Myths and Legends of Scotland Trivia Quiz

Answer: Horse

Not to be confused with the Australian dog of the same name, the mythical kelpie is believed to inhabit many of the rivers and lochs of Scotland. It normally appears as a white horse and anyone who rides on it is doomed to die by drowning. The giveaway is that its mane continues to be wet, even when the rest of the horse is dry.

Although it can take human form, the kelpie continues to have hooves, another sign of its origins.

Answer: Sailors

The Minch is a particularly dangerous and stormy strait which lies off the northwest coast of Scotland and which has to be crossed to reach the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The Blue Men will attempt to sink any boats which they come across, although they do give their potential victims a chance - they will challenge them to a rhyming duel and if the sailors can come up with a suitable final word, they will be allowed to continue to their destination.

Answer: Morag

Since Loch Morar is the deepest body of freshwater in the United Kingdom, it's no surprise that stories of a monster living there have emerged. The first sighting was in 1887, with regular reports since, including one from 1969 where shots were fired at the creature.

There are even some who believe that Nessie and Morag are one and the same. The two lochs are seventy miles apart, but there could be a subterranean passage which allows easy movement between them.

Answer: Selkie

The selkie legend originates in the islands of Orkney and Shetland, where the local name for a seal is selkie. The creatures can change from seal to human and then back to their original form by casting off their skins and then replacing them. In human form, the selkies are particularly beautiful, and are known for seducing the real men and women with whom they come into contact, although the selkie will always return to the sea.

A shedim is a demon from Jewish myth, a sidhe is a supernatural spirit in Gaelic myth and a sylvan is a spirit inhabiting a forest.

Answer: Mordred

Mordred is normally described in legend as being the son of Arthur, fathered when his half-sister, Morgause, tricked Arthur into sleeping with her. There are other versions of his parentage. Morgause went on to marry Lot, the King of Orkney, and had four sons with him - Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris and Gareth, who all became knights in Arthur's kingdom. Mordred and Arthur met in a final battle, which led to the deaths of them both.

Answer: Giants

The story of Finn MacCool and Benandonner is related to the creation of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. Benandonner, also known as The Red Man, and Finn had been hurling insults at each other across the Irish Sea. Finn built the Giant's Causeway to enable him to take on his opponent, but was rather taken aback when he saw just how massive Benandonner was. Thanks to some quick thinking by his wife, Finn was able to fool the Scottish giant into believing that Finn was only a baby. Benandonner beat a hasty retreat, rather than face the father of such a huge baby, and destroyed part of the causeway to ensure Finn would not be able to follow him back to Scotland.

Answer: Robert I

The story of Robert the Bruce, as he then was, and the spider is one of Scotland's most enduring legends. Robert the Bruce was on the run, having been defeated by the English, and took refuge in a cave. When he observed the determination of a spider to build its web, despite numerous failures, he took heart and went on to victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

The cave where the incident took place (assuming it did) has never been identified, although there are many claimants.

Answer: Cannibalism

Alexander (Sawney) Bean is believed to date from the fifteenth century, although the tales about his nefarious deeds don't appear to have surfaced until more than three hundred years later. Bean and his wife lived in a cave, where they raised an ever increasing number of children, which Bean supported by robbing unwary travellers.

He then murdered them, to avoid detection, and fed his family on human flesh. Bean's reign of terror continued for twenty-five years, by which time his family consisted of nearly fifty members, mostly born from incest.

The whole family was arrested and executed, according to local legend.

Answer: Werewolf

The legend of the wulver, or galley trot, is associated with the Shetland Isles. The wulver is described as having the head of a wolf, with sharp teeth, and a body covered with hair. The wulver isn't aggressive unless attacked, and has even been known to leave fish that he has caught for families who would otherwise not have eaten.

Answer: Black Donald

Black Donald can take many forms, with that of an old man being the most common. The Gaelic version of his name is Domhnall Dubh. Despite his ability to change shape, the one part which cannot be disguised is the devil's cloven hooves, which are always visible.

The reference to trousers in the question, for those who don't understand it, is to an Andy Stewart song called 'Donald Where's Your Troosers', a rather unexpected hit in both 1960 and 1989.