40-657: Eildon Hill lies just south of Melrose, Scotland in the Scottish Borders , overlooking the town. The name is usually pluralised into "the Eildons" or "Eildon Hills", because of its triple peak. The 422 metres (1,385 ft) high eminence overlooks Teviotdale to the South. The north hilltop (of three peaks) is surrounded by over 5 km (3.1 mi) of ramparts, enclosing an area of about 16 ha (40 acres) in which at least 300 level platforms have been cut into
80-583: A deadly sin. James Hogg retold the legend in his 1823 novel The Three Perils of Man . The hill was cited in the lyric of the song "Eiledon", from Big Country 's The Seer album. Melrose, Scotland Melrose ( Scottish Gaelic : Maolros , "bald moor") is a town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders , historically in Roxburghshire . It lies within the Eildon committee area of Scottish Borders Council . The original Melrose
120-454: A human girl who must then serve as her midwife. Fionnbharr's wife attempts revenge by giving the girl a belt that will cut her in two when she puts it on, but a fairy servant warns the girl in time. Other Irish fairy queens included Clíodhna of Munster, Aoibhinn and Ainé . The Arthurian character of Morgan le Fey (or Morgan of the Fairies) ruled the supernatural island of Avalon and
160-705: A human sacrifice: An unnamed fairy queen appears in Thomas the Rhymer (Child 37), where she takes the titular character as her lover and leaves him with prophetic abilities. Although the romances and ballads associated with Thomas the Rhymer have parallels to Tam Lin, including the tithe to Hell, this fairy queen is a more benevolent figure. In Thomas Cheyne's rebellion in January 1450, "the King of Fairies" (Regem de ffeyre) and "The Queen of Fairies" (Reginam de ffeyre) were among
200-690: A legendary spirit associated with a waterfall called Janet's Foss in the Yorkshire Dales, was romanticized as a fairy queen by non-local writers and poets. Joan the Wad was a Cornish queen of the piskeys , made famous in a marketing campaign in the early 1900s. According to John Leyden in 1801, the Scottish fairy queen was called Nicneven , the Gyre-Carling, or Hecate . Later scholarship has disputed this; Nicneven's earliest known appearance
240-582: A queen in Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve 's Beauty and the Beast , and in several of Madame D'Aulnoy 's tales, such as The Princess Mayblossom . In Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force 's Fairer-than-a-Fairy , the villain is a wicked fairy queen named Nabote who replaced the previous, good queen. D'Aulnoy, who popularized the genre and the term "fairy tale," was nicknamed "la reine de la féerie." In The Little White Bird ,
280-436: Is Old English dun , meaning a rounded hill, while the first part has been variously etymologized as Brittonic eil (referring to a fenced enclosure) or Old English ǣled ("fire") or ǣlǣte ("empty place"). Eildon is said to be a "hollow hill", and is mentioned in the legend of Thomas the Rhymer . Some believe Thomas went under the hill itself, and certainly part of the ballad occurs in the vicinity. Sir Walter Scott tells
320-566: Is the birthplace of Rugby Sevens and also has a rugby union team, Melrose RFC . Every year on the second Saturday in April the famous Melrose Sevens are held at the Greenyards and is the biggest annual sporting event held in the town. Rugby union has always been the most popular sport in Melrose. Melrose Golf Club is a nine-hole golf course situated on the edge of the town at the foot of
360-561: The Fairy Queen or Queen of the Fairies is a female ruler of the fairies , sometimes but not always paired with a king. Depending on the work, she may be named or unnamed; Titania and Mab are two frequently used names. Numerous characters, goddesses or folkloric spirits worldwide have been labeled as Fairy Queens. The Tuatha Dé Danann and Daoine Sidhe of Irish mythology had numerous local kings and queens. Oonagh, Una or Nuala
400-531: The Gentiles [non-Jews] was called Diana and her wandering court, and amongst us is called Fairy (as I told you) or our good neighbours". Medieval Christian authorities condemned cult beliefs of nocturnal, female spirit leaders who might accept offerings or take practitioners on a nighttime journey. The Sicilian doñas de fuera of Italy were one example. In Scotland in the 1530s, William Hay described Scottish witches meeting with " seely wights " or "Diana queen of
