His arch-enemies sat around him enjoying a sumptuous banquet. After a suitable period of toying with his prey, the host cackled evilly, pulled a lever and sent his guests plunging to the deaths in a concealed pit below.It may sound like something out of an Austin Powers film, but this is actually a medieval explanation for the mysterious "disappearance" of the Picts, with the Dr Evil character played by no less than Kenneth MacAlpin, reputedly the first King of Scots. With their nobility wiped out, the story went, it was easy for MacAlpin to take over and enforce Scottish ways on the rest of the Picts.Stories telling how the Scots came to live in Scotland contain someof the more inventive tales among its myths and legends.
Apparently,
the Scots are the descendents of an Egyptian princess, Scota, and their
language, Gaelic, was humanity's original form of speech as spoken by
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
These beliefs were taken seriously
in times gone by. The idea that the Scots are the sons and daughters of
Scota and her husband, Gaythelos, whose name supposedly gave us Gaels
and Gaelic, gave them a connection to one of the world's great cultures
and a touch of its status. And creating a lineage with a special
connection to the Bible was another good idea, emphasising the shared
membership of the international club of Christianity.
The people who seemed to
have been displaced by the Scots were something of a puzzle to early
historians. Henry of Huntingdon, who lived from 1080 to 1160, commented
inhis book, Historia Anglorum that the Picts, mentioned by the
Venerable Bede in his earlier history, had inexplicably vanished.
Alex Woolf, a historian who
specialises in early medieval history at St Andrews University, says:
"His [Henry's] idea is to continue Bede's history up to the present,
which was about 1140. So he starts copying out Bede's introductory
chapter, and, when he gets to the bit about the four languages of
Britain, he says:, 'Hang on a minute, that's not right, the Picts don't
exist anymore,' and that 'they have so completely disappeared even
their language has gone.'"
The story about the
fiendish use of trapdoors beneath the seats of his dinner guests was an
attempt at an explanation that dates back at least as far as the 12th
century. "It's the Dr Evil version of Kenneth MacAlpin," says Woolf.
"He hadse......
To continue please sign in with your Hotsposz ID... If you are new to Hotspotsz you can
register a new ID .
Myles Ferguson: Since I was a child my family always talked about the howl of the Banshee. The tales I( heard were often told at family gatherings at Saint Patrick"s day. Often an aunt or uncle would relate to us the story of how the heard a Banshee shriek and the neighbors was found dead the next day. Banshee comes from the Irish words "bean," woman, (ban) and "sidhe," fairy, (shee.) It is said that Banshees come to only those with a strong Celtic lineage. If your last name begins with Mac, Mc ...Blood is up over sale of Dracula's castle
Scientists have identified some of the oldest words in the English language, with some such as "I" and "we" dating back tens of thousands of years."Some of the oldest words in English have been identified,scientists say. Reading University researchers claim "I", "we", "two" and "three" are among the most ancient, dating back tens ofthousands of years. . Their computer model analyses the rate of change of words in English a...Seeking the round table at Windsor Castle
Evidence of a building linked to the myth of King Arthur and the knights of the round table has been found at Windsor Castle. The circular structure was built by Edward III in the 14th century to house the round table intended to seat the original 300 Knights of the Garter. Archaeological proof of the building was uncovered by members of Channel 4's Time Team in thecastle's quadrangle.Although the stones have been removed, rubble in-fill where they were originally located remained in pla...Who was King Arthur ?
Anthony North: Most people have heard of King Arthur, but how many really know what he really was? We know of a character half mythological in his existence, but is there more to King Arthur than meets the eye? Indeed, in understanding King Arthur, can we grasp a better understanding of other icons, such as those of the present day like Elvis Presley, or Marilyn Monroe, or Diana, Princess of Wales? I think the Arthurian Legend speaks volumes. Camelot and co: The story is a simple one. A question...Was the Round Table an amphitheatre ?
Historians believe that King Arthur"s legendary Round Table was actually the space inside a Roman amphitheatre.
Now historians believe they have uncovered the precise location of Arthur’s stronghold, finally solving the riddle of whether the Round Table really existed. And far from pinpointing a piece offurniture, they claim the ‘table’ was in fact the circular space inside a former Roman amphitheatre.Arthur has been the subject of much historical debate, but many scholars believe him...Was Robin Hood's House in Sheffield?
An ancient 1000-year-old Viking chieftan"s burial ship has been found on a Scottish peninsula.Situated on the remote West Coast of Scotland, Ardnamurchan is a long, narrow peninsula along the shores of Loch Sunart and marks the mostwesterly tip of the British Mainland. Vikings came to this picturesque part of Scotland for hundreds of years and now archaeologists are benefitting from the spoils of this centralized burial area. A Viking ship, which for 1,000 yearshas held the body o...Scots site may hold key to Arthurian legend
Scanners will be used to probe the mysteries of the King"s Knot near Stirling Castle.In a continuing effort to investigate ancient sites without disturbing or potentially destroying what is hidden, technology is once again being brought in to assist archaeologists and learn exactly what isbeneath the surface of the place known as King"s Knot in Stirling, Scotland. Some believe that the site is connected to the enduring legend of King Arthur and his Round Table. IT is a mystery tha... Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle)
Foldersz is an internal bookmarking system where you can save and organise Hotspotsz content (including this article) into a Folder of your own for later reference.
Paranormal Category List (A-Z)
All our articles are sorted under categories and topics, making it easier to cross reference different subjects. Below are all the different categories the articles are sorted under alphabetically.
78(78/0) 
The wail of the banshee
Blood is up over sale of Dracula's castle
Oldest English words identified 
Seeking the round table at Windsor Castle
Was the Round Table an amphitheatre ?
Was Robin Hood's House in Sheffield?
Viking chiefs burial ship found in Scotland
Scots site may hold key to Arthurian legend
Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle)
