A restless cemetery: Greyfriars Kirkyard

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all saints day, burial, cemetery, church, churchyard, covenanters, edinburgh, ghost, greyfriars kirkyard, halloween, kirkyard, mackenzie poltergeist, poltergeist, prison, scotland

Coming from a country of Catholic tradition, the 1st November has always had a transcendent significance for me. All Saints’ Day is the feast of the departed ones, and thus, cemeteries are full of flowers, and people visit the graveyards of the loved ones who are no longer with them.

Last week, I wrote about haunted pubs in Edinburgh, and there is also a post about Burke and Hare, and the resurrectionists of the nineteenth century, who stole corpses from the cemeteries in order to sell them to unscrupulous scientists. I think All Saints’ Day, with its sacred connotations after Halloween, might be the perfect occasion to talk about what has been dubbed as “the scariest place on Earth” thanks to its paranormal activity: Greyfriars Kirkyard, in Edinburgh.

When the visitor enters here for the first time, Greyfriars Kirkyard seems like another cemetery that looks like a park thanks to the grass that covers the tombstones -a city for the dead that is enclosed and surrounded by the city of the living. In Mediterranean countries, cemeteries tend to be far from the city centre, and they’re all cement, cypresses and garlands. In the UK, however, graveyards are part of the urban landscape, and a perfect place to go for a walk.

As a matter of fact, the Comission for Architecture and Built Environment states that:

“It is often argued that the Victorian cemetery was part of the wider public park family, with many being designed and laid out by established park designers. As well as functioning as burial sites, they were also regarded as places for visiting and promenading of a more dignified and morally uplifting kind. The nineteenth-century legislation that provided for new burial grounds seemed to have envisaged that they would in due course become public open spaces“.

Greyfriars Kirkyard, as I said, looks like one of these peaceful lawn cemeteries, and it probably was until 1998. It takes its name from the Franciscan friary that built a church there. The word “kirkyard” derives from “kirk”, which means church in Scots. Founded in 1561, the churchyards is sadly known for the history of the Covenanters. Nowadays, we can find a sign at the entrance that commemorates the death of those imprisoned by fearsome advocate Mackenzie.

Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh, aka Bluidy Mackenzie, was a Scottish lawyer and Lord Advocate, who imprisoned 400 Covenanters in 1679, many of whom died before being condemned to execution, due to the terrible conditions in which they were held.

Sir George Mackenzie, by Godfrey Kneller. Copyright: National Library of Scotland.

But who were the Covenanters? They were members of a Scottish Presbyterian movement, who took their name from the Covenant made in the Bible between God and the Israelites. They signed the National Covenant in 1638, a document that affirmed their opposition to the interference by the Stuart kings in the affairs of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

After King Charles I introduced the Book of Common Prayer, much to the dissatisfaction of the Scottish population, a time of repression and executions ensued, which meant that opposition to the new lithurgy would be considered treason against the Crown itself.

Covenanters were forced to leave their parishes and preach at ‘conventicles’, facing the possibility of being executed if they were discovered. After the Battle of Bothwell Bridge, 400 Covenanters were imprisoned in Greyfriars Churchyard, facing the winter cold and barely eating four onces of bread per day. Many died in these five months of starvation and illness, and the others were executed.

Interestingly enough, Mackenzie himself was buried at this cemetery.

The Mackenzie Mausoleum, Jonathan Oldenbuck

In 1998, a homeless man broke into the Mackenzie Mausoleum, trying to find shelter from a stormy night. After finding four wooden coffins, he began to smash one of them, and fell through a hole that suddenly opened under his feet. Apparently, he found himself in a pit which had been used to dump illegaly those who died of the plague. The tramp fled in terror, and told the story to a nearby security guard.

It could have all been the testimony of an alcoholic and terrified man, but some time after two women claimed they had been attacked by an unknown force next to the mausoleum -one of them had her neck ringed with bruises, as if someone had tried to strangle her.

The Edinburgh City Council decided to close the mausoleum, until Jan-Andrew Henderson asked to council for permission to do some tours there. Since then, there has been at least 450 documented attacks, and 180 people have lost consciousness, with many others feeling nausea, numbness and cold spots. Some of them have even reported finding bruises, scratches and burns the next day after doing the tour, with no explanation at all, and a few ones had their fingers broken while being inside the mausoleum.

Besides the terrible effects the mausoleum seems to have on many people, owners of four houses that border the graveyard have reported poltergeist phenomena, and a big fire swept through Jan-Andrew’s home and the Black Hart Entertainment Offices in 2003.

