Book Review - "Child of the Mist"

by Kathleen Morgan

This is the first book in These Highland Hills series. Child of the Mist was hard for me to put down. I loved the conflict and attraction between the hero, Niall Campbell, and the heroine, Anne MacGregor. Her father pledges her hand in marriage after a one year commitment to seal the promise of peace between their clans. But Niall's people believe her to be a witch with her herbal healing powers, and he must constantly strive to protect her and work with his people to accept her, while trying to discover who in his clan is a betrayer. They both must strengthen their faith and learn to trust each other to overcome their struggles and fear.

The story is intriguing and keeps one reading to find out what will happen next. The emotional appeal between the characters gives the reader a chance to experience their world. The writing and dialogue gives the reader a sense of 1564 Scotland. If you enjoy a Scottish historical novel, I highly recommend Child of the Mist.

Back Cover Copy:
An arranged betrothal was never the course Anne MacGregor imagined her life would take. Yet when her father explains that her cooperation is the only way to bring about the long-sought truce between feuding families, Anne has no other choice.

A simple ceremony pledging Anne's hand in marriage after one year of commitment is the only seal to the promise of peace. But when the arrangement requires the reluctant Anne to follow Niall Campbell back to his home, she soon discovers that peace is not so easily achieved. Before they even arrive, rumors about her abound, and her safety is threatened. Meanwhile, Niall's ascension as leader of his clan is in jeopardy as a traitor works to bring about his downfall.

As Niall and Anne began to see beyond each other's defenses, love takes them by surprise. But will it be enough to defeat their foes? Or will the truce be broken, their lives forfeit, and war return to their beloved land?

For more about the book and the author, Kathleen Morgan, visit her website here.

Handfasting

Handfasting is an old Celtic custom whereby a couple agreed to live together for a period of time, whether it be one year and a day, or a lifetime. If it was to be a temporary arrangement, after the end of that period, they may wed or part ways. It's a NeoPagan ritual that is no longer recognized as a legal marriage in England, Wales or Ireland, but is still considered a legal Pagan wedding in Scotland.

As Christianity was adopted into the ancient Celtic lands, many couples chose to have a combined wedding of their Christian beliefs with some of the Handfasting traditions.

There are many rituals that are part of the ancient Handfasting Ceremony, but one that I've read about often is the minister ties a strip of cloth around the couple's hands. If it is a temporary agreement, it will be loosely tied. If they have a permanent agreement, it will be tied tighter, thus the expression, "tie the knot". The couple will then kiss each other as their first gift to each other. The bride does not necessarily wear a traditional white bridal gown.

The Scottish Claymore

One of the most famous historical Scottish weapons is the Scottish Claymore, a double-edged sword with a blade around 41" in length with a possible reach of 60". It weighs around 5.5 lbs.The Gaelic term is "Claidhermh-mor". It is recorded to be in use as early as 1300 and still used as late as the 1700's.

Over the years a few changes occurred such as the twisted hilt that came about around 1500. Also adapted from the medieval style, is the two-handed claymore with a distinctive style of a cross-hilt with downward sloping arms. There are many different types of hilts and handles were in use. You can probably do a Google search for different examples.

Then came the Basket-Hilt Claymore broadsword, a one-handed sword with a shorter blade, which can either have a one-sided or double-sided edged blade. It weighs between 2-3 lbs. The basket hilt handle was designed to protect the hand during combat and often had a red velvet liner inside the basket. Some had decorative tassels on the hilt or pommel.

The Beltie Galloway Cows

I first heard of the Beltie Cow in Liz Curtis Higgs' book, My Heart's in the Lowlands. I was fascinated by the sketch in the book. Before I had even finished reading it, I noticed real Beltie Cows while driving home from Charleston, SC. These cows are known to be from Scotland as Beltie Galloway Cows and have most recently earned the nickname of "Oreo Cows" in the US. They are typically black with a white belt around the middle. Some are brown with a white belt.

