Fairies, Farmers, and Flodden: Scotland’s Oddest Battlefield Legends
Scotland’s battles were often decided by a curious mix of bravery, improvised weaponry, and, surprisingly, the occasional involvement of fairies. Let's start with Flodden in 1513, a dark day in Scotland’s history. In what became one of Scotland’s worst defeats, King James IV and much of his nobility fell against the English. The Scottish forces were wielding pikes, 18-foot weapons meant to hold off charging opponents. Imported from France, they proved disastrous in the uneven terrain of Northumberland, causing a great Scottish loss.
This wasn't the first time the Scots found themselves in a tight spot on the battlefield. There’s the legendary tale of the Battle of Luncarty in 990, where Scots nearly lost to the Danes until a farmer and his sons leapt into action. Armed with nothing more than plough yokes, yes, farming equipment, they charged at the Danes, turning the tide of the battle. You can imagine the disbelief on the Danes’ faces: here they were, skilled warriors, only to be defeated by a trio of plough-wielding Scots. This quirky twist led to the enduring tale that sometimes it’s not about the weapon, but the will to wield it.
The Danish invaders also faced other unorthodox Scottish tactics. Take the Battle of Tauch Hill near Aberdeen, where residents didn’t rely on brute strength but rather, as the story goes, cattle dressed in oak leaves. When King Kenneth II needed to fend off the Danes, locals covered their livestock in foliage, driving them into Danish lines. One could argue this was Scotland’s first attempt at psychological warfare. Picture the poor Danish soldiers confronted by a stampede of “trees” charging right at them, confusing, terrifying, and effective. The local coat of arms, to this day, pays homage to this bovine battle strategy, featuring a tree and two horned bulls.
Moving forward to the 13th century, we arrive at the Battle of Embo in the Highlands, where things took a darker turn. This time, it was a clash between Highlanders loyal to the Earl of Sutherland and yet another Danish force. But instead of wielding farming tools or cattle, the Scots found themselves with a slightly more gruesome weapon of choice: a horse’s severed leg. Legend has it that the Earl took down the Danish leader with this impromptu weapon, proving that anything really could be a weapon in the heat of battle. It’s hard to know what’s stranger, that this happened, or that it worked.
But let’s not leave out the highlands' famous clan battles, where things were often no less imaginative. The Battle of the Shirt in 1544 saw the Frasers and Macintoshes fighting the MacDonalds and Camerons in Lochaber, a clash driven by a clan rivalry over leadership. The weather was so warm that many fought in little more than their shirts. One historian account claims that 80 Fraser men left behind pregnant wives, leading to a generation of sons ready to avenge their fathers’ deaths in future conflicts. Talk about taking the concept of “legacy” seriously.
By far one of the strangest tales, however, comes from Islay, where we encounter the infamous Black Fairy at the Battle of Gruinart in 1598. Clan battles were often intense, but this one took a mystical turn. Sir Lachlan Mor MacLean, chieftain of Duart, found himself on the receiving end of a fairy archer’s fury. The tale goes that Dubh Sith, the Black Fairy from Jura, offered his services to MacLean, who promptly turned him down with an insult. Not one to be trifled with, Dubh Sith switched sides to MacLean’s nephew and rival, Sir James MacDonald of Islay, and managed to put an arrow right through MacLean. Today, a cairn marks the spot where MacLean supposedly met his end, as a reminder of the power of good manners, even to supernatural creatures.
And then there’s the MacLeods of Dunvegan Castle on Skye, who claimed a magical fairy flag could turn the tide of any battle. According to legend, the Fairy Flag was a gift from a fairy maiden. When unfurled, it would bring victory to the MacLeods. Researchers suggest it may have been an exotic relic from the Crusades, but that hasn’t stopped the flag’s mystical status. Fairy-tale or not, the flag remains part of Scottish lore and a treasured heirloom at Dunvegan Castle.
While the Scottish fighting spirit is undisputed, it’s these unconventional tactics and odd stories that make Scottish battle history particularly fascinating. From plough yokes and cattle camouflaged in leaves to mystical fairy flags, Scotland's past proves that sometimes battles are won not just with strength, but with cunning, a bit of magic, and, at times, a sense of humour.
