me with my own sword...

Dia duit,
~Penny