The madder myths of Scotland
Kay
by Diane Maclean -- Scotland is a wonderful and unique place. Its
majestic mountains and dramatic seascapes thrill the heart and capture
the imagination. However, the imaginations of some have attributed
unique wonders to this land that those in the mainstream would shy
away from.
For instance, did you know that Jesus Christ was Scottish? And Pontius
Pilate? And King Arthur?
And, no, I am not referring to Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code", which
has its denouement in Scotland.
We Scots are not a boastful race. Reticence is spoon-fed to Scottish
bairns along with their morning porridge. Which makes our propensity
to make outrageous claims for our country somewhat bewildering.
So let's take a look at some of the more fantastic suggestions. You
have two choices: Take everything you read with a pinch of salt (on
second thought, make it a barrel) or suspend disbelief and go with it.
(All these theories have been graded with a probability factor between
one and ten. This is purely an invention of scotsman.com, and we
welcome any comments from people who disagree with our rating.)
[King Arthur was a Scot]
King Arthur (if he existed and wasn't a composite of every heroic
early medieval Lord), traditionally hailed from Cornwall or Wales.
Didn't he? Well, perhaps not. It could be that England's saviour, who
lies sleeping ready to wake in times of need, was actually a Scot.
Decide for yourself, with a look at the evidence:
Placenames: From Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat and Stirling's Round Table
to Falkirk's Arthur's Oven, hills, wells, waterfalls and valleys are
named after Arthur. This must surely point to his being a Scot?
Battles: Nennius, the 8th century historian, called Arthur the "Duke
of Battles", and specifies 13 fights where he appeared. There is a
body of evidence that suggests that these battles took place in the
north. The only properly documented battle occurred in Celidon, a
Scottish wood.
Supporting cast: Sir Lancelot may have been a Pictish warrior, the son
of the King of the Lothians. Equally, Gareth and Gawain, Knights of
the Round Table, could have been the sons of the Earl of Orkney.
Perthshire has a number of connections to Guinevere, or Guanhamara, a
Pictish Queen.
Language: In the early part of the first millennium after the birth of
Christ (of which more later), Edinburgh and the borders spoke
P-Celtic, like the Welsh, not Q-Celtic like the Celts in the north of
Scotland. Some scholars believe that in the 8th and 9th century
several P-Celtic tribes from the Scottish Lowlands and Strathclyde
migrated to Wales taking their memories of Arthur with them.
Merlin: The Borders are rife with Merlin placenames and mythology.
There is a historical reference which places Myrddin (Merlin) in a 6th
century battle --Arderydd, or Arthuret near the Solway Firth in 573
AD. It is implied that Merlin "went mad" from losing family and
friends so fled to the forest. He lived there for the rest of his
life, only emerging to prophesise and advise Arthur.
scotsman.com rating
3/10 - Well, gosh, it seems a bit circumstantial. Where's the body? We
remain unconvinced on Arthur, bowing to the greater amount of stories
in Welsh, but we concede there may be a chance that Merlin was a Scot.
[The Stone of Destiny, aka Jacob's Pillow, is Scottish]
Genesis, chapter 28, relates that Jacob rested his head on a stone and
dreamt of the glory of God. When he woke he said "this stone, which I
have set up as a sacred pillar shall be a house of God". This is the
origin of Jacob's Pillow, or Jacob's Pillar.
Stone of Destiny: Jacob's Pillow?
There is a strong oral tradition in Irish that tells of the meeting
between Moses and Gathelus, a Greek architect and husband of Scota,
one of Pharaoh's daughters. Nennius (yes, him again…) writes of
Gathelus's 42-year journey from Egypt to Ireland, bringing the stone
with him. (A journey described in the Declaration of Arbroath.)
Later, when the Irish king Fergus travelled from Ireland to Argyll to
help the Scots fight the Picts he took the stone with him, where it
remained until it was snatched by Edward I. It remained in London
until it was returned in 1996.
However, there is a persistent "rumour" that maintains the stone taken
by Edward was not the right one, that Scots did not really try very
hard to get it back and that the real stone of destiny, that rock-hard
pillow of Jacob's, lies hidden somewhere in readiness for a time when
it's needed.
scotsman.com rating
2/10 - We agree that the Stone of Destiny was brought over from
Ireland. We also accede to the greater knowledge of the Irish medieval
historians and their tracing of the stone to Gathelus. Our sticking
point is the part where Moses gives Jacob's Pillow to Gathelus. We
need a bit more convincing on that one.