440-451: The 12th century. Melrose is surrounded by the small villages of Darnick , Gattonside , Newstead , Lilliesleaf and Bowden . King David I of Scotland took the throne in 1124, and sought to create a new Cistercian monastery on that site; however the monks preferred a site further west called "Fordel". So the monastery now known as Melrose Abbey was founded there in 1136, and the town of Melrose grew up on its present site around it. In
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#1732794578123480-520: The Abbey. The Abbey ruins are cared for by Historic Scotland (open all year; entrance charge). Nearby is the Roman fort of Trimontium , Abbotsford House the home of Sir Walter Scott , and Dryburgh Abbey where he was buried in 1832. The Corn Exchange , which was designed by David Cousin , was completed in 1863. The war memorial, erected in 1920, was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer . Melrose
520-463: The Eildon Hills as a holy place and scholars believe they may have been a place of ceremonial gatherings. There are several holy springs around the base of the hills, now dedicated to Christian saints, but probably originally sacred to Celtic deities. They were once known as Eldune , derived from the 12th-century Simeon of Durham who referred to them as Eldunum . The final part of the word
560-407: The Eildon Hills. Melrose Cricket Club is situated next to Borders General Hospital at Huntlyburn. Every June, the week-long Melrose Festival takes place. This involves appointing a Melrosian who has lived in the town for most of his life; and a queen and her court are appointed from the local primary school, Melrose Primary School (previously named Melrose Grammar School). Melrose is now host to
600-510: The Fairies also features in Baum's book The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus , and is named Lulea in Baum's Queen Zixi of Ix . In Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series, the Fairy Queen is an essential part of the plot. Although she rules over the fairies, she is actually a unicorn capable of taking humanoid form. The character Erza Scarlet from Hiro Mashima 's Fairy Tail earned
640-655: The Last Minstrel : In these far climes it was my lot To meet the wondrous Michael Scott, A wizard, of such dreaded fame, Than when, in Salmanca's cave, Him listed his magic wand to wave, The bells would ring in Notre Dame! Some of his skill he taught to me; And Warrior, I could say to thee The words that cleft Eildon hills in three, And bridled the Tweed with a curb of stone: But to speak them were
680-549: The Netherlands. A queen of the fairies or spirits, referred to as the " Quene of Elfame " and other spelling variants, was mentioned in several Scottish witch trials. In the 16th century, Andro Man claimed to have had children by the "Quene of Elphen." Scholar Robert Pitcairn reconstructed the word as "Elphame" or "Elf-hame." The concept of a Dianic queen of spirits influenced the neopagan cultures that developed from Charles Godfrey Leland 's concept of Aradia "Queen of
720-641: The Summer and Winter Courts. Oberon's half-human daughter, Meghan Chase, eventually becomes queen of the Iron Court. Diana Wynne Jones 's Fire and Hemlock is a modern reimagining of the ballads of Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer, in which the Fairy Queen is known as Mrs Laurel Perry Lynn. The goddess Diana was regularly portrayed as the ruler of the fairy kingdom in demonological literature, such as King James VI of Scotland 's Daemonologie , which says that she belongs to "the fourth kind of spirits, which by
760-487: The alias "Titania" due to her power. In Foxglove Summer , part of the Rivers of London series, the protagonist Peter Grant is captured by the Fairy Queen and taken off to her Kingdom (an alternative reality or Otherworld where Britain is still covered with a massive unbroken primeval forest , with no sign of the familiar towns and villages). In Julie Kagawa 's Iron Fey series, Titania and Mab are rival queens of
800-578: The aliases used by the (male) leaders. Goodwin Wharton , a 17th-century English politician and mystic, believed that he had married a fairy queen named Penelope La Gard. There were numerous local beliefs of fairy queens, some of whom had proper names. A charm from the Isle of Man names the fairy rulers as King Philip and Queen Bahee. One Welsh folk informant stated that the queen of the Tylwyth Teg
