Flying Collie: Recent Episodes
Glen Collie
Flying Collie presents a collection of Scottish Fairy Stories compiled by Sir George Douglas and originally published in 1910. These are children's' stories you've probably never heard before. Although they are largely collected from Scotland, they have many echos in other cultures. After all, wherever ships explored there was undoubtedly a Scotsman on board.
Although some of the stories are a "bit dark", we've been careful to make sure there is nothing which would promote nightmares... that having been said, if you never have a nightmare, you never have a dream. So... are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.
Not all of the "wee folk" are fairies. Here is a story about the Scottish Brownie, sometimes referred to as a "house elf".
This short story provides an insight into how such tales could spread throughout the land with very little variation.
This is a fairy story from the Island of Lunna in Shetland. It provides a moral for what happens when one friend betrays another.
In these times it was not uncommon for the the fairies to abduct a member of the family and replace him or her with a "freeloader", who would consume the family's resources and give nothing in return.
This is the story of Alexander Jones and looks deeply into a great problem. Can you answer the riddle before the story ends?
A classic story which appears in many cultures throughout the world. No fairy-godmother in the Scottish version however.
This story from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland has not only a rather sad ending, but a warning to all men who do not listen to their wives.
This is a poem, described by William Motherwell in his "Minstrelsy Ancient and Modern" (1846) as: "A nursery tale of Galloway [a district in the Scottish borders], and a specimen of . class of compositions of great antiquity, representing the Enemy of man [the devil] in the endeavour to confound some poor mortal with puzzling questions."
In the story, the peat carried by the wee boy was his contribution to the schoolmaster's stock of fuel.
This is rather a gruesome tale, but definitely has a moral. Again from Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales, by George Douglas, published in 1901.
This classic story of animals and robbers appears in some form in most cultures. We hope you enjoy this Scottish version.
The third of our readings of Scottish Fairy Tales collected by Sir George Douglas in which we meet the Laird of O' Colzean (Now Culzean) Castle. It is possible to visit the castle which is notable for having been the Scottish residence of American President DW Eisenhower.
The first of our Fairy Tales from the Collected Scottish folk stories of Sir George Douglas.
The second of our stories of Scottish Fairies from the collected works of Sir George Douglas, first published in 1901.
This is an introduction to Scottish Fairies, from a book published over a hundred years ago by Sir George Douglas. In the next episode we will read the first of the Fairy Stories.