The Devil at Loch Shin

The Northern Highlands of Scotland is a place with a scarce population and a history shrouded with mysteries. And I will tell you a tale which is no exception to the latter.

The indicated story derives from the folklore collector  Alasdair Alpin MacGregor and his book The Peat Fire Flame (1947). He gathered much of the books material "when wandering at various times through the Highlands and Hebrides with a notebook and a camera". Along with his wanderings appeared a plentiful of tales, one of these tales were from the area of Loch Shin. Although the largest loch located in the Sutherlands, the nearest sizable settlement you can find is just to the south in a little town called Lairg, where this little tale probably has its origins from.

Near Loch Shin the Devil was said to fish from a particular stone a few feet out in the water. One night a boy and girl were making their way home by the loch when on the very stone they saw an angler, and a yellow dog with him.

The girl told the lad to go and ask if the man had trout, and if he would give them a couple for supper. Summoning up his courage, the boy approached quietly and asked the fisherman if he had caught anything. Before the other could answer, the girl interrupted and asked if they could have a trout or two from the loch.

At the sound of human voices, the angler rose from the stone and blazed in a flame that set fire to the heather which ran to the young couple's feet. Stricken with terror they hurried home and told what they had seen. After some minor discussions and retelling they all agreed that the angler had been none other than "the Great Mischief Himself" - in other words, Satan.

As this story now has taken to an end I would like to remind you to share this post and blog with friends who might be interested in the mysteries of scottish lore and history. This topic is broad and there is much content to cover, but if you feel this story was a short one, it's just a taste of what is to come.