A few weekends ago, I visited the Isle of Skye and heard a magical Scottish legend. After spending the morning exploring fishing villages and walking in the green countryside, my tour group stopped at a shallow river, named River Sligachan. My tour guide explained that the shallow river is said to have enchanted qualities that make visitors young and beautiful forever. But how did the river become so magical?
Legend has it that two warring Scottish clans once made a deal: the most handsome man of one clan would marry the most beautiful woman of the other. On the day of the wedding, the woman and her male servant set off on horseback to meet her fiancé. As the horse was crossing the bridge over River Sligachan, it suddenly got spooked and threw the woman off onto the rocks. The woman was horribly disfigured from the fall. Her servant helped hide her face under a veil so that the wedding would still take place as planned. After the wedding ceremony, however, the man removed her veil and was disgusted by what he saw. He refused to stay married to his new wife, and he sent her, her servant and her horse back to their clan. Disgraced, they returned to the bridge over River Sligachan, and the woman wept in despair.
Suddenly, summoned by the woman’s cries, a fairy appeared.
