Sometimes real history, folklore and poetry meet in one place.
If there is such a place...,
it s got to be Scotland. If you re interested in the people,
places and events in Scottish history then click the subscribe button at the
bottom right of the screen and ring the notification
bell to be told when I upload new videos. In the meantime, let me tell you a story
This is Earlstone in the Scottish Borders. It s a place where history and Folklore meet...
and today,
I m going to tell you how real events here: blend with fairytale,
link to key dates in Scotland s history and are revealed in literature and folklore.
It starts with the birth, around 1220 of Thomas Learmont.
He d go on to be known as Sir Thomas de Ercildoune,
I suppose these days we d call him Thomas Learmonth of Earlstone,
named in a couple of thirteenth century charters.
So, he lived during the reigns of Alexander II and Alexander III of Scotland.
...and this ruined tower stands where his original castle stood before it.
I say he lived in the time of Alexander II and III,
but in fact he lived beyond the
fateful death of Alexander III..., who s fall from a horse plunged HIM
over a cliff to his demise
and Scotland into the turmoil of Edward Longshank s invasion....,
which might have led to our demise, but for the heroic William Wallace!
...victorious at Stirling Bridge, just at the time we lose sight of Sir Thomas.
Actually, we re told that, in his mid 40s, Thomas PREDICTED Alexander III s death.
Thomas was with the Earl of March in Dunbar Castle.
Now if you re asking:
Was that the husband in my video about the incredible story of Black Agnes?
There ll be a link to my video later. The answer is no,
this would have been the Earl of March immediately before that.
So Thomas says to The Earl of March "On the morrow, afore noon,
shall blow the greatest wind that ever was heard before in Scotland."
The next day they get up to fine weather and when the Earl points this out,
Thomas says: The appointed hour has not come. March thinks... he s a bit creepy...
When the news came of the king's death, he seemed even creepier still.
...but this wasn t Thomas the Rhymer s only accurate prophesy
Did I not tell you that they called him Thomas the Rhymer?
This wasn t because of his musical skills, a wonderful harp player though he was.
It was because lots of his predictions and tales were delivered in the form of poetry.
They also called him True Thomas... because apparently...
he couldn t tell a lie... until he got a job as a referee and (insert
your Old Firm team of choice in here) got a penalty in the last minute!
He made other prophesies, like the prediction that
a Scottish king born of a French queen would reign over the whole of Britain...
three hundred years before James VI brought it to reality.
He did other creepy stuff too. Like when he visited Fyvie
Castle in Aberdeenshire. Apparently a freak gust of wind
shut the gates in his face, so he placed the "curse of
the weeping stones" on the castle. The family had succession problems down
through the centuries after that Whoooooooa...
So was there a baby Thomas the Rhymer who knew when his mother s milk would run...
or a teenage Thomas the Rhymer who could predict the next TikTok dance trend?
No, it all started when Maybe I should take you there
...and it brings you here. Yes, I know this just looks like
a random farm road, but there s a gate.
Oooooh what are they trying to keep you out from?
Let s go up this farm road to find out.
150 yards up the road we should find This Rhymer's Stone,
erected in 1929 by the Melrose Literary Society...,
although back in the day a tree grew here...
but not just any tree. This was the fabled Eildon Tree.
This unassuming place marks another spot where history meets fairytale...
Now it goes without saying that this place has changed since the 13th century.
...and the story of what happened here has been told by greater story tellers than me...,
but if I can give you a taste, a brief summary,
who knows but it might open the doors to your own deeper investigation.
One day, before he was the Rhymer, Thomas lay here under the Eildon tree.
He d been crossing the Melrose Abbey estate. Some say he was hunting,
some say he was visiting a friend. The detail matters not... but the day was hot
and he took advantage of the shade of the tree to take a nap.
How long he d dozed he didn t know, but he woke to the sound of tinkling bells.
