Fairy Flag
The Fairy Flag (Scottish Gaelic: Am Bratach Sìth) is an heirloom of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod. It is held in Dunvegan Castle along with other notable heirlooms, such as the Dunvegan Cup and Sir Rory Mor's Horn. The Fairy Flag is known for the numerous traditions of celtic fairies, and magical properties associated with it. The flag is made of silk, is yellow or brown in colour, and is a square of side about 18 inches (45 centimetres). It has been examined numerous times in the last two centuries, and its condition has somewhat deteriorated. It is ripped and tattered, and is considered to be extremely fragile. The flag is covered in small red "elf dots". In the early part of the 19th century, the flag was also marked with small crosses, but these have since disappeared. The silk of the flag has been stated to have originated in the Far East, and was therefore extremely precious, which led some to believe that the flag may have been an important relic of some sort. Others have attempted to associate the flag with the Crusades or even a raven banner, which was said to have been used by various Viking leaders in the British Isles.
There are numerous traditions and stories associated with the flag, most of which deal with its magical properties and mysterious origins. The flag is said to have originated as: a gift from the
Clan tradition, preserved in the early 19th century, tells how the Fairy Flag was entrusted to a family of hereditary
Description
In the 19th century, the writer
The flag was examined in the early 20th century by
Tradition and legend
Thomas Pennant (1772)
In 1772,
19th-century manuscript accounts of the flag
Much of the traditional history of the Fairy Flag is preserved in manuscript form. In the early part of the 20th century, Fred T. MacLeod noted one manuscript written around 1800, which he considered to be the most detailed description of the flag.[8] The narrative which Fred T. MacLeod quotes is identical to that found in the Bannatyne manuscript, which documents the traditional history of Clan MacLeod. The Bannatyne manuscript dates to the 1830s but is thought to have been based upon earlier traditions.[9][10]
Description
The c. 1800 manuscript stated that both the honour and the very existence of Clan MacLeod was thought to have depended upon the preservation of the Fairy Flag. Only the "highest and purest blood of the race" and the most renowned heroes, were selected to guard the flag when it was displayed. These twelve men, with a sword in hand, would stand just behind the chief who was always put in front. One family produced the hereditary keepers of the flag; and of this family, only the eldest living male could unfurl the flag. This family was called "Clan Tormad Vic Vurichie" ("the children of Tormod, son of Murchadh"), and was descended from
Unfurling at the Battle of Bloody Bay
The Bannatyne manuscript states that the flag was unfurled at the Battle of Bloody Bay in 1480. The manuscript related that during the battle, the clan's chief, William Dubh (c. 1415–1480), was slain, and in consequence his clan began to lose heart. A priest then ordered the flag's bearer, Murcha Breac, to unfurl the Fairy Flag to rally the clan. Up until this point, the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan were on the opposing side of their kinsmen, the MacLeods of Lewis. However, once the MacLeods of Lewis noticed that the flag had been unfurled, they switched sides to join forces with their kinsmen. Unfortunately for both MacLeod clans, the outcome of the battle had already been determined and they were on the losing side. Among the vast numbers of MacLeods slain were Murcha Breac and the twelve guardians of the flag. William Dubh is buried on the island of Iona with his predecessors, and the body of Murcha Breac is placed within the same tomb. The manuscript states that this was the greatest honour which could be bestowed upon his remains.[12] R. C. MacLeod suggested that the MacLeod effigy within Iona Abbey may mark the burial of the first chiefs of the clan, as well as William Dubh, and the mentioned standard bearer.[13] William Dubh is thought to have been the last MacLeod chief buried on Iona; his son, Alasdair Crotach (1450–1547), was buried in St Clements Church, on Harris.[14]
Unfurling at the Battle of Glendale
According to the Bannatyne manuscript, the Fairy Flag was also unfurled during the Battle of Glendale, which the manuscript states to have been fought in about 1490. At one point during this conflict, both the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan, and the MacLeods of Lewis were on the verge of giving way to the invading MacDonalds. Just at this moment, the mother of Alasdair Crotach, chief of the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan, ordered the Fairy Flag to be unfurled. The result was that both MacLeod clans renewed the battle with redoubled fury and, despite immense losses, eventually won the battle. Among the MacLeod dead was the flag bearer, Paul Dubh, who carried the Fairy Flag throughout the conflict until his death. The Bannatyne manuscript relates that Paul Dubh was honourably buried in a deep stone coffin, with a metal grate — much like the account given in the c. 1800 manuscript. The writer of the Bannatyne manuscript states that each successive flag bearer was buried within this tomb, and that the writer's own grandfather saw the old ceremony performed for the last time, in the 18th century. The Bannatyne manuscript states that the tomb is located in the north-east corner of the chancel at St Clements Church, in Rodel. R. C. MacLeod noted that there was no trace of such a coffin or tomb, although he suggested that it could have been buried or possibly built within a wall.[15]
