The Well of the Heads: Historical Tales of the Scottish Clans - Softcover

The clans were united by claims of common descent from a distant ancestor and these could be Picts, Scots or even Norsemen, the peoples who roamed first millennium Scotland. The warriors of the clan, fiercely loyal to each other and to the chief, the centre of all clan life, were known for their remarkable courage and endurance, selfless loyalty and highly developed military skills. Not for nothing we they considered the best fighting men in the world. These skills in time formed the backbone of the British Armies that conquered the world, the Highland regiments. The tales collected here illustrate the drama and the dynamism of a society that lived close to nature, had little in the way of material wealth but was possessed of a tan intellectual treasure house of story and song. That tradition gives us instances of outstanding bravery and cold-hearted deceit, loyalty to the death and the eeriness of the magic and the supernatural.

Stuart McHardy is a writer, storyteller and lecturer. His interest in Scotland's past has led him to re-evaluate the role of the oral tradition in gaining a clearer picture of our history. He believes that while history is written by winners, story flourishes amongst history's survivors. He was Director of the Scots Language Resource Centre from 1993 to 1998 and is a founder member and past president of the Pictish Arts Society. An experienced broadcaster Stuart McHardy has long been interested in Scotland's musical traditions, playing music professionally since his teens. He lives in Edinburgh.