[Scotland is the Lost City of Atlantis]
According to Comyns Beaumont's 19th century book Britain, the Key to
World History, the Lost Civilisation of Atlantis is not in the
Mediterranean, but right here in Scotland. His theory is complex and
detailed, marrying the Bible with oral histories from around the
world.
He looked at Homer, Plato and Heroditus as well as analysing "Flood
Myths" around the world and came to the conclusion that Noah's flood
and the catastrophic flooding that sunk Atlantis were one and the
same. Furthermore, Beaumont challenged the accepted placing of
Atlantis. He maintained that Scotland was "the original domicile of
the sons of Adam, who were the Titans or giants of classic fame as
well as being the Atlanteans of Plato."
His theory is incredibly detailed but the main reasons for his
conclusions are:
There is no evidence of flooding in the Middle East.
Geologists have found a massive lake under the Sea of Caithness
--Shetland-- possibly the one-time lagoon Lake Triton.
In 584 BC land broke away from Norway causing a tsunami that submerged
some of Scotland's east coast. This was, he claimed, the submerging of
Atlantis.
The Caledonian forest was home to boars, lions, bears and great white
oxen called aurochs. A forest and these beasts are mentioned by
Heroditus.
Beaumont's theory depends not so much on land evidence (although he
offers plenty), but on a radical re-interpretation of the placing of
Biblical tribes. Via a vastly convoluted route he claims that the most
ancient race of men, the Phoenicians or Chaldeans or the "bronze" or
"red" Aryan men, lived near Mount Atlas (Ben Mhor). They came from
Scotland and travelled east only after the "great Catastrophe". So,
for instance, the Faroes (itself an Erse word Faragh meaning
chieftain) ended up in Egypt as the Pharaohs.
scotsman.com rating
2/10 - Beaumont gains two credibility points in recognition of the
intricate research, inclusion of (possibly) verifiable land masses and
overall for his stupendous turning around of known history, for
example that far from outsiders populating Scotland after the big ice
age, Scots (or Chaldeans, Phoenicians) actually left Scotland in the
wake of the ice age/tsunami/disaster and populated the world. Awesome!
[Jerusalem is actually Edinburgh]
Old Comyns didn't just stop at suggesting that Atlantis equalled
Scotland, but by extension also went on to prove that Jerusalem was
Edinburgh. How did he do this? Well he started off by taking as a
given that Atlantis was Scotland, and for his supporting evidence
claimed that the Palestinian Jerusalem simply did not conform to how
the Bible describes it. Unlike Edinburgh, with its Mount of Olives
(Arthur's Seat), City of Zion (Edinburgh Castle) and port at Joppa.
The Catrail Wall was not built by the Picts, but by the Romans to keep
the Jews in Edinburgh.
Furthermore, he looked at a number of Roman texts written at the time
of the Jewish revolt against the Romans that show commanders from York
being dispatched to quell the Jews. Surely, asks Comyns, this is
simply untenable if Jerusalem really were in Palestine? It makes
sense, however, if Jerusalem was only up the road in Edinburgh.
He supports his theory by proposing that the Catrail Wall was not
built by the Picts, but by the Romans to keep the Jews in Edinburgh.
He further maintains that when the Jews revolted again, Hadrian gave
orders to destroy them and their city completely, leaving no trace.
Later, when Constantine needed to resurrect a "new Jerusalem" for his
own political reasons, he chose to locate it in Palestine.
scotsman.com rating
1/10 - We don't know where to go with this. Having failed to accept
the Atlantis theory we can't easily embrace this one. And, yet, who
amongst us hasn't driven through Joppa and wondered about its funny
name?
[Pontius Mac-Pilate]
Another twist to the tale of re-appraising Biblical history comes with
a story out of Fortingall in Perthshire. There is a strong oral
tradition that Pontius Pilate, the man who sat in judgement on Jesus
Christ, was actually born in Scotland. Unlikely? Well, as they say in
the adverts: "Here's the science bit."
