Scottish Vampire Legends
Helen Murphy Howell
Helen is from Fife, Scotland. She was a registered nurse for 27 years before becoming a care manager and trainer for health workers.
Read on to learn all about Scottish Vampire Legends.
Clément Falize
Scottish and Irish Lore About Vampires
Many of the legends and encounters with vampires from all over the world go back thousands of years. What's particularly interesting from this article's point of view is that Scotland was once viewed as the hotspot for vampirism hundreds of years before Eastern Europe became famous for its blood sucking counts.
Both Scottish and Irish lore give rise to the vampire stories and many other creatures of the night. It has to be said that accounts of vampires and werewolves within the British Isles are not as prevalent as other parts of Europe.
However, the description given of encounters with the undead are every bit as eerie as their more famous counterparts from other countries.
Ninovolador CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported via Wikimedia Commons
Glamis Castle has many terrifying stories such as vampires.
Trish Steel CC-BY-SA 2.0 Generic via Wikimedia Commons
Vampires come in all shapes and sizes depending on the country of origin.
Spettro84 Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
The Vampire of Glamis Castle?
In addition to the legend of an imprisoned monster and numerous ghosts, Glamis also has a creepy 'vampire' story.
There are two main accounts associated with the vampire legend.
The Vampire Child
The first is that the 'secret' of Glamis is a child, believed to have been a vampire and born into the family. It was later kept away from people by being put in a secret room. Further legends state that the 'secret' is that within each generation a 'vampire' is born into the family.
A Blood Sucking Woman
The second legend is in relation to a worker at the castle.
A few hundred years ago a serving woman was caught leaning over a body and drinking the victim's blood. The penalty was severe, and she was walled up alive in a secret room in the castle.
Some stories suggest that the vampire is still alive and waiting to be released. It's interesting to note that no attempt was made to destroy the vampire in the classic way of a stake through the heart or as was more common in Scotland, dismemberment of the body and then burning it.
If this legend does have any truth to it, why was the serving woman not disposed off more quickly rather than the slow death of starving? Was she also responsible for the murder of her victim? If so, why was she not executed for the crime? This is an intriguing and puzzling story.
Scottish Highlands—Home to the Biobhan Sith
Scottish vampires hunted in wild locations and often in packs.
Mimihitam CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported via Wikimedia Commons
Female vampires are very common in Scottish myths and legends.
The BaoBhan Sith—Scotland's Legendary Vampire
The baobhan sith (baa-van-shee) is one of the oldest forms of vampire in Scotland.
Mostly found within the Highland regions it invariably takes the form of a beautiful woman. The vampire is usually dressed in green - the colour of magic and the fairies. The baobhan sith like most forms of vampire, can shape-shift at will.
This ghost-vampire was always deemed to be very dangerous to humans. They also have a number of things in common with the classic vampire:
They are creatures of the night
Drink human blood
May sometimes have fangs like the classic vampire
They are seductive
Cannot tolerate daylight
Can shape-shift into another animal form
They are telepathic and can read thoughts
However, there are some interesting differences:
The baobhan sith will only rise once a year from her grave.
Other names include 'The White Woman'.
The vampires are all female.
They stalk their prey in forests and other natural locations.
They shun society, keeping to rural areas, but frequently hunt in packs.
They have been known to invite men to dance with them, before attacking.
They use their extremely sharp fingernails to draw blood from the victim rather than fangs. When attacking, the nails are said to turn into talons.
Some are said to have cloven hooves for feet that are hidden under their long dresses.
A man bitten by a baobhan sith will not turn into a vampire.
Any woman who is attacked and killed by a baobhan sith will return as one of them.
Building a stone cairn over their grave was thought to stop them from rising.
Iron is one of the main weapons used against these vampires.
They are afraid of horses, particularly if the horses are shod with iron shoes. Therefore, anyone who remained sitting on their horse while confronting the baobhan sith would be safe.
There are numerous stories of encounters with the baobhan sith. Most of the legends are usually about a brave young man who manages to escape from the clutches of the malevolent female vampire.
All kinds of places, from magnificent ruined abbeys to lonely cottages have strange tales of blood sucking creatures similar to the modern day vampires.
Anne Burgess CC-BY-SA 2.0 Generic via Wikimedia Commons
Blair Atholl and area with many stories and legends of vampires and other supernatural creatures.
Russel Wills CC-BY-SA 2.0 Generic via Wikimedia Commons
Inverleith, Edinburgh
Sandy Gemmill
Princes Street Edinburgh, the scene of a strange vampire-like attack on a horse.
Derek Harper CC-BY-SA 2.0 Generic via Wikimedia Commons
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