Why Is Thistle The Emblem, Interesting article I found

[barddas]

Why is thistle the emblem
of Scotland?
By Chelsie Vandaveer

March 4, 2003

Autumn, 1263. The Vikings tenuously ruled the islands off the Scottish coast. King Haakon IV had a fleet of Viking longboats off the coast of Largs. No one is certain whether Haakon the Elder intended simply a show of power by raiding villages or a full scale invasion of Scotland. The power was with the sea; a tremendous storm drove many of his longboats ashore.

Scottish King Alexander III was tired of the years of Viking raids. He manned the castles along the western coast with soldiers. Guards kept watch for the Viking invasion. Some claim the Vikings went ashore only to retrieve the longboats, others say the Vikings intended to conquer Scotland.

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The Vikings came ashore, quietly, barefoot, and in the dark of the night. Legend says a plant alerted the Scottish defenders. The Battle of Largs drove the Vikings from Scotland, Haakon died returning to Norway, a treaty returned the Hebrides to Scottish rule, and a marriage contract wedded Scotland and Norway.

In 1290, a seven-year-old princess boarded a ship bound for Scotland. Her mother, the Scottish Princess Margaret, was dead; her father, King Erik ruled Norway. Her destiny--consolidate Norse and Scottish relations as Queen of Scotland. But English King Edward intended another destiny for the little princess--immediate marriage to his son. Edward would finally rule over the Scots!

The little girl died of a mysterious fever as the ship sailed through the Orkney Islands.

With the death of little Princess Margareta Eriksdaughter, 'Maid of Norway', Scotland became entangled in wars for independence. English King Edward sent troops to Scotland backing John Balliol, a man Edward knew he could control. In 1314, Robert the Bruce of Celtic and Norman descent soundly defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn.

Freedom-fighter Robert ruled Scotland until his death in 1329. Scotland remained independent of England until King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England in 1603. Scotland adopted that plant that so many years before had announced the Viking invasion.

On that dark night in 1263, legend says the barefoot Vikings stepped on Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium Linnaeus) and cried out in pain for all Scotsmen to hear.




The Connecticut Botanical Society has a great close-up photograph taken by Arieh Tal of Scottish thistle showing the vicious spines. To view the close-up, click on the link:

http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galler...pordumacan.html

The Royal Stuarts have a page showing the emblem of the Knights of St. Andrew or the Order of the Thistle. To view the emblem, click on the link:

http://www.royal-stuarts.org/knighthood.htm

[tartangal]

Shameful as it is, I was unaware of the link of the thistle to the Viking invasion.
I had always been told as a child that the English tried to creep up on the Scots forces ,led by Robert the Bruce, at the Battle of Bannockburn but were exposed by their yelps when they crossed a field of thistles and trod on them.

[Aon_Daonna]

I would say both is possible =)
One of those things is growing in our garden and it looks quite vicious.. I wouldn't want to step on one of them barefeet!

[Faileas]

Agreed , Aon, I saw a 2 exemplaries of that specieas today on my walk up and across the Quirang!

Thanks for the interesting article, barddas!

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Hey Bardo... that's the story that I had always known. I had also been told that they were so cut-up that many died on the voyage home, from disease and nothing but salt-water to cleanse the wounds. (OUCH!)

I had also heard the Bannockburn story, but it was quickly refuted when it was realized that the battle was more of a Scottish rebellion than an English aggression, the battle was carried-out during the early morning (well-lit) hours, and the majority of the English forces arrived on horseback. As