Despite this amount of frightening phenomena, the number of people who want to visit Mackenzie’s Black Mausoleum and the Covenanters Prison grows every year.

As for myself, curiosity cannot counteract fear, and all I can think about, when I am wandering through this beautiful graveyard, so full of sadness and terror, is the last sentence of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, which seems to be very fitting for the place:

“I lingered round them […] and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth“.

Bibliography:

Cemeteries, Churhyards and Burial Grounds, A Briefing. CABE. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110118095356/http:/www.cabe.org.uk/files/cemeteries-churchyards-and-burial-grounds.pdf

Unexplained Mysteries: The Mackenzie Poltergeist: http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/column.php?id=220743

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The hunt of the unicorn

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edinburgh, history, horn, maiden, mythical beast, mythology, national animal, nature, scotland, symbology, symbols, unicorn

The other day I went into a hunting frenzy -but worry not, no animal was hurt in the process. I was just trying to capture a very elusive beast on camera, and I happened to achieve a great success, for there are lots of them inhabiting Edinburgh: the unicorn.

If we think about it for a moment, we can consider that a city is a domesticated forest of stone, bricks and glass, with its own ecosystem and strange creatures hiding in every corner. After walking through Roslin Glen and discovering its mystical beauty, this time I decided to go to the capital in search of the national animal of Scotland. You won’t see this mythical beast wandering through the woods, but you will certainly find it in all sorts of heraldic paraphernalia in the city.

For centuries, this mythological beast has captivated the imagination of people. Although similar to a horse, the unicorn was coveted by kings, since its horn was said to counteract poisons. According to the legend, there were two ways of hunting a unicorn. In the first one, the hunter stepped in front of the beast, with a tree behind him -when the animal tried to charge against him, he would move, and thus the unicorn would find itself trapped with its horn deep into the wood. The other way was to lure the unicorn with a maiden, since innocence was desarming for this beast -the animal would place the head on her lap and fall aslep.

How did an imaginary beast become the national animal of Scotland? The unicorn represented virility, beauty, power, purity and, above all, freedom. It has appeared in heraldic representations since the 12th century, when it was used on an early form of the Scottish Coat of Arms by William I.

The unicorn bears a crown on its head and is always in chains. Some say that these chains are meant to restrain it, since it was a dangerous wild beast, while others claim that they are a symbol of the House of Stuart’s power -they reigned over Scotland, and therefore, they had tamed the unicorn. Their motto, Nemo me impune lacessit (“No one can harm me with impunity”) appears frequently with the image of the unicorn.

Today, the Scottish Royal Coat of Arms has a unicorn on the left side, and a lion on the right side, whereas the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom has them the other way round.

The enmity between the lion and the unicorn (representing England and Scotland, respectively), is recorded in a nursery rhyme:

«The lion and the unicorn
were fighting for the crown.
The lion beat the unicorn
all around the town.

Some gave them white bread,
and some gave them brown;
some gave them plum cake
and drummed them out of town».

J. Tenniel,  illustration for Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There”. 1871

Of course, we can find a golden unicorn next to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, depicted on the gate of The Queen’s Gallery.

If we walk up the Royal Mile towards the castle, we can find another one on top of the Mercat Cross. This time, the unicorn is holding the Flag of Scotland.

And finally, although there are lots of them in the city, we can find this majestic creature protecting The Meadows, such a beautiful place full of tall trees for an animal like this. After all, nature always finds its ways into the city.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Scotsman, Scottish fact of the week: Scotland’s official animal, the Unicorn: http://bit.ly/1aY2cLK

I. Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), pp. 442-3.

Roslin Glen Country Park: a bridge to the unexpected

Tags

forest, green man, midlothian, nature, neopagan, pagan, roslin, roslin glen, wiccan

What is a bridge? It is an artificial structure that leads us from one shore to another, helping us overcome some kind of obstacle. There are physical and metaphorical bridges; today I am going to write about both of them.

River Esk flows through Midlothian, and offers a spectacular sight at Roslin Glen Country Park, in Roslin, not far from Rosslyn Chapel. There, we can be astonished not only by the works of man, but by its inspirer, nature itself. There are some physical bridges in Roslin Glen to cross over the river among the lush vegetation and the murmuring stream. But there are others as well, in the guise of symbols carved in stone, which make us take a leap of imagination and reach the land where mysteries lay, as treasures for the deserving hero.

