Seven Celtic Nations/Including Norse

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Comment by Lady Boru on February 9, 2013 at 4:13pm

Comment by Lady Boru on February 9, 2013 at 4:12pm

Comment by LadyHawkღ on February 7, 2013 at 2:11pm

My husbands family crest. Yup, I married into the Hastings family with much history of the early Barons, Dukes and Earls of Scotland and England. My husband is a direct decendant of (2nd) Baron John Hastings 1066. Family history was recently rewritten as it is believed the original Hastings of Scotland now goes back to the Vikings 500 years prior. As per family tradition the eldest son in the family is always (alternating) a John or James with the wife's father's first name as the middle name. My father in law was John Ogden Hastings, my husband was James Peter Hastings and my son is John Russell Hastings. The kid was estatic to find out he really was a viking with Scot blood! My daughter is named after 2nd Lord Baron John Hastings 2 sisters...Elizabeth and Anne. Too much history to go into right here but maybe some day I'll get in the discussions.

Comment by Lady Boru on February 7, 2013 at 11:40am

Comment by Lady Boru on February 7, 2013 at 11:39am

http://www.ross-ter.com/Favourites/Origins/Picts/text1.html

Comment by Lady Boru on February 7, 2013 at 11:37am

Timeline Photos

The Jacobite uprising of 1715 came to its end as the armies of James Francis Edward Stuart disbanded at Aberdeen on this day in 1716. The 'Old Pretender' James Stuart had fled to France three days earlier and it would be another thirty years before his son Charles would try to claim the throne - the man later known to history as Bonnie Prince Charlie.

James died in Rome on 1 January 1766 and is buried in the crypt at the Basilica in the Vatican. His wait for the crown - 64 years, three months and 16 days, is longer than the reign of any British monarch.

Comment by Lady Boru on February 7, 2013 at 11:34am

Some might say not a lot has changed in 800 years or so.

A 13th-century 'travel guide' for Vikings heading to Scotland warned that the natives were dangerous, the language incomprehensible and the weather awful.

The travellers' chronicles describe Scotland, or Skotland as it was known, as worth a trip, but only for those willing to risk losing their heads.
Scottish native

Unwelcome: Viking tales described the Scottish natives as 'dangerous' and their language 'incomprehensible'

A new historical study gleaned the information from stories that filtered back from travelling Vikings and were written on yellowed calf vellum eight centuries ago.

The stories paint a picture of a dangerous country but claim Orkney and Shetland offer a friendlier welcome.

'Icelanders who want to practise robbery are advised to go there,' says one saga. 'But it may cost them their life.'

Another tale tells the story of Icelandic merchants who sailed into a west coast sea loch where they met 13 ships bristling with angry natives.

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A Scot identified in the saga as Grjotgard, a kinsman of Melkolf (Malcolm II), king of Scotland, told them: 'You have two choices. You can go ashore and we will take all your property, or we'll attack you and kill every man we lay our hands on.'

The chronicles have been interpreted by Gisli Sigurdsson, a historian at Reykjavik University, who believes the sagas - part fiction, part fact - reveal how the ancient Norse were far from the fearless pirates of legend.

Sigurdsson said the tales were a warning to travellers that they would encounter a general foggy area, dangerous landings, hostile natives and language problems. They wrote that the people would probably attack you immediately.
Loch Ness

Scottish Fjords: Vikings were particularly wary of the West Coast lochs

The Norsemen became particularly nervous about sailing up the west coast sea lochs which they referred to as the 'Scottish fjords'.

The Icelandic sagas, written in the 13th century but based on earlier oral stories, were often used as route guides for raiders, traders, crusaders and explorers, effectively a road map of medieval Europe and the Middle East.

They have proved remarkably accurate, even helping archaeologists to pinpoint the remains of a Norse village in Newfoundland.

Orkney is described as a handy base camp for pillaging Scotland. But the Norse had other bases too, some of which would feature high up in a modern guide for tourists.

If you are planning to raid Scotland, one saga reads, you could do worse than base yourself in Fort Skardaborg. That's today's Scarborough.

Comment by Lady Boru on February 7, 2013 at 11:31am

Comment by Lady Boru on February 7, 2013 at 11:31am

Thank you Sharikee--I love the picture!

Comment by Lady Boru on February 6, 2013 at 4:31pm

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