You’ve discovered Scottish folklore, you’ve fallen in love and now you want more.
Reading a selection of stories is great, but you want to learn about:
how history and geography have shaped the stories;
which stories, creatures and characters belong to which regions;
the individuals who have shaped the tradition
the place of the stories in Scotland today
There’s a lot to learn. You might find the whole subject overwhelming.
I know how you feel. I’m Scottish but I grew up unaware that Scottish folklore even existed. For years I struggled to get my head around it, relying on 19th Century books full of archaic language, names I couldn’t pronounce and creatures I’d never heard of.
I felt like there was a mist around the tradition. I wandered in the mist but couldn’t find my way through.
I persevered. I wandered Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides; I learnt from elders, from books and, most of all, from telling the stories to every audience who would listen.
Sixteen years later, I’m sharing these stories from Scotland to Singapore. I’m training a new generation of storytellers and I've introduced tens of thousands of readers and listeners to the tales.
I love them, I’ll never tire of them and I’m always learning from them.
I’ve put everything I’ve learned into this course.
Introducing Scottish Myths & Legends 101
The only online course that will walk you through Scottish folklore from the ancient past to the present day.
Who Is This Course For?
This is a course made for lovers of Scottish folklore who wish to gain a broad and deep understanding of the tradition, with guidance from a native Scottish storyteller.
By the end of this course, you will have a clear overview of Scottish folklore and have the confidence to dive further into the areas that interest you.
Reading books will only take you so far. In this course you will:
Watch me break down Scottish folklore traditions by region and era
Learn at your own pace with lifetime access to over 50 video-based lessons
Study with a guide who has spent over fifteen years immersed in the living Scottish tradition
Discover the key figures who have shaped Scottish folklore from the past to the present
Access a bonus module teaching you how to tell stories, using the same techniques I teach to my students
Modules Overview
The Story of the Stories
We begin by taking a look at the history of the land that we call Scotland, and how its history and geography have shaped its stories. This tour takes us from the scouring of the glaciers, through the age of the Picts and Gaelic and Nordic incursions, through to the age of the first folklore collectors. Lessons include:
The Tale of the Cailleach
Scotland’s Prehistory
Picts, Scots, Vikings
Macleod’s Tables
The Historic Era
The Collectors Come
The Lowlands
Our second module begins our regional tour of Scotland. We explore the Lowlands by touching on each key story in turn and exploring its significance. Lessons include:
Thomas the Rhymer
Tam Lin
Kentigern
Edinburgh Tales
Tam O’Shanter (poem)
Tam O’Shanter (study)
The Highlands & Islands
Next we explore the Highlands and Islands. Here we focus on the key creatures and characters which populate the region which defines Scotland in the popular imagination. Lessons include:
The Cailleach & Bride
Finn & The Fianna
Finn & The Phantoms (story)
Selkies
Kelpies
Sea Peoples
The Northern World
The final stop on our regional tour is the Northern World, which refers to the archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland, where centuries of rule by Norway have produced a unique hybrid of Gaelic and Nordic myth and folklore. Lessons include:
The Ring of Brodgar
Tiny Giants
Trowies
Finfolk & Mermaids
The Sea Mother
Asipattle
The Travellers
The Scottish Travelling People were the ones who held onto the stories after most other Scots forgot them. Here we take a look at their unique culture, the place of stories in that culture and the key tradition bearers among modern Scottish Travellers. Lessons include:
The Travelling Life
Jack & The Devil’s Gold
Jack Stories
Duncan Williamson
Traveller Titans
Storytelling Then & Now
We can’t understand Scottish stories unless we understand Scottish storytelling. This module looks at how stories were historically shared in Scotland, how they re-entered the nation’s popular consciousness during the storytelling revival and the key figures shaping and sharing Scottish folklore today. Lessons include:
Court & Ceilidh
The Stories Return
Tellers of Today
The Stories Take Flight
BONUS MODULE: Over To You
This module is for anyone who would like to tell Scottish stories themselves. After discussing rights and appropriative issues, I share the techniques I teach my students for learning, remembering and telling stories. Lessons include:
Who Has the Right
You’re Already Good Enough
The Bones Method
Gossipping
The 1,2,3,4 Method
Carrying the Torch
What’s The Cost?
Since I switched from using an expensive hosting platform to sharing the course via Google Drive, I can now offer the course at the massively reduced price point of £50 (the previous price was £150).
I believe this represents truly incredible value. If you don’t think so, you can return the course within 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked. So there’s nothing to lose.
That’s £50 (about $64) for:
55 video lessons
a comprehensive survey of Scottish folklore by region
a study of how history has shaped Scotland’s stories
carefully selected stories told to illustrate the lessons
a bestselling Scottish author & storyteller as your guide
a bonus module teaching you how to tell stories and engage in dialogue with them
Go beyond the books and immerse yourself in the living tradition, with one of its leading representatives as your guide.
