Stuart McHardy

The Wey Forrit is a political work written in Scots which examines the current British political climate, with a particular focus on how the inner workings of Westminster affect Scotland and her people.

In Scotland’s Sacred Goddess, Stuart McHardy explores the pre-Christian beliefs of the Scottishpeople. Before the monks arrived, the Scots had a rich mythology, with stories that explained the creation and workings of the world. McHardy demonstrates that these ancient beliefs are not lost but can be seen in today’s landscape if one knows how to look.Using a mix of ancient oral tales, place names, local rhymes and landscape shapes, McHardy reveals the echoes of ancient beliefs whilst determining the characteristics of the Cailleach Goddess and although the stories have changed over the millennia since she was first thought to have inhabited the land, her stories are still being told.Many tales, especially those involving witches and the Devil, trace back to ancient mythologies. These narratives highlight a fundamentally feminine power in creating and understanding the world.The perfect read for historians, folklorists, students and Scotland enthusiasts, McHardy’s work shows that the ancient goddess and her stories, though transformed, continue to shape Scotland’s cultural and physical landscape.

Scattered throughout Western Europe are the enigmatic monumental remains of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. The most famous of these is undoubtedly Stonehenge in the south of England, however, thousands of burial cairns, stone circles, standing stones and rock carvings are found in other parts of the British Isles. For the past 30 years I have been surveying these monuments in Scotland to try and understand what their solar and lunar orientations might have meant in the beliefs of our ancient ancestors.

A book about Scotland drawn from hundreds, if not thousands, of stories. From the oral traditions of the Scots, Gaelic and Norse speakers of the pat, it presents a new picture of who the Scottish are and where they come from. The stories are hilarious, tragic, heroic or frightening.

Whether as the mothers of the Norse God Heimdall, Morgan and her sisters on Avalon, the nine sisters at the heart of the founding myth of the Gikuyu of Kenya, or witches battling with the Irish St Patrick, stories of nine women, often attending a goddess or linked to a heroic or divine male, exist across much of our world. Triggered by a local story still told in his native Dundee, Stuart McHardy has traced what seems to be memories of groups of nine women, most likely some kind of priestesses, across much of Europe and as far as Siberia, Korea, India and Africa. Whether as Pictish saints, Muses, Valkyries, Druidesses or witches, the tales of these groups of nine women transcend a vast range of cultural and linguistic boundaries. The painting of nine women dancing round a priapic male in a Catalonian cave painting over fifteen thousand years old suggests these groups may well have been one of the oldest cultural institutions humanity has known.

Topicsinclude literature, religion, history and story, the Radical1790s, the remarkable Douglas Young and anintroduction to Geomythography, a new way of meldingprehistory and history to present a new and refreshingway seeing our past.Understanding our past is vital to the process of buildinga new Scotland in the years ahead.

This book helps you explore the myths and legends surrounding one of Scotland's most famous locations. From Irish priests and Pictish kings to tales of clan feuds and great love, faithful warriors and real heroes, "Tales of Loch Ness" will bring the legends of Scotland to life.

For many centuries the people of Scotland have told stories of their ancestors, a mysterious tribe called the Picts. From Shetland to the Border with England, these ancient memories of Scotland?s original inhabitants have flourished since the nation?s earliest days and now are told afresh, shedding new light on our ancient past.

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. A new title in the popular 'Luath Storyteller' series, Tales of Edinburgh Castle is a salute tk 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.

Stuart McHardy examines the Pictish symbols which have been discovered on various items across Scotland. The book sets out a cohesive interpretation of the Pictish past, using a variety of both temporal and geographical sources. 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.

Scotland’s Democracy Trail goes from Edinburgh Castle, Greyfriars, down the High Street, across North Bridge to Calton Hill, and then on down to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. Apart from its historic significance, the route encompasses Edinburgh’s most dramatic scenery and townscape.The Trail follows the emergence of democratic thought and action in Scotland from the sixteenth century, linking pivotal events to locations on the way. It is a story of ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies, borne along by a stubborn persistent advance. Although the roots of democracy run deep in Scotland, here we concentrate on the footprint of democracy in our capital city.