Legend of origin
The c. 1800 manuscript presented a legend of the Fairy Flag's origin. This legend concerned a MacLeod who went on a
Other episodes
The c. 1800 manuscript related that the spell of the banner meant that it would vanish when it was displayed for the third time. The final unfurling of the banner would either gain the clan a complete victory over their enemies or meant that the clan was to suffer total extinction. The writer of the c. 1800 manuscript went on to state that the temptation for unfurling the flag for the third and final time was always resisted; and that at the time of his writing, there was not much chance of it ever being unfurled again, since it was in such a reduced state. The writer stated that of the few shreds that remained, he himself possessed a fragment.[8]
The c. 1800 manuscript also stated that the flag was once held in an iron chest, within Dunvegan Castle. The key to the chest was then always in the possession of the hereditary flag bearers. The c. 1800 manuscript related how, on the death of the MacLeod chief Tormod,
Reported partial fulfilment prophecy around 1800
Late in his life, the writer
Of the Macleod family it was prophesied at least a hundred years prior to the circumstance which I am about to relate. In the prophecy to which I allude it was foretold, that when Norman, the third Norman ('Tormaid nan' tri Tormaid'), the son of the hard-boned English lady ('Mac na mnatha Caoile cruaidh
Norman Macleod
N. Macleod then related how as a child, he had been close to an English
R. C. MacLeod, who wrote in the early 20th century, considered that this prophecy seemed to have been fulfilled. At that time, the Macleod chief had no gentlemen of his clan as
Walter Scott, 1814
When Sir Walter Scott visited Dunvegan Castle in 1814, he learned of several traditional tales relating to the area and the clan. He was told that the Fairy Flag had three magical properties. The first was that it multiplied the number of men upon a battlefield. The second was that when it was spread upon a
Other traditions
In the early 20th century, R. C. MacLeod noted several traditions concerning the flag. One told how the flag came into the possession of the MacLeods through a fairy. A similar tradition relates of a fairy-lullaby.
Fairy lover
The first of these traditions related by R. C. MacLeod tells how one of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod married a fairy; however, after twenty years she was forced to leave him and return to
Behold my child, limbed like the kid or fawn, smiting the horses, seizing the accoutrements of the shod horses, the spirited steeds. My little child.
Oh that I could see thy cattle fold, high up on the mountain side; a green, shaggy jacket about thy two white shoulders, with a linen shirt. My little child.
Oh that I could behold thy team of horses; men following them; serving women returning home and the Catanaich sowing the corn.
Oh tender hero whom my womb did bring forth, who did swallow from my breast, who on my knee wast reared.
My child it is, my armful of yew, merry and plump, my bulrush, my flesh and eggs, that will soon be speaking. Last year thou wast beneath my girdle, plant of fertility! and this year fair and playful on my shoulder, thou wilt be going round the homestead.
Oh let me not hear of thy being wounded. Grey do thou become duly. May thy nose grow sharp ere the close of thy day.
Oh! not of Clan Kenneth art thou! Oh! not of Clan Conn. Descendant of a race more esteemed; that of the Clan Leod of swords and armour, whose fathers' native land was Lochlann.
An English translation of the Gaelic lullaby—Taladh na mna Sithe, The Fairy's Lullaby.[26]
Fairy lullaby
R. C. MacLeod considered the above 'fairy lover' tradition to be connected to another about a
Fairy music
Another tradition, related by R. C. MacLeod, told of certain events which took place after an heir to the clan's chiefship was born. The story related how at this time, there was much rejoicing at Dunvegan Castle, and since the infant's nursemaid was anxious to join in the festivities in the hall below, she left the infant alone in her room. When the baby awoke, crying of cold, no human help could hear him in his secluded room; however, a host of fairies appeared and wrapped the infant in the Fairy Flag. Meanwhile, the clansmen banqueting below demanded to see the child and the maid was ordered to bring him forth. When she brought out the baby, wrapped in the flag, everyone gazed in wonder at the child and the garb wrapped around him. The room was filled with the fairies' song which declared that the flag had the power to save the clan three times. When the song ended, and silence fell across the crowded room, the flag was taken from the infant and locked in a chest where it has ever since been preserved.[29]
Eastern origins
R. C. MacLeod listed another tradition, somewhat similar to the one that appeared in the c. 1800 manuscript. According to this version, a MacLeod joined a Crusading army, and went to the
Unfurled numerous times
R. C. MacLeod wrote of another tradition which stated that the flag was waved at a battle in
Supposed powers of the flag in the 20th century
In 1938, a fire broke out in a wing of Dunvegan Castle, and according to Sir
Notes
- ^ Norman Macleod was known in Gaelic as Caraid nan Gaidheal, "friend of the Gael".
