The Legends of Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle is one of the most popular castles in Scotland. You’ll find it on shortbread tins, whisky bottles and Visit Scotland adverts. Thousands of people stop there, take some pictures, and some even go inside but how many know about the legends of Eilean Donan Castle?

The current castle is a bit of a romantic reconstruction. Rebuilt between 1919 and 1932, Eilean Donan looks quite different than it would have originally with the easy access bridge. While some might say it isn’t “authentic”, it still looks spectacular and there is a reason it features in so many films and TV shows.

But who founded Eilean Donan Castle? And what exactly happened here that it needed rebuilt? Well those are stories worth telling.

Eilean Donan Castle’s Legendary Founder

An old Scottish legend claims that any new born child who took their first drink from the skull of a raven would be granted a special power. In the early 13th century, a clan chief from Kintail decided to disprove this notion on his only son.

For years, everything seemed to be completely normal and the chief ridiculed the superstitious folks who believed in the story. Then one day the boy was found conversing with the birds.

The relationship was strained between the father and son. Eventually, the chief’s hall was filled with the screeching of birds and he demanded to know what they were saying.

The boy replied that he wasn’t going to like the answer. They were repeating a prophecy over and over that the day would come when the father would wait on the son in this very hall. That was the final straw. The chief cast his own son out into the world to fend for himself.

The gifted young man took a small boat and used his gift to make a name for himself. In France he found the King’s household in turmoil over a large and noisy flock of sparrows. The Scot was able to negotiate a peace amongst the birds. Next, he discovered a castle plagued by rats but where the birds could not help him, he gifted his ship’s cat.

The chief’s son had grown into a wealthy and powerful man by the time that he returned to his father’s home. He was barely recognisable and the old chieftain rushed to welcome this important stranger. Serving his distinguished guest with food and drink from his own hands, he was fulfilling the very prophecy he had been so enraged by.

The news of the chief’s son had spread and he was summoned to the Scottish court. When King Alexander knew this was the perfect person to protect Kintail from the Norse. He was commanded to build a strong fortress on Eilean Donan, becoming the first chief of Clan Matheson.

The Spanish Ghost of Eilean Donan Castle

It’s no surprise that the legends of Eilean Donan Castle include at least one ghost. The surprising part is that this ghost is a Spanish soldier.

The Castle is perched at a strategic point, where three lochs join giving easy access to the sea. That made it an ideal place for 300 Spanish soldiers to land in support of the 1719 Jacobite Rising. These Spaniards joined up with around 1000 Highlanders and most of them marched off to meet the government army at Glen Shiel.

A small garrison of Spanish soldiers was left to keep Eilean Donan Castle secure. Before long, the British Navy arrived to remind Eilean Donan that access to the sea wasn’t always a good thing. The walls weren’t designed for this kind of attack. A castle like this was no longer an impenetrable fortress. It was a sitting duck for brutal bombardment from the sea.

After the cannon fire, a boarding party arrived and the garrison surrendered. The government troops used gunpowder to destroy Eilean Donan completely and the Spanish was taken away in chains.

Not all of the Spaniards left though, at least one was killed in the siege and his ghost has been seen wandering around the island. He doesn’t look violent or angry, he just looks lost. The poor man was doomed to die, fighting somebody else’s war on a cold island far from home

The MacDonalds Attack

This legend of Eilean Donan Castle is really just a great historical story. The castle has faced more than its fair share of action over the years. In 1539, it stood directly in the way of an uprising by the MacDonalds of Sleat.

Donald Gorm MacDonald was determined to establish his claim as Lord of the Isles and mustered 50 Birlinn Ships to attack Eilean Donan. The MacRaes were defending the fortress and they put up stiff opposition. Nevertheless, they were badly outnumbered and it looked as if Donald Gorm was going to win the day.

The defenders threw everything they had at the MacDonalds until their leader Duncan Macrae had only a single arrow left. He wasn’t going to waste that final shot so he looked to cut the head off the snake. Taking careful aim, the arrow soared through the air before plunging into Donald Gorm’s leg. The MacDonald chief died from a severed artery and his men abandoned their siege.

Either Duncan was lucky or Donald was unlucky but either way, Eilean Donan Castle survived.

The Legend of the Otter King

One of the stranger Eilean Donan Castle legends surrounds the Otter King. This island was their traditional burial place but they were not the friendly, playful characters you might expect. These sleekit, little creatures of folklore were much more dangerous and you’re unlikely to survive an encounter.

If you managed to sneak up on the Otter King and capture it then he would grant you a wish in return for freedom. If you found the one weak spot under their chin then they could be killed. Their silver and white skin rendered the wearer invulnerable to both fighting and drowning.

If you see a little splash in the water and a flash of bright silver, that might not be a fish.

If you want to delve into more Scottish castles with folklore then how about the Caves of Culzean Castle?

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