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Ghosts & Ghouls Night
Oct 25
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"A form sits by the window,
That is not seen by day,
For as soon as the dawn approaches
It vanishes away."
~ The Haunted Chamber, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
As Kermit the Frog said, "It's not easy being green!" But this 3 couple strathspey may soothe the spirits, green or otherwise! But don't forget to begin with 1st and 3rd man in opposite places, diagonally placed opposite their own partners, as the Green Lady of Skipness has a reputation for wanting everyone to be in the proper place! Green Ladies are a phenomenon found almost exclusively in Scotland, believed to be one of the following:
* Spirits enchanted by fairies
* Elemental beings like Grugachs (household spirits similar to brownies, also known as brùnaidhs)
* Glaistigs, malevolent Highland spirits who appear as either a beautiful woman or a creature with monstrous features, sometimes with the legs of a goat. In some tales, they are referred to as the maighdean uaine, or Green Maiden
*Ghosts with tragic histories, often linked to sorrowful love or ill-fated marriages
The famous Green Lady of Skipness Castle, is described as a child-sized figure dressed in green with golden hair. This spirit is said to have tidied the castle and fed the hens but was also blamed for nearly killing a man she believed to be sleeping in the wrong bed! The same Green Lady is credited with foiling an attack on the castle by spreading confusion among the besiegers. Happy Hauntings! 💚 💚 💚 👻 👻 👻 🏰 🏰 🏰
Green Lady of Skipness Castle
Green Men and Green Ladies hold a special place in the folklore of the British Isles.
The Green Man, the pagan nature spirit with a face of leaves frequently appears, carved in wood or stone, in churches, chapels, abbeys and cathedrals, the earliest example of which is found at St. Abre, in St. Hilaire-le-grand, dating from c. 400 AD. But there is another feminine spirit figure in green, the Green Lady Ghost.
Green Ladies are unique to the United Kingdom and are not seen in other parts of the world.
Associated with many Scottish homes and castles, most Green Lady Ghosts are considered benevolent in nature, similar to Irish Banshees in that they protect a specific home and family. But unlike the Irish Banshee which moves with the family, Green Ladies stay with the home and protect the next family that moves in.
Generally reckoned as lovely slender young women with long hair, Green Ladies are clothed in green gowns that reach to the ground. Legend says that they often arrive at a home in corporeal form, dripping wet, asking for shelter in order to warm up and dry off. If welcomed, they stay and become that home’s protector.
Over the years many Scottish farmers have claimed Green Ladies as protectors. They would protect the cattle, herding them into barns or shelters when a storm was about to hit, or even protecting them from being stolen by enemies during conflicts.
Apart from the Green Lady of Skipness Castle, other locales and places claim a Green Lady including: the Green Lady of Fyvie, a ghost that supposedly wanders the corridors of Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire; the Green Lady of Ashintully Castle, Perthshire; the Green Lady of Ballindalloch Castle, Aberdeenshire; the Green Lady of the Barony of Ladyland, North Ayrshire; the Green Lady of Crathes Castle, Aberdeenshire; the Green Lady of Knock Castle, IIsle of Skye; and the Green Lady of Longleat, Somerset, South West!
For a list of more haunted castles in Scotland, click the Green Lady ghost "Lonely Ghost" by artist Folda.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