The white belt is a dominant trait in the herd and will often appear even if a Beltie Cow is crossbred with a different cow. Their heritage allows them to survive in harsh climates having adapted to the poor upland pastures and windswept moorlands of Scotland, originating from Galloway. In 1997, western America suffered the "April Blizzard" resulting in great floods. As much as 21 feet of water resided in some places. While lots of animals, including horses and cows were lost, one breed withstood the flood, days without food, or rest from treading water--the Beltie Cows. Read the story here.

Their beef is exceptionally lean and flavorful. While most breeds of cows develop an extra layer of fat on their hide to protect them from the cold in winter, Beltie Cows grow an extra coat of hair rather than fat.


Here in North Carolina, you will find Beltie Cows at Fearrington Village, a quaint place settled on farmland dating back to 1770's in Chatham County, NC. This is an area of North Carolina that was surrounded by Scots-Irish immigrants and descendants for many generations. The small community is modeled after the villages of England. Fearrington Village offers a relaxing visit of dining, a beautiful country inn, shopping, historic gardens, and Beltie Cows.

For more information on Beltie Cows, visit the Belted Galloway Society of the United States.

The photos in this post are courtesy of Fearrington Village.

Albannach - Scottish War Music

If you are interested in listening to some Scottish war music, Albannoch is a band you might enjoy. All band members are originally from Scotland. Their goal is to share the culture, heritage and history of their country through their music. They claim to be more than another pipe and drum band, their website says they play "outlawed tunes on outlawed pipes".

They tour year-round throughout Europe and the U.S. at highland games and festivals. They are regular performers at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina, and have also performed at the games in Greenville, SC. Over the next couple of months they will be in the U.S. touring in Ohio and Virginia. Then in November they are back in Scotland.

You can check out their music and tour dates at their website: www.albannachmusic.com.

Scotland County Highland Games

In 1899, Scotland County, North Carolina was formed from Richmond County. The earliest settlers of the area were mainly comprised of Highland Scots by 1729. They came up from the Cape Fear River through Wilmington, NC, and the Pee Dee River from South Carolina.

The Scotch Fair Highland Games that has traditionally taken place in Scotland County, is changing to Scotland County Highland Games. This year the games are scheduled to take place October 2-4, 2009 at the John Blue House in Laurinburg, NC. It's a beautiful historic home that has been restored and is surrounded by a rich history of Scottish descendants and other antebellum homes, and a pre-Civil War cotton gin (believed to be the oldest in existence). The John Blue House is known as the "Riverboat on Land".

Those interested as participating vendors, or athletic contenders may contact Bill Caudill at the Scottish Heritage Center of St. Andrews College at 910-277-5236.

Be sure to mark your calendar as the Scotland County Highland Games are slated to be a great October event!

America's Braemar

Donald McDonald is the author of America's Braemar, a historical book covering the 50-year history of The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games (1956-2006). But the history on which the games is based is much older than 1956, predating the Greek Olympics. The highland games of Scotland were brought from Ireland to the Argyll district and were first called Odas, a Norse name.

A former resident of Charlotte, NC, Mr. McDonald now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is a retired journalist and university lecturer who first attended Braemar in 1954. The Braemar Gathering was born from the Braemar Wright Society in 1816, six months after the Battle of Waterloo and was registered with the Clerk of Peace as a friendly society, the oldest surviving friendly society in the country of Scotland. In 1826 the name changed to the Braemar Highland Society. In 1848, Queen Victoria attended the gathering and ordered that the society add "Royal" to the title. It is now known as the Braemar Royal Highland Gathering. The royal family has been faithful attenders ever since.

Mr. McDonald returned to North Carolina from his visit and decided to try and duplicate the Braemar gathering among the thousands of descendants who settled the Carolinas in the 18th and 19th centuries. Thus, the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games were born, with the assistance of Agnes MacRae Morton, the games were christened as "America's Braemar". Mr. McDonald's book was completed in 2007 and published by Southern Lions Books Historic Publications in Madison, GA.

The success of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games has led to the birth of over 200 Scottish games, highland festivals, and societies. To learn more about the book, or to order it, visit here.