Irish and Scottish Myths

• When the Scots emigrated from Ireland, they brought with them a rich blending of belief and tradition based on Celtic pagan myth and Christianity. Isolated in the islands and highlands, a uniquely powerful and superstitious Scottish folklore developed in which tradition and a very strong belief in the "second sight" and the faery world predominated.
• The result was a culture circumscribed by ritual - each and every day had its ritual elements (how to stir the pot, how to lead the cows, how to celebrate the feasts and saints' days), designed to ensure good luck and blessings and to avoid tragedy.
• One of the most common elements of Scottish precognition is seeing the dead before they die (ie, knowing who is going to die soon). This ability is not considered a sought-after gift, but one to be dreaded.
• Scotland abounds in stories and legends of magical seafolk (selkies and mermaids), changeling stories about fairies stealing or possessing the bodies of babies, and tales of shape-shifting witches, ghosts, and family curses, not to mention their famous lake monster.