As he wiped his eyes he saw the most beautiful woman
approaching on a milk white steed. Her dress of silk and velvet coat
matched the deep green of the grass. All down the beautiful
horse s main and on its bridle he saw bells who s jingling sound had woken him.
Who could this be, thought Thomas, but the Queen of heaven, the Virgin Mary.
Angelic she may have seemed, but she replied that she was queen indeed,
not of heaven, but of another land. She was the queen of Elfland...
and she d come to demand his services as a musician to play the harp for her people.
Thomas was enchanted
but felt sure that he must deserve some payment in return...
so he asked for a kiss of her beautiful soft lips.
Take care she warned, for a kiss brings consequences.
You would be under my power, and you could not leave Elfland for seven
long years to return to your home. But Thomas couldn t resist...
and the kiss was everything he could have imagined.
Then she pulled him up behind her on her pearl white steed
and off they rode. When they crossed the Bogle Burn,
that he knew so well, he was suddenly lost
and the horse raced to a speed that was faster than the wind.
As hill and vale and stream rushed by Thomas was mesmerised by it all.
As their journey continued they crossed a river that ran red,
which she told him was the blood and tears, spilled by men of the world.
At another stop when he was hungry, she forbade him to eat.
They stopped again and she told him to rest his head in her lap...
and as he did he saw three roads ahead:
a broad and pleasant path overgrown with lilies that she told him was the road to damnation,
a narrow, difficult and rocky path she told him was the road to heaven...
and in the middle a road skirted by broom and heather,
with the bright colour of pheasants running by and haggis roaming free.
This she said is the road we must take to my home in Elfland.
When we get there you must not eat and you must not drink
You must not say a word to anyone. No matter who speaks to you, you must not reply.
Do you understand me? Thomas said he did and gave his promise.
They rode on..., and as they rode
a beautiful castle came into view... and as they came nearer, he heard the cheers
of the elven people welcoming back their queen. They were led into a courtyard inside the castle
and from there to a great hall. The elven people brought food and
drink and there was a great feasting to celebrate the return of the queen.
But Thomas ate nothing. He drank nothing.
He answered nothing when elven people spoke to him.
He simply watched them celebrate. After a while the Queen of Elfland
came to Thomas and said it s time for you to play.
She gave him the most beautiful harp of precious metal, encrusted with jewels
and Thomas played. He played and he played and he played.
As he did the elven people danced
but he was so lost in the music he could have been alone.
As he played one by one the elves grew tired and lay down to fall asleep.
One by one they were lost in slumber... till eventually the dancing stopped.
Only then did the Queen of Elfland come to Thomas and say:
Its time for you to go home. But I only got here this evening. Said Thomas
No said the Queen of Elfland, you ve played for us these past seven years
and it s time for you to return... When I need you again, I ll call for you,
and you will know... but in the meantime I have two gifts for you.
She handed him an apple, saying: You must be hungry.
This is the apple of truth. This will sate your hunger,
but you will never be able to tell a lie in future.
Thomas realised just how hungry he was
and bit into the sweetest apple he d ever tasted.
He closed his eyes to savour the taste, and as the juice tingled in his cheeks
he suddenly got a start. He opened his eyes,
and he found himself sitting right here where I stand...
although in those days there was a tree to provide shade.
As he rubbed his eyes he realised it had all been a dream.
But as he stood up to go, he noticed by his side...
a beautiful jewel encrusted harp. From that day on Thomas never told a lie,
but he did prophesy the future with an accuracy that was unrivalled.
People sought out his advice and he prospered. Then one night,
when he was making merry with friends in the tower of Ercildoune
somebody came in to report an incredible sight outside.
There was a pearly white dear heart and hindwalking in the village.
Thomas knew this sign. He got up Collected his harp
and went out the door. He walked up to the beautiful
white beasts of the forest and spoke gently with them,
before walking off with them into the night... and Thomas the Rhymer was never seen again.
Let me know with a thumbs up or a comment if you enjoyed this video.
There s another video from Scotland s magical history coming up on screen now.
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Tha mi an dochas