Po staletí si Skotové vyprávěli příběhy svých předků, tajemného kmene Piktů. Tento starý keltský kmen, který se dokázal ubránit nadvládě Římského impéria, je známý zejména díky kamenným rytinám, rozesetým po celém Skotsku. V této knížce jsou poprvé shromážděny příběhy Piktů spolu s tradovanými vyprávěními o krvavých bitvách, válečnících, světcích, kněžkách i nadpřirozených bytostech.
An essential read for fans of OutlanderDuring the first half of the eighteenth century, Bonnie Prince Charlie and his diehard supporters - the Jacobites - almost changed the course of British history. Their attempts to drive out the house of Hanover and restore the Stuarts to the British throne is one of the great epics of history.In this book, acclaimed storyteller Stuart McHardy retells over forty Jacobite stories which date back to the time of the prince himself and his bitter defeat at the Battle of Culloden. Featuring the exploits of real people and actual events, and including tales of love, loyalty, bravery and treachery, The White Cockade opens a window into a remarkable world and features a huge cast of colourful characters.
Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland's most awe-inspiring and striking landmarks. A site of human habitation since the 9th century BC, it has a rich and varied history and has been a crucial strategic military site for thousands of years. Tales of Edinburgh Castle is a salute to the ancient tradition of storytelling, painting a vivid picture of the castle in bygone times, and the rich and varied characters to whom it owes its notoriety.
The origins of the Scottish clans go back over a thousand years, and for centuries these extended networks of families dominated life in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. The warriors of the clan, fiercely loyal to each other and to their chief, were well known for their extraordinary courage and military skills.Retold by one of Scotland's most acclaimed storytellers, these stories illustrate the drama and the dynamism of a society which lived close to nature, had little in the way of material wealth but which boasted a remarkable treasure house of stories that were passed down over generations.
A book about Scotland drawn from hundreds, if not thousands, of stories. The stories are hilarious, tragic, heroic or frightening.
Stuart McHardy examines the Pictish symbols which have been discovered on various items across Scotland. This interpretation serves as a backdrop for his analysis of the symbols themselves, providing a context for his suggestion that there was an underlying series of ideas and beliefs behind the creation of the symbols.
All over the world people associate the bagpipes with Scotland. In this informative and entertaining book, Stuart McHardy introduces Scotland's national instrument - its history, development and repertoire - and examines the part that the piper himself has played in Highland and Lowland society over the centuries. The main bulk of the book is a series of thematically grouped tales from all periods and parts of the country in which we see aspects of traditional lore in stories of warriors, musicians, ghostly battles, the hand of friendship, exemplary heroism and the cost of supernatural help. There are tales of the MacCrimmons, the most famous island pipers of all, as well as Habbie Simpson, who was possibly the most famous of all the Lowland pipers. Whether dealing with great bravery or contemptible jealousy, the supernatural or the mundane, these stories reflect the central role that the bagpipes have played, and continue to play, in Scottish traditional culture.