It's #FolkloreThursday and time to return to rowan trees! Every Samhain, or Halloween, when the veil between the human world and the fairy world is thinnest, and winter is approaching, the wives of Strathspey would drive their animals through the trees to help ward off evil and protect them for the season ahead. They'd do the same at Bealtainn, the beginning of May. 

Rowan trees are seen as powerful protection trees, keeping away evil. They were sometimes manipulated to grow into an archway that people and animals could pass through - particularly at thresholds, like the entrance to a garden or piece of land. 

This incredible rowan in Aviemore (above) has not one but two archways, and is on an old croft site. 

The Gaelic name for rowan is beautiful - caorann - and comes from the word caor, which means blaze. This could relate to the bright red berries, or perhaps the colour of the leaves when they turn to a blazing fire in autumn. (Caor is also the name given to the the little broken bits of peat which blaze really quickly and easily.)

So, if you're passing a rowan anytime soon (especially on Samhain!), make sure you pass through it if you can, and if you can't, circle it three times sunwise (clockwise) for good luck! ​

Popped to the Black Isle today to do some seaweed foraging, and as it's also a Thursday thought we'd have a little story from there...

So, a good long while ago the fairy folk, sìthean, began to take pity on the people of Fortrose and Rosemarkie, toiling all around the Moray Firth just to get to Inverness. They decided they would build a bridge for them across the firth at Chanonry Point (better known for dolphin-spotting!)

They began building the bridge, and as the days went by, people gathered to watch and  give 'advice' and 'suggestions' for how the bridge should be built. Who knew there could be so many expert bridge builders on the Black Isle! The fairy folk tolerated this as long as possible, until, simply too annoyed to continue, they packed up and told the interfering locals to build the bridge themselves.

​And lo and behold, it was never finished. 

​If you'd like to hear stories and folktales of Aviemore and the Cairngorms, join an upcoming short guided walk!