While scanning through Facebook this morning I saw three different articles about European men wearing skirts in protest because of dress codes that do not allow them to wear shorts in spite of the current heat wave. British man sent home for wearing shorts to office in heat wave returns in a bright, pink dress […]
Newsletter Blast from the Past: Isle of Lewis Chessmen
Originally published November 2005 With the next Harry Potter movie coming out I thought it might be fun to mention a Scottish historical connection that made a cameo appearance in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The chess set used for “wizard’s chess” (The scene above where the queen’s chess piece picks up her throne […]
Summer is on the Horizon!
The Solstice is on the horizon this week, marking the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere! To many, the day marks the beginning of cookouts, sports, and other “fun-in-the-sun” activities, though it has a deep cultural background attached to it. Pagan religions of Europe also called this time “midsummer” or “Litha.” They marked the […]
Newsletter Blast from the Past: Là Fhèill Brìghde
Originally published Spring 2003 The beginning of February is an important time of year for the Celts, marking the end of winter and the coming of spring. An early Gaelic name for the February festival is Imbolc, or Oímealg. This day was known to the Christians as Candlemas and known in Gaelic as Là Fhèill […]
Why St. Andrew?
St. Andrew is fairly well known as being the patron saint of Scotland, but the question is why? Andrew is said to have been a fisherman from a village on the Sea of Galilee. He and his brother Simon Peter were called to become “fishers of men” as disciples of Jesus and thus he spent […]
Celtic History Newsletter: Celtic Paris
Since most people think of Scotland and Ireland when talking about the Celts, they don’t realize that the city of Paris was originally founded by Celtic Tribes. The Parisii people colonized the banks of the Seine River in at about 250 B.C. and are first mentioned in the Commentarii de Bello Gallico (Commentaries on the […]
Newsletter Blast from the Past: Where did those Celts come from?
Originally published November 2002 Origins: Where did those Celts come from? “Long, long ago beyond the misty space Of twice a thousand years, In Erin old there dwelt a mighty race, Taller than Roman spears; Like oaks and towers they had a giant grace, Were fleet as deers With winds and waves they made their […]
Newsletter Blast from the Past: Celtic Dragons
Originally published November 2001 The dragon has been a creature of myth and legend for centuries throughout the world. In his book, View Over Atlantis (1969), John Michell says, “In every continent of the world, the dragon chiefly represents the principle of fertility. The creation of the earth and the appearance of life came about […]
New technology reveals old Edinburgh
The lost townscape of sixteenth-century Edinburgh has been brought back to life by researchers at the University of St Andrews.
Rare map restored, discovered in a Scottish house
The 17th-century Dutch map, which was discovered scrunched up in a ball, is on show at the National Library of Scotland. Original article link.