The Moorfoot Tales: Lost Myths from Scotland: Celtic Myths and Legends

The selkies, faeries and kelpies of Scottish myth and legend are well known. But what hidden stories lie undiscovered in the lesser-known areas of this beautiful green country?

Moorfoot is a mysterious rural area of Midlothian in the Scottish Lowlands. Unknown to many, for centuries it has kept its myths, legends and folklore to itself. But secrets are lurking within the ancient ruins and flowing waters of Moorfoot, and finally, someone is telling them.

Stephen McCabe is a local storyteller and nature therapist. He has been wandering the hills of Moorfoot and reading ancient texts like a folklore detective. The result is a collection of folktales based on myths and legends that some locals told him probably wouldn’t exist. Above all, he has written a book entwined with a deep love and respect for nature. Even within the darkest tales, the beauty of our Earth Mother is ever-present.

Welcome to the magical land of Moorfoot: a land of psychic trees, witches and faery stones, shared through the dream-like visions of a persecuted woman, accused of witchcraft.

'The Moorfoot Tales is an enchanting book. It goes far beyond most folklore collections by threading together longer tales, short snippets and original prose to make something altogether new, taking us into the past and back to the present day. Stephen McCabe has the knack of writing with an oral storyteller’s rhythms while including enough detail and imagery to successfully transfer these stories to the page. Recommended.' – Daniel Allison, USA Today bestselling author of 'Scottish Myths & Legends'

'Stephen McCabe’s work on the placenames of Moorfoot and the seasonal turnings of Midlothian’s wild countryside and rural communities breathes fresh air into the borderlands of history and folktale. The Moorfoot Tales is narrated by ‘Wise Crow’ who observes without judgement the living story and the cyclical, seasonal reincarnation of Margaret Unes, persecuted as a witch in 1628; one of four thousand men and women tortured and executed in the Lothians in 17th century Scotland. Thanks, Stephen McCabe, for your admirably researched and respectfully acknowledged, contemporary storytelling.' – Dr. Linda Williamson, Editor, Folklorist and Storyteller

'Here, Stephen McCabe brings us the story and myth of his own locality in the Scottish Lowlands, drawing on his skills as a researcher, ecotherapist and weaver of tales. A delightful ensemble of imagery and character, this book is beautifully written. Words seem to read themselves, dancing off the page with the energy of a hill stream and carrying the reader into the magical in-between space of folklore, legend and the imagination.' – Caroline Brazier, author of 'Acorns Among the Grass: Adventures in Eco-Therapy'