Roslin Castle. Before daring to step a foot into the forest, the visitor can contemplate this old fortress, located on the north bank of Esk River. Its evocative ruins may remind us of Alan Lee’s romantic watercolours, but this is a very solid building with lots of History behind. There was a castle there in the 14th century, which belonged to the Sinclair family, although this one is a reconstruction from the 16th century, which has been partially habitable ever since. Nowadays, it is a holiday accommodation.

While I was going around the castle to admire its walls and battlements, I accidentally stumbled upon a scene that suggested some kind of neopagan ritual, perhaps related to Wiccan magic. Judging by the freshness of the roses displayed there, one could tell it had been recently performed. This is the perfect example of how the work of man and nature meet through symbolism. I could not think of a better place to find the remains of a ritual.

The Face in Lover’s Leap. Once we abandon the security of the castle, we find ourselves surrounded by ancient trees, deciding which way to take. There are several paths with interesting routes. If we choose the one that descends to the river, we can find a pulpit-like rock formation with lots of names carved on its surface: Lover’s Leap. Which is interesting, however, lays close to the ground. If we go around Lover’s Leap we can find a strange face carved there among the moss, another symbol that demands interpretation. Some say it is a green man, like the ones that embellish Rosslyn Chapel, while others suggest it might be the representation of an ape. Either way, I think it suits the luxuriant forest that encircles the rock.

Wallace’s Cave. Once we find the river, the path becomes narrower and a little bit dangerous, but if the visitor is feeling adventurous, they can discover the beauty of the landscape next to the stream. Perhaps the most interesting sight here is Wallace’s Cave (or Hawthornden Castle Cave), which takes its name from the national hero (“Braveheart”) who participated in the Battle of Roslin (1303), that took place near the cave.

Roslin Glen Country Park Bridge. If we turn back to the castle, we can take another path towards one of the bridges over the River Esk, and just enjoy the wonders of nature.

But be careful, or you might just stumble upon a troll! Or is it just our imagination playing tricks…? Anyways, we cannot deny that Roslin Glen is a magical place.

Rosslyn Chapel: a Bible in stone full of little green men

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chapel, church, green man, heart of midlothian, literature, pagan, roslin, rosslyn chapel

                                                                           «He builded better than he knew:-

                                                                                         the conscious stone to beauty grew.»

                                                                                                        R.W. Emerson, The Problem

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Midlothian has many hearts. One of them is the pattern that can be seen next to the High Kirk in Edinburgh, of which I talked last week along with the infamous story behind its lovely shape. There is another one, though, carved in stone, whose beauty still astonishes the visitors, and that has been made famous around the world thanks to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code: the Rosslyn Chapel.

At first, one may feel unimpressed when visiting Roslin, a village located only 7 miles to the South of Edinburgh. But this town is only the beginning of a journey toward a mysterious place that makes every heart race with emotions, from suspense to amazement, at the sight of this gothic gem, located in the midst of the forest.

Me at Rosslyn Chapel.

Rosslyn Chapel (or the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, strictly speaking) was founded in 1446 by William Sinclair, 1st Earl Of Caithness. The original purpose of this church was to celebrate the Divine Office throughout the day and night for the deceased people, specially those from the powerful Sinclair family.

The Sinclairs are a Highlands Scottish clan of Norman origins: they originally came from St Clare, in Normandy. In 1068 they got the Barony of Roslin. Nowadays, Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Roslin, owns the chapel.

The chapel was ruined and abandoned in 1592. By the nineteenth century, the stained glasses were completely shattered. Rain poured from the outside and caused a high level of humidity, thus cloaking the church with centuries-old green moss. This singular vision sparkled the interest of painters and poets of the Romantic era. Wordsworth had to find shelter from a storm there, and immortalized the chapel in the poem Composed at Roslin Chapel during a Storm.

We must thank Queen Victoria for her decision in restoring the chapel, as she considered it to be a national treasure, so now we can admire it with all its old splendour.

But, besides historical facts, what makes the Rosslyn Chapel so special? Its carved stones. In the Middle Ages, most people were illiterate, so it was necessary to find a way to educate them in Christian teachings. Thus, churches were designed as “Bibles in stone”, and therefore filled with images of saints, the Holy Family, the Seven Mortal Sins and moral lessons about lust and anger.

Rosslyn is a perfect example of this tradition, and one can see a lot of mythological animals covering the façade. But it is the interior of the chapel what takes our breaths away.

Magnificently carved in stone, we can find a Fallen Angel, a dragon, a king and even a Danse Macabre scene that reminds us that, even if we can create such beatiful buildings, we are all going to die one day.