Back in 10 BC Caesar Augustus was busy sending envoys across the Roman
Empire trying to promote his latest great idea, the Pax Romana. Having
successfully engaged with the British, according to one ancient
chronicle, "ane short tyme eftir, the samyn ambassiatouris came to
Metallanus, king of the Scottissmen" bringing jewels as the carrot to
tempt the Scots towards peace, and soldiers as their stick.
So that's the "science", now here's the legend.
Metallanus, who resided at Fortingall, took his time to decide whether
to adopt the Roman Peace. The Roman troops occupied themselves
consorting with local women, one of whom became pregnant and later
gave birth to a son, Pontius Pilate.
And that's not all. Archie McKerracher in his book Perthshire in
History and Legend makes a case for Pontius Pilate returning to
Fortingall to die. He places Metallanus's son, Mansuteus, in Rome at
the same time as Pilate was living there after the Crucifixion.
Wouldn't it follow, posits McKerracher, that when the two met, Pilate
was persuaded to come home to Scotland? How else do you explain the
ancient burial stone in Fortingall bearing the initials PP?
scotsman.com rating
1/10 - Edzooks, what's with all this oral history malarky, it strikes
us as a bit thin. If we started a rumour today that Obi Wan Kenobi
actually lived in Greenock, and told enough people about it, would
that necessarily make it true? We don't think so. We gave it one point
in recognition that there are some facts mixed in there.
[Jesus's head, heart, blood, etc, are in Rosslyn Chapel]
Unless you've slept through the furore surrounding the Da Vinci Code
you must surely know the "mystery" surrounding Rosslyn Chapel. You
ought to be familiar with that intrepid band of warrior knights, the
Templars, and their productive digging underneath the Temple of
Solomon.
During their nine-year excavations of the temple their spade-work
uncovered either:
The Holy Grail (complete with drops of Christ's blood).
Jesus's head.
Documents which showed that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and she went
on to carry their child/children.
Dirt (but this doesn't make for a very good novel).
Templar lore says that when they were rounded up by that greedy old
King Philip IV of France some escaped with their treasure/knowledge to
excommunicated Scotland - and to Rosslyn Chapel to be precise.
It is easy to see why Rosslyn has such enduring appeal for Grail
hunters. It is a veritable cornucopia of grail symbolism. The most
intense grail symbol is the rose, and boy does Rosslyn have roses.
For a start, it may sit on one of the telluric ley lines that
criss-cross Scotland known as the "Rose Line". There are roses on the
Apprentice pillar, there are roses pointing to the underground vault,
there are roses round the Princess pillar.
Code-crackers spend hours, days, weeks staring at the carvings inside
the chapel trying to work out what it all means. And they have come up
with the following
conclusions:
The least bananas theory sees the remains of the "One True Cross"
hidden in the vaults of Rosslyn.
Dr Keith Laidler in his 1998 book The Head of God claims that Jesus's
head is hidden in the apprentice pillar.
Assorted grail-hunters have the Holy Grail hidden in the Apprentice
pillar.
And then there's the bloodline, a theory favoured by Da Vinci Code
author Dan Brown, which holds that all the intricate stonework is
leading inescapably to the conclusion that the secret of Mary
Magdalene and Jesus's children is hidden within the very structure of
the chapel.
scotsman.com rating
4/10 - We know that the evidence is half-baked, and we know that it
seems unlikely, but --scotsman.com is prepared to entertain the
Gnostic Scrolls, and their positioning of Mary Magdalene at Jesus's
right hand, and maybe admit the conceivable possibility that she was
married to Christ. And so we can squeeze out a tiny bit of sympathy to
the idea that there is a bloodline and that the secret is encoded
somewhere. We might be more willing to accept that the Templars
brought something with them. And if it has to be anywhere, then why
not this extraordinary and complex building?
[Jesus holidayed in the Hebrides]
Bible scholars have often asked: "What happened to Christ during his
lost years?" Just where was he and what was he doing, because the
Bible seems to have a big gap in its chronology? It has been suggested
that he went to India where he is recorded as the Prophet Isa. And
then there is the oral evidence that points to him visiting ... South
Uist and the Isle of Skye. This is the theory put forward by Barry
Dunford in his book The Holy Land of Scotland.
