If you’ve done a little research, you may have heard about the myths and folklore surrounding the Isle of Skye. One of our Skye walking holidays provides the perfect opportunity to see the Fairy Bridge, the Fairy Pools and of course, the Fairy Knoll.

But have you heard about the other stories surrounding Skye?

The Fairy Flag

The Fairy Flag is an heirloom of Clan MacLeod and now resides at Dunvegan Castle. There are two stories pertaining to the origins of the flag. The first is that the flag was given as a gift to a Chief by his fairy lover who had to return to her homeland. She gave him the flag as a gift of protection.
If waved, it was said that the flag had mystical properties. This may sound strange but the first time the flag was used was in 1490 during a battle with the MacDonalds and again in 1520. The MacLeods were entirely outnumbered by the MacDonalds in both of these battles but with the help of the mystical Fairy Flag, they won!

Giants of Storr

There are many creatures found in Scottish folklore but one of the most common is giants. The tales originate around the west of Scotland due to landscape formations which were associated with giants who had come into contact with man. The encounters tended to have an unhappy ending for the giant.
There is a myth about the Old Man of Storr. This story says that the thumb of a giant who, when he died, became buried within the Earth. Another story associated with Storr is one of two giants- a husband and wife. They were fleeing from men and looked back behind them. As they did so, they turned to stone, creating the Old Man you can see on one of our Skye walking holidays.

Blue Men of the Minch

Being an island, Skye has many tales of water creatures. The most common is of the Blue Men of the Minch, also known as Storm Kelpies.
Despite being blue in colour, these creatures bore a close resemblance to humans and could speak the native tongue. Blue Men of the Minch were said to cause storms and would sometimes approach the captain of a ship, recite part of a poem and ask the captain to complete it. If he couldn’t, the kelpies would overturn the vessel!

Experience the Skye walking holidays

Would you like to experience this fairytale island? At EasyWays, we offer walks along the stunning Isle of Skye and many more walking holidays in Scotland and Europe. Don’t forget to check out our previous posts for more Scottish break ideas!
Get in touch to find out more – we look forward to hearing from you!