840-498: The annual Borders Book Festival which also takes place during June. The 2005 festival hosted guests including Michael Palin and Germaine Greer ; Ian Rankin and Rory Bremner appeared in 2006. Melrose hosts the annual Eildon Three Hill Race, attracting many runners, and the Melrose Pipe Band Championships, attracting pipers from all over the world. Fairy Queen In folklore and literature,
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#1732794578123880-639: The arrival of the Romans. In the 1st century AD the Roman army built the massive fort of Trimontium at Newstead , named after the three peaks, at the foot of the hill on the bank of the River Tweed . In association with this fort they constructed a signal tower with a tiled roof in a 15 m diameter enclosure built on the summit of Eildon North Hill. The hill fort may have been abandoned by this time, as Roman archaeological finds uncovered during excavation of
920-549: The chamber and outside he tells his story to some shepherds before dropping dead of exhaustion. Scott identifies the elderly man as Thomas the Rhymer. Another legend concerns the Eildon Tree Stone, a large moss-covered boulder near Melrose, marking the spot where the Fairy Queen led Thomas into her realms in the heart of the hills. The volcanic rock was said to have been cleft in three by the wizard Michael Scot , as relayed by Walter Scott in his 1805 poem, The Lay of
960-469: The fairies." Julian Goodare clarifies that "[t]here is no reason to believe that there was a Scottish cult of Diana"; rather, the name was contemporary authorities' way of classifying such beliefs. Names used for this figure included Herodias , Abundia, Bensozia, Richella, Satia, and numerous others like Doamna Zînelor in Romania (translated by Mircea Eliade as "Queen of the Fairies") or Wanne Thekla in
1000-599: The fairy queen as Mab. Drayton named Mab, not Titania, as Oberon's wife. Aside from Titania and Mab, Oberon was sometimes depicted with wives of other names: Aureola in a 1591 entertainment given for Queen Elizabeth at Elvetham in Hampshire , and Chloris in William Percy 's The Faery Pastorall around 1600. Fairies and their society often played a major role in the French contes de fées . The fairies are ruled by
1040-520: The figure of a fairy queen. The Merry Wives of Windsor makes reference to the concept. In A Midsummer Night's Dream , Titania is the queen of the fairies and wife of King Oberon. Her name is derived from Ovid as an epithet of the Roman goddess Diana . In Romeo and Juliet , the character of Queen Mab does not appear but is described; she is the fairies' midwife, who rides in a tiny chariot and brings dreams to humans. Post-Shakespeare, authors such as Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton also named
1080-574: The hill fort was occupied by 1000 BC, in the Bronze Age . The ramparts seem to have been built and rebuilt in three phases. 296 individual hut floors have been identified within the fort, suggesting a population of around 2000, and making it one of the largest known in Scotland from this period. The hill fort is thought to have been the capital of the Selgovae , who lived in upper Tweeddale prior to
1120-519: The king and queen of the fairies. This depiction is thought to have influenced William Shakespeare 's fairy rulers in A Midsummer Night's Dream . A fairy queen Gloriana, daughter of King Oberon , is the titular character of the allegorical epic poem The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser . She is also called Tanaquill, derived from the name of the wife of Tarquinius Priscus . She is a virtuous ruler written as an allegorical depiction of Queen Elizabeth . William Shakespeare referred multiple times to
1160-584: The late Middle Ages, its name was represented by a mell (a mason's hammer) and a rose (for the Virgin Mary , to whom all Cistercian abbeys were dedicated). The Abbey fell into ruin after the Reformation but is still a striking structure. Several Scottish nobles are buried there, and a casket has been found which is believed to contain the heart of King Robert the Bruce . The casket has been re-buried in
1200-495: The national scenic area (NSA) designation are considered to represent the type of scenic beauty "popularly associated with Scotland and for which it is renowned". The Eildon and Leaderfoot NSA covers 3877 ha , and extends to include the town of Melrose, Scott's View and Leaderfoot Viaduct . It is possible that the hills were formed deep beneath the Earth's surface as ancient laccoliths . Excavations have revealed evidence that
