Scottish Folklore is an all encompassing term for all folklore deriving from the people of Scotland. Scotland is home to many mythical myths that have inspired writers, singers, poets, and artists for many centuries. A lot of Scottish tales consist of magic, ghosts, and witches. Women depicted in Scottish folklore are mostly depicted as magical creatures wanting to gain something. They are told as beings able to shape shift, such as Selkies who are magical female creatures that can change from seals to a human woman. Women were big parts of the storytelling, always the object of desire and fear by men and creatures of longing.
Most of the time women were viewed as dames, viewed as sorceresses, or magical creatures such as Selkies. A lot of the time, stories about female characters, the story is about female transgression but also about the freedom of spirit. There is a sense of transformation or metamorphosis with the females causing both fear and desire from the other beings in the stories. The supernatural feminine puts men in the position of victim or in the position of beneficiaries at the expense of its power. There is a cycle that the feminine power gets trapped in, they always want something whether it’s a child or love. There is a notion that they are driven by emotion, even though they are mythical and are quick to lash out when they don’t get what they want. For example in the story of Grainneis, she fell in love with the warrior, and that was a standard plot line for many female characters. When the warrior refused to run away with her, she threatened him so he would go. A lot of the time in the folklore women were still at the mercy of the patriarchy and that men were always seen as victims of the women's sins or transgressions. Even though the women had power, they were still powerless to the fates they meet in these stories. Most of the time it results in death.
Medb Is a known figure in Scottish mythology. She is a known Warrior Queen also famous in Irish Mythology as well. She is a sovereignty goddess, coming into power through marrying a king and representing the land. She was known to be among other stories, she appears in the Tain bo Fraich, “The Cattle-spoil of Fraoch”5 which was popular in Scotland. She was described as fair haired and that men were robbed of two-thirds of their valor upon seeing her.
Deidre was another prominante figure in Celtic Folklore. She is a tragic figure known in Irish and Scottish folklore. She is know in the story, of Deirdre and Naisi. It was prophesized that her beauty would bring banishment and death to heroes. King Conchubar of Ulster wanted to marry her, but she fell in love with Naisi, son of Usnach, who with his brothers carried her off to Scotland. Then they were lured back to Ireland by the King where Naisi and his brothers were slain. Deidre then took her own life out of grief and sorrow.
Grainneis is a shared figure in Scottish and Irish folklore. She was know as the most beautiful woman Ireland and was promised to King Fionn to be his wife. She instead falls in love with Fionn's warrior, Diarmuid. She convinces Diamund to run away with her when she threatens him with a geis. Diamund is later killed by a boar. The place where he is killed is Scotland which is how the story carried over the that country and became one of it's folktales.
