Myths and Legends from Scotland's Western Isles

Between the islands of Jura and Scarba lies Corryvrekkan – a fierce whirlpool, one of the largest in the world. Its name in Gaelic is"Coire Bhreacáin" which translates as ‘cauldron of the speckled seas’ or ‘cauldron of Breacan’. 

Some say it is named after the Cailleach, the old hag of winter, who stirs up the water each autumn to wash her plaid, or woollen covering. When it’s clean and white, she lays it out to dry on the hilltops and over the land, creating the year’s first snowfall.

Others say that it's named after Breacan, Prince of Lochlann. He fell in love with the daughter of the Lord of the Isles and asked for her hand in marriage. Her father set the prince a task, to anchor his ship for three days and nights in the Whirlpool of the old woman.

The prince sought the advice of the wise men of Lochlann. They told him to find three special anchor ropes – one made of wool, another made of hemp, and the third from the hair of maidens, pure of heart. The prince anchored his galley in the centre of the whirlpool with the three ropes. 

On the first night, the woollen rope snapped. On the second night, the hemp rope broke in two. The prince put all his trust in the hair rope, but one of the maidens had played a trick on him – the rope frayed and broke, and the prince and his crew were lost forever below the waves.

The Minch is the stormy stretch of water between the Scottish mainland and the Western Isles. The channel between the Shiant Isles and Lewis is called 'Struth nam Fear Gorma', translated from the Gaelic as ‘the stream of the Blue Men’.

The Blue Men are storm kelpies, mythical creatures that can raise storms and churn the waves. They are said to look much like human men, but with blue skin, grey faces, and long beards, reflecting the colours of the sea itself.

On calm days, the Blue Men can be seen floating and dozing on the waves. But if a ship passes by, the Blue Men challenge the captain to a contest of words. If he fails to answers their riddles or finish their rhymes, the ship and crew will be destroyed.

Fishermen and sailors try to avoid sailing in the Struth nam Fear Gorma for fear of meeting the Blue Men and so risking their lives. On All Saints Day, 1 November, there was an old tradition in Lewis of offering a full cup of ale to the Blue Men to appease them.

One legend says that when some of the angels were sent away from heaven, they became fairies on the land, the Merry Dancers (Northern lights) in the sky, and the Blue Men in the sea.

The Old Man of Storr is a tall rocky pinnacle in Trotternish on the Isle of Skye. It's about 160 feet high and is mainly composed of basalt. Part of the Trotternish Ridge, it is one of the most distinctive land and seamarks on Skye. It is visible for miles if it's not foggy.

The outline of this part of the Trotternish Ridge looks a bit like the face of an old giant. The Storr protrudes from it like a nose. One legend has it that a giant lived in the area and when he died, he was buried there, but his thumb was left sticking out of the ground.

There is also a much smaller pointy outcrop next to the Old Man of Storr. According to one legend, two giants, a man and a woman, were pursued by some attackers. During their flight they made the mistake of turning round and looking back. They were immediately turned to stone.

In another version, a priest wanted to speak to the Pope about the date of Easter. He climbed the Old Man of Storr and performed a spell that raised the devil and turned him into a horse. The devil tried to trick him on his journey to Rome but the priest returned safely to Skye.