1240-475: The predecessor to Peter Pan , author J. M. Barrie identifies Queen Mab as the name of the benign and helpful fairy queen. In Disney's series of films based on Tinker Bell , branching out from their adaptation of Peter Pan , the fairy ruler is Queen Clarion. In L. Frank Baum 's Oz books, Queen Lurline is an otherworldly fairy queen who played a role in the creation of the Land of Oz . An unnamed Queen of
Eildon Hill - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-418: The public have a right of responsible access to the hills, and there are many paths crossing the area and leading to all three summits. The hills form part of the Eildon and Leaderfoot National Scenic Area , one of forty national scenic areas in Scotland, which have been defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development. The areas protected by
1320-449: The rock to provide bases for turf or timber-walled houses, forming one of the largest hill forts known in Scotland. A Roman army signalling station was later constructed on the same site as this hill fort. The mid hilltop is the highest, whilst the south hilltop is the lowest. The hills are owned by the Duke of Buccleuch , Scotland's largest private landowner. As with all land in Scotland
1360-475: The site in 1986 all overlaid native finds. The tower was thought to have been constructed out of timber during the Flavian period , with a later tower being constructed out of stone during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius . Finds including Roman coins and pottery have suggested that some of the house platforms were again in use in the 2nd to 4th century. There is some evidence that prehistoric peoples regarded
1400-443: The tale of a horse dealer who is paid in "ancient coin" by an elderly buyer in old-fashioned dress and taken inside the hill at night. A host of armed knights lie asleep at their horses' feet; their sleeping leader is King Arthur . Shown a horn and a sword, in confusion the dealer blows the horn: the men begin to awake and a loud voice indicates that he has been proved a coward for not seizing the sword first. A whirlwind ejects him from
1440-609: Was Mailros , meaning "the bare peninsula" in Old Welsh or Brythonic . This referred to a neck of land by the River Tweed several miles east of the present town, where in the 6th century a monastery was founded associated with St Cuthbert. It was recorded by Bede , and also in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle with the name Magilros . This monastery and settlement, later known as "Old Melrose", were long abandoned by
1480-486: Was Gwenhidw, wife of Gwydion ab Don , and small, fleecy clouds were her sheep. Some of these local beliefs influenced literature. "Old Moss the fairy queen" appears in Shantooe Jest, a 19th-century poem by Thomas Shaw inspired by Yorkshire and Lancashire folklore. She flees the sound of the church bells to live with a giant named Todmore and they eventually settle in the location of Todmorden. Janet or Gennet,
1520-728: Was in Alexander Montgomerie 's Flyting ( c. 1580 ) as a witch and worshiper of Hecate, and a separate character from the Elf Queen. Equivalents appear across the world. In modern Greek folklore, Lamia is queen of the Nereids and Artemis is queen of the mountains and land-nymphs. A Romani legend describes Ana, queen of the Keshali nymphs, who was abducted by a demon. In " The Merchant's Tale ", by Geoffrey Chaucer , Pluto and Proserpine are described as
1560-628: Was sometimes depicted as a fairy queen. In the Vita Merlini , she is Morgen, the chief of nine magical sister queens . Fairy queens appear in some of the Child Ballads . A kind and helpful fairy queen features in Alison Gross (Child 35), and a terrible and deadly fairy queen is the antagonist of Tam Lin (Child 39). Tam Lin's Fairy Queen pays a tithe to Hell every seven years, and Tam Lin fears that he will be forced to serve as
1600-481: Was the wife of Finvarra or Fionnbharr, fairy king of western Ireland, although he frequently took other lovers. She was usually described living with Finvarra in his hill Cnoc Meadha, but was sometimes said to have a separate residence in Cnoc Sidh Una ( Knockshegouna ). In one story following the model of the Fairies' Midwife ( Aarne-Thompson type 476), "Fionnbharr's wife" (unnamed) is thoughtlessly cursed by
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