References
- ^ a b c d MacLeod, Roderick Charles (1927). The MacLeods of Dunvegan. Edinburgh: Privately printed for the Clan MacLeod Society. pp. 192–202. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-665-75679-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84158-733-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7100-9565-7.
- ^ a b "The Fairy Flag". www.dunvegancastle.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-470-47075-6.
- ^ Pennant, Thomas (1774). A Tour in Scotland and Voyage to the Hebrides, 1772. Chester: Printed by John Monk. pp. 338–339. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 47: 111–112. Archived from the original(PDF) on 11 June 2007.
- ^ "The Ancestry of the MacLeods". www.macleodgenealogy.org. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2009. This webpage cited: Matheson, William (1978–80). "The MacLeods of Lewis". Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness. 51. Inverness: 68–80.
- ^ "The Origin of Leod". www.macleodgenealogy.org. Archived from the original on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2009. This webpage cited: Morrison, Alick (1986). The Chiefs of Clan MacLeod. Edinburgh: Associated Clan MacLeod Societies. pp. 1–20.
- ^ MacGregor, Alasdair Alpin (1937). The peat-fire flame: folk-tales and traditions of the Highlands & Islands. Edinburgh: The Moray Press. pp. 20–22. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ MacLeod, Roderick Charles (1927). The MacLeods of Dunvegan. Edinburgh: Privately printed for the Clan MacLeod Society. pp. 68–71. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ MacLeod, Roderick Charles (1927). The MacLeods of Dunvegan. Edinburgh: Privately printed for the Clan MacLeod Society. pp. 30–31. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Harris, Rodel, St Clement's Church". CANMORE. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
- ^ MacLeod, Roderick Charles (1927). The MacLeods of Dunvegan. Edinburgh: Privately printed for the Clan MacLeod Society. pp. 72–74. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Norman Macleod (XX Chief)". www.macleodgenealogy.org. Retrieved 22 March 2010. This webpage cited: Morrison, Alick (1986). The Chiefs of Clan MacLeod. Edinburgh: Associated Clan MacLeod Societies. also: MacKinnon, Donald; Morrison, Alick (1969). MacLeod Chiefs of Harris and Dunvegan. Edinburgh: The Clan MacLeod Society.
- ^ "Norman The Red Man Macled (XXII Chief)". www.macleodgenealogy.org. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2010. This webpage cited: Morrison, Alick (1986). The Chiefs of Clan MacLeod. Edinburgh: Associated Clan MacLeod Societies. also: MacKinnon, Donald; Morrison, Alick (1969). MacLeod Chiefs of Harris and Dunvegan. Edinburgh: The Clan MacLeod Society.
- ^ Mackeznie, Alexander; Macgregor, Alexander (1878). The Prophecies of the Brahan seer (Coinneach Odhar Fiosaiche). Inverness: A. & W. Mackenzie. pp. 47–50. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-665-09701-8. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ Otter, Henry C.; McDougall, G. F. (1911). West Coast of Scotland Pilot. Vol. 2 (6 ed.). Edinburgh: Hydrographic Department, Admiralty, by Taylor, Garnett, Evans, & Co. p. 68.
- ^ Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 47: 112–114.
- ^ "HMS Excellent – The HMS Queen Charlotte Figurehead". www.memorials.inportsmouth.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-9711966-0-5.
- ^ MacLeod, Roderick Charles (1927). The MacLeods of Dunvegan. Edinburgh: Privately printed for the Clan MacLeod Society. pp. 110–114. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ MacCulloch, John Arnott (1905). The Misty Isle of Skye: its scenery, its people, its story. Edinburgh: Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier. p. 75. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ Mackay, John Gunn (1924). The Romantic Story of the Highland Garb and the Tartan. Stirling: Eneas Mackay. pp. 142–148. Retrieved 3 November 2013. The author credits the lullaby to "Miss Tolmie" and cites Folk Songs. R. C. MacLeod and Alasdair Alpin MacGregor mention Frances Tolmie, when mentioning the lullaby.
- ^ MacLeod, Roderick Charles (1927). The MacLeods of Dunvegan. Edinburgh: Privately printed for the Clan MacLeod Society. pp. 195–198. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Sir Reginald Macleod (XXVII Chief)". www.macleodgenealogy.org. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
- ^ MacLeod, Roderick Charles (1927). The MacLeods of Dunvegan. Edinburgh: Privately printed for the Clan MacLeod Society. p. 200. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ MacLeod, Roderick Charles (1927). The MacLeods of Dunvegan. Edinburgh: Privately printed for the Clan MacLeod Society. p. 199. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ISBN 0-517-54659-0.