Myths and Legends

Tydens ons travels het ons toerleier, Martin, vir ons baie Skotse mites en legendes vertel. Hy het dan tong-in-kies vir ons gese dat geoloee sal praat van vulkaniese aktiwiteit en glaciers en alle sulke "wetenskaplike" dinge oor hoe die berge gevorm het, maar dat dit alles "rubbish" is :-)

En dan sou hy ons vermaak met mites en legendes oor hoe die berge kastig regtig gevorm is. Soos die stuk rots in die foto's wat so alleen regop staan: Daar was glo 'n man en vrou wat aan die voet van die berge gewoon het en hulle het elke dag by die berg opgegaan. Soos hul ouer geword het, het dit wel al hoe moeiliker vir hulle geword. Stelselmatig het hulle weekliks opgegaan berge toe en toe maandeliks. Op hul oudag en tydens een van hul maandelikse trips na die bergtop, het die berge voor hulle oopgegaan en het die faeries (klein mensies volgens Skotse legende en nie feetjies soos ons dit ken nie) hulle ingenooi na 'n wonderlike fees waar hulle saam geeet en gedrink het. Dit het so aangegaan vir maande, totdat die man en vrou te oud geword het om selfs maandeliks op te gaan. Hul het die feetjies 'n laaste keer besoek en hulle bedank vir hul gasvryheid, maar gebieg dat hierdie die laaste kuier saam sou wees. Die feetjies het toe kwaad geword en die man en vrou in rotse verander, sodat hulle altyd by hulle kon bly. Die tannie het egter 'n slegte heup gehad en haar rots het mettertyd heeltemal verkrummel. Gevolglik bly die oom alleen agter en is dit sy rots wat so eensaam daar staan. Die loch onder aan die voet van die berge is volgens oorlewering sy trane wat opgehoop het oor sy verlies.

Die ander mite wat hy ons vertel het was oor hoe die Five Sisters of Kintail gevorm het. Ons het ongelukkig nie foto's daarvan geneem nie, maar die legende oor hoe die vyf bergtoppe gevorm het is as volg: "Long ago in the highlands there lived a man with seven beautiful daughters. His two youngest daughters (we can't remember their names, but we'll call them Maggie and Morgan) were playing down by the water when two Irish Boys, Patrick and Seamus, pulled their boat on shore for a rest. The four began chatting and the girls invited them on a picnic. After checking with their father, they began to lead Pat and Seam to a secret spot. After the perfect picnic, they returned home and gave the boys a parting kiss. The next day the boys returned to the house and asked the father for his daughters' hands in marriage. He told Patrick and Seamus that he couldn't allow his two youngest daughters to marry before his five eldest daughters, or the men in the area would assume there was something wrong with the other five, and they would be condemned to maidenhood forever. Patrick and Seamus went away depressed, but determined to find a way to make Maggie and Morgan theirs. The next day, they returned once again to the increasingly familiar house with a plan. They told the father that they had five elder brothers in Ireland, and promised to send them over for the other sisters, if he would only allow them to take Maggie and Morgan home. The old man readily agreed, and said farewell to his youngest daughters. Months passed, and still the five Irishmen had not arrived. After a year the the man realized he had been tricked and went to a witch for help. He begged the witch to do something so that his daughters would not grow old and ugly with no husbands. The witch said her powers only extended to Scotland, and she could do nothing about the Irishmen. However, she agreed to preserve his daughters' beauty until the arrival of their five husbands. That night, the man kissed all of his daughters goodnight and went to sleep. In the morning, the house was silent. He searched from room to room, but could find his daughters nowhere. He walked outside and discovered five stunning mountains had appeared overnight. And there the five sisters stand to this day, as beautiful as ever, waiting for their five Irishmen. (Tony made us wait until the next day to finish the story when we actually saw the five sisters.) The waterfalls that run down the mountain are said to be the tears of the sisters' broken hearts, and drinking the water is said to cure a broken heart." [As quoted from Travelblog]