WHAT YOU MISSED

What does Scotland mean to you? Is it the pipes and haggis? [Contrary to popular rumour, they do not both involve the use of a sheep's stomach.] To Maddie, Scotland meant the magic of encountering a 'fairy wedding' on the ferry from Oban to Mull, when she was on her way to Iona. To Jason, it meant the story of Catriona and Tighe, and how Tighe was stolen away by a kelpie, and rescued by Catriona, thanks to the bean-nighe's

The bean-nighe washing the clothes of the dead

advice and the iron bridle that the chained smith made. To Raphael, it meant a version of Aarne-Thompson 325 from the Western Isles, in which the son, whom his father has sold to a magician, uses what he has learnt to escape from and eventually kill his master, as well as enriching himself and his father in the process. To Mike, it meant the story of The Hag, which you can read here.