Experience the scenery and folklore of Edinburgh's iconic Old Town through new eyes in the latest installment in the Journeys and Evocations series. This blend of prose, poetry, photography and history is the perfect gift for any visitor to Scotland's capital city.

Lord Cockburn, Victorian defender of Edinburgh’s beauties, describes Calton Hill as ‘the Glory of Edinburgh’. ‘It presents us,’ enthused Cockburn, ‘with the finest prospects both of its vicinity and the city… it is adorned by beautiful buildings dedicated to science and to the memory of distinguished men.’Following on from the success of Arthur’s Seat, the Journeys and Evocations series continues with a look at the events and folklore surrounding Edinburgh’s iconic Calton Hill. Standing only 338 ft (103m) high, this small hill offers a fascinating view of Edinburgh both literally and historically. The book brings together prose, poetry and photographic images to explore the Calton Hill’s role in radical and nationalist politics through the centuries, as well as taking a look at the buildings, philosophy and intrigue of a central part of Edinburgh’s landscape.

Arthur's Seat is climbed (or walked up and around) by thousands of people each year. The views from the top of the 350-million year old landmark are breathtaking, yet most who tread its rocky paths are unaware of its great mysteries. Where did the name Arthur’s Seat originate? What led Washington Irvine to claim that this was a site of ‘pure witchcraft’? And who concealed seventeen dolls on the hillside in a mock burial? In this memorable book, Stuart McHardy and Donald Smith recount the tales of folklore and customs that surround Edinburgh's tallest hill.

From bold heroines to clan battles, standing stones to castles, there is hardly any aspect of Scotland’s heritage that does not feature in our storytelling traditions. This collection of stories from all parts of Scotland, and from all periods of our dramatic – and often truly heroic – history is both an introduction to and a journey into Scotland’s rich cultural heritage. Covering the same themes as Disney-Pixar’s new fairytale film, Brave, this book provides the next step for those wishing to delve deeper into Scotland’s culture and traditions.

Jacobite influences are often found in Scottish culture. Indeed, many of their stories and legends are still told today in some form or another. Tales of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites is an imaginative look into the story of the Jacobites who fought to bring the Stuart kings back to Scotland.McHardy examines the Jacobite tales to create a vivid historical picture of Scotland's Stuart past.

When the Romans came north to what is now modern Scotland they encountered the fierce and proud warrior society known as the Picts, who despite their lack of discipline and arms, managed to prevent the undefeated Roman Army from conquering the northern part of Britain, just as they later repulsed the Angles and the Vikings. A New History of the Picts is an accessible true history of the Picts, who are so often misunderstood. New historical analysis, recently discovered evidence and an innovative Scottish perspective will expose long held assumptions about the native people. This controversial text contests that Scottish history has long since been dominated and distorted by misleading perspectives. A New History of the Picts discredits the idea that the Picts were a strange historical anomaly and shows them to be the descendants of the original inhabitants of the land, living in a series of loose tribal confederations gradually brought together by external forces to create one of the earliest states in Europe: a people, who after repulsing all invaders, merged with their cousins, the Scots of Argyll, to create modern Scotland. All of Scotland descends from the fierce Picts.

There hae been fowk livin on an aroun Dundee Law fer thousans o years, an it his aye been a place o significance. An thru aw thae years ae thing we cin be shair wis constant: the tellin o stories. - STUART McHARDY Stuart McHardy retells the folklore and local legends of Dundee alongside anecdotes about local people and history. We hear tales of dragons slain, dockyard heroes, encounters with ghosts and, of course, William Wallace. Dundee has a rich history of legends and folktales passed down through the ages. McHardy seamlessly blends these stories with those of the modern Dundee of the last 200 years - tales of industry, myth and times gone by are retold through McHardy's wonderfully dry sense of humour.

Writer and storyteller Stuart McHardy, known to take a dram or ten himself, draws upon the wide range of tales associated with the world's finest tipple, to make you laugh, cry and wonder!