One of the most captivating sights is the Apprentice Pillar. The legend says it was carved by a young mason, after being inspired by a dream. His master, who had to travel in order to learn how to create it, became enraged when he saw what is apprentice had accomplished by himself. In a fit of jealousy, he killed the young mason with his mallet.

At the bottom of this pillar we can see several Ouroboros, serpents who eat its own tail and that represent the idea of eternal return.

Green Man, Johanne McInnis.

But, among all this Christian symbols and teachings, we find an enigmatic figure. Who is this character, represented by a face surrounded by leaves, that has been carved no less that 120 times in Rosslyn Chapel? It is known as the Green Man, a pagan symbol of fertility and rebirth.

These faces are not the only green men we can find in Roslin. There are also testimonies of UFO sightings at Roslin Glen, a wooded glen located near the chapel.

Copyright: The Rosslyn Templars. http://www.rosslyntemplars.co.uk

Another amazing story is related to the maize corn that is supposedly carved inside Rosslyn Chapel. Given the fact that Columbus reached the New World (where maize is originally from) many years after this church was constructed, many scholars have proposed a curious theory about it. Since the chiefs of the Sinclair family were also Earls of Orkney, their members could have had the key to travel to America as the Vikings did, many centuries ago. Interestigly enough, the Earls of Orkney were subjects to the Kings of Norway.

And last but not least, we cannot forget Dan Brown´s The Da Vinci Code. Rosslyn Chapel was the place where the Holy Grail was hidden. Needless to say, the book became a bestseller and increased the number of tourists who came to the church in search of this mythical object.

Perhaps in the old days, although illiterate, people knew how to read all the stones and were able to unveil the mystery that surrounds Rosslyn Chapel. As for myself, a humble visitor, I can only gaze at this monument with wonder, in the hope that one day we can finally understand the secret of the carved figures.

Meanwhile, we have to let William, the guardian cat who lives there, deal with these little green men.

The Heart of Midlothian

Tags

edinburgh, executions, gallows, ghost, heart, heart of midlothian, jeanie deans, literature, midlothian, old tolbooth, prison, royal mile, walter scott

When I arrived in Edinburgh, one of the first things that inevitably caught my eye was the strange heart-shaped pattern that can be found next to the High Kirk, at the Royal Mile. Given the fact that it has such a lovely shape, I thought it could be a symbol of love and hospitality. Besides, I was told that, if a foreigner spits inside the heart, they will come back to this beautiful city in a future, and that those who are careless enough to step on it when walking are doomed to never find true love.

How sweet, I said to myself, in utter, blissful ignorance. And I am pretty sure that all the tourists have the same thing in mind when they find this pattern, while strolling through the Royal Mile.

After living here for almost three months, I have learned that Edinburgh is, above all, an enchanted city. There are ghost legends almost everywhere, and lost souls bewitch cemeteries, pubs, castles and old houses. Scottish people seem to be very keen on these stories.

But, why so many tales about ghosts? Well, it probably has something to do with the bloody past of Edinburgh, the other side of the coin, the one we cannot see nowadays, but which shaped the city and gave it part of its character.

Which brings us again to the Heart of Midlothian, the pattern located next to the High Kirk.

Old Tolbooth Prison. Lithograph by W. and A.K. Johnston, 1852.

Where now we see a touristic spot, Old Tolbooth Prison used to stand in ancient times, casting a shadow over High Street with its menacing silhouette for over 400 years. Built in the 14th century and demolished in 1817, Old Tolbooth Prison was infamously known for the gruesome conditions in which its inmates used to be held. Judicial torture was routinately carried out there, and the body parts of the executed prisoners were displayed on pikes atop the building, as a warning sign aimed at criminals.

Sir Walter Scott would publish an account of this terrible situation in his book The Heart of Midlothian, just one year after the demolition. In it, he tells the story of Jeanie Deans, who goes to London in search of a royal pardon for her sister, Effie, accused of infanticide and held within Old Tolbooth Prison until her execution.

Old Tolbooth prison had its own gallows, in the same place where now we can find this charming heart. It is said that people who came to see the public executions that took place there used to spit under the gallows as a sign of contempt either for the judicial system or for the condemned person.

I am sure you can see the conection now and understand why I chose this Heart of Midlothian to write my first entry of this blog. Still, no ghost has claimed this particular spot as far as we know. But I think that such a place of suffering must have left some kind of mark where the heart lies now -and one with a very different shape.