The Geomythography of Scotland

Pre-requisites for enrolment

Those with an interest in Scottish prehistory, pre-Christian ritual and belief, and the continuity of Scottish culture in general.

Content of Course

1. Course overview. First Settlers and subsequent human interaction with the landscape. The settlement patterns of Scotland.

2. The Spoken Word. How oral tradition preserves and transmits ideas. Tenacity of ideas and continuity of culture. The process of story.

3. The Origins of Megalithic culture. Orkney, Calanais and Kilmartin. The changing picture of the past.

4. The Folklore of Ancient Monuments; the Hollow Hills and the Fairies. Arthur and Finn McCoul; continuities across linguistic diversity and change.

5. Significant Supernatural being in their natural environments. Paps and Ciochs, the Carlin and the Cailleach. Dualities in ancient belief and the contemporary landscape.

6. The concept of clustering - how different human activities leave varying recognisable traces.

7. The naming of places. Recognising the supernatural and the turning of the seasons, Imbolc, Beltain, Lughnasad, Samhuinn. The practicalities underlying myth and legend.

8. Alignments and angles. The 8-fold year. Rock Art and Symbolism.

9. Continuity and re-use. How the Christian churches were built on ‘pagan’ sites and what this can tell us in today’s landscape. Early saints and their precursors. Ritual  survivals in the modern world and modern revival.

10. Techniques of understanding and discovery. Tale analysis, map-reading, place-names and ‘keeping your eyes always open’.

Teaching method(s)

Lecture and discussion with significant use of visual aids.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Recognise and analyse significant early sacral sites and areas;

• Interpret specific landscape through shapes and viewpoints, oral tradition and place-names;

• Relate the current landscape of Scotland to patterns of past ritual and belief;

• Understand the continuity of indigenous culture over millennia and relate it to more recent history.

Sources

Core Readings

• McHardy, S.A., 2005. On the Trail of Scotland’s Myths and Legends. Edinburgh: Luath Press.

• McHardy, S.A., 2013. The Pagan Symbols of the Picts. Edinburgh: Luath Press.

• Mackenzie, D., 1935. Scottish Folk Lore and Folk Life. London: Blackie.

• McNeill, M., 1990. The Silver Bough (4 vols) Glasgow: Stuart Titles.

• There will also be considerable electronic hand-out materials

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.