Henry Jenner, a keeper of manuscripts at the British Museum in London
wrote in 1933 of a journey he took to the Hebrides. Jenner found it
very curious that "there are a whole set of legends of the wanderings
of the Holy Mother and Son in those Islands." He also came across an
island off Skye known as the Isle of Isa or the Island of Jesus. And
as everyone knows, place names were given in response to real events.
On the surface it looks like a slim possibility, but perhaps if you
put it in a much wider and older context it reveals itself as a
possibility. There is a body of thought that believes Jesus's
ancestors may have been of Celto-Hebraic origin, the early roots of
which belonged in Caledonia. This theory rather intruigingly has
Druidic thinking impacting on Christian practice. Central to this
theory is the Island of Iona, which had been known as the Island of
the Druids and was to find fame as a centre of Christian spiritualism.
If, then, the theory concludes, Jesus's forebears came from Scotland,
isn't it quite within the bounds of possibility that he returned to
see where his great-great-great-great uncle was born?
scotsman.com rating
0/10 - This whole theory seems as thin as extra-thin, thin crust
pizza, that has been cooked very thin. It is hard to believe that the
ancient Scots were busy sailing around the world sharing religion and
genes when back home everything seems so, well, primitive. Wouldn't
Scotland have been a very different place if we were indeed being
subject to such a wealth of world culture?
[Jesus's children were born in Iona]
So then, Mary Magdalene, "the close companion of Jesus", escaped
Jerusalem after the Crucifixion and ended up with Joseph of Arimathea
in Britain. From there Mary is rumoured to have wandered up to
Scotland. (Perhaps retracing the steps that Jesus took in his
"holiday"?).
Stained-glass image of a heavily pregnant Mary. Kilmore Church, Isle
of Mull.
To reach the conclusion that she had her child in Scotland, you need a
great leap of faith (and not the sort of faith the Church would
approve), because all of the evidence is based on the rich imagery in
and around Scottish churches, some of which show Mary heavily
pregnant. You also have to refer back to Rosslyn and embrace
wholeheartedly the idea that it is a gigantic crossword puzzle leading
to an explanation of the Davidic bloodline.
And why Iona? William Sharp wrote in his 19th century treatise The
Isle of Dreams of an old prophecy that "Christ shall come again under
Iona". This same prophesy suggests that Mary Magdalene would also be
visiting the island, but as the "Bride of Christ".
scotsman.com rating
3/10 - We are not convinced about the whole Sinclair Clan being the
line of Christ. But we are strangely perturbed by the church artwork
that shows pregnant angels and a pregnant Mary. Pause for thought we
think?
[Ancient Scots had Weapons of Mass Destruction]
When Arthur C Clarke was interviewed by the Guardian in 2004 he was
asked what he thought was the biggest mystery that he had encountered.
He replied: "The oddest thing is these vitrified forts in Scotland. I
just thought, how the hell? After all, lasers were not common in the
Stone Age."
There are around 100 vitrified forts around the world, with over half
in Scotland. They were built on strategic locations, and the stones
were heated to such high temperatures that they fused together. When
Clarke's team tried to recreate the vitrification process they
concluded that the amount of heat needed to vitrify rocks was
equivalent to an atomic bomb.
The ancient Indian epic, "The Mahabharata", gives very precise details
of "flying machines" that were used by the Indians thousands of years
ago. They travelled great distances, and tellingly, these flying
machines were said to possess incredibly powerful firearms. The epic
explains a hideous war that took place between the Indians and the
Atlanteans, possessors of flying machines. They both used weapons of
destruction, The Mahabharata notes: "[the weapon was] a single
projectile charged with all the power of the universe. An iron
thunderbolt, a gigantic messenger of death."
In other words, they had firearms with the power of an atomic bomb.
Enough to vitrify stones. Is it possibly that the vitrified forts of
Scotland are the remnants of some cataclysmic war between the Indians
and the Atlanteans, a war that wiped out all traces except for the
remains of the forts?
scotsman.com rating
9/10 - That's it, we're converts! It all makes sense! We believe in
the forts - if Arthur C Clarke says it's amazing, we believe it - so
by extension we also buy Atlantis/Scotland. We believe in it all!
(c) 2005 Scotsman.com
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