Kelpies and other mythological beasts

We did a trip to Glasgow to look at flats. On our way home we stopped at Falkirk to look at the Kelpies. Thanks to a family book group reading of Celtic myths we knew at least that kelpies were shape-shifting water creatures that could become people and lure unsuspecting travelers to their death in the water. We went on a brief tour and Andy, our tour guide, was entertaining and knowledgeable. He shared several different variants of the Kelpie legend and managed to do it in a way that was entertaining for the bairns on the tour as well as the older folk. He is a lecturer at a local college as well as an artist so he has a great background to talk about the amazing sculptures created by Andy Scott.

Andy Scott (the sculptor, not the guide) is famous for working in steel and has a number of pieces on display around the country. Here's a link. He is strong on representative sculpting that conveys a message. Another of his famous pieces, the "Angel of the Nauld" is visible for a few brief seconds as you fly by on the M80 motorway. The girl has outstretched arms to the world and reaching back arms (yes, four arms) holding two merging streams that meet at the hem of her dress. This is a play on words since she is installed at Cumbernauld and that comes from Gaelic "comar nan allt" which translates as a meeting of waters IE the two streams from her hands to her dress. The common explanation of this is that from Cumbernauld the Clyde flows West and the Firth of Forth flows East.

With that background you will not be surprised to learn that these giant kelpies not only stand for the Celtic legends for which they are named but represent Scottish pride and their history in engineering as well as pride in the two Clydesdale horses they were modelled on. The two real horses were Duke and Baron who pulled loads in Pollock Park and represent the many, many working horses that pulled barges and many other loads in Scottish industry.

Here's a closer shot of Duke, and another one of Andy, the tour guide. Andy took us inside the sculpture and we could see the massive structure that supports the 30 metre heads. Andy is demonstrating the other local attraction, the Falkirk Wheel. Imagine, if you will, those curved arms circling more and more, as the boat is lifted from the bottom canal to the top, where it sails away on the upper canal. That's a very modern way of doing a canal lock. It has been down for repairs, but it is definitely on our go-see-in-the-summer list.

We only spent a short time at the Kelpies, but the sculpture is amazing, impressive and even moving. We will remember Falkirk and we will return.

But talking of mythical beasts we have a unicorn across the road from the Dalkeith chapel. We don't really have a story to go along with this one, other than it is a striking piece, and of course, the unicorn is on the coat of arms of England. Back in 1603 James VI of Scotland became James I of Britain and the royal unicorns of Scotland were merged with the royal lions of England to give the current British coat of arms which has a lion and a unicorn either side of the crown. The nursery rhyme  teaches this to children

The Lion and the Unicorn Nursery Rhyme

The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown
The lion beat the unicorn all around the town.
Some gave them white bread, and some gave them brown;
Some gave them plum cake and drummed them out of town. 

I don't know the history behind the bread, plum cake etc., but it is interesting how many nursery rhymes recall history--often gory history.

And talking of mythical beasts, when we were at Dobbies we saw this display.

Now you will probably argue that foxes, hedgehogs, cute bunny rabbits, ferrets and little fauns are certainly not mythical, even if they are somewhat romantically depicted here. The mythical part is that they are peacefully coexisting in your garden, nobody eating anybody else.

Pigs are not mythical either, but this ceramic pig reminds one so strongly of "Babe" that I am surprised the movie company hasn't sued them for copyright violation.


You can populate your English garden with an entire menagerie of animals. In addition to these whimsical creatures they also provide stone owls, bright enameled birds and creatures of various sorts in many media and much more. Interestingly I did not see the classic gnome, with or without fishing pole. Perhaps they were in another part of the shop, or perhaps they have become passé now.

That's our tour of beasts and bits of Scotland for the moment. We look forward to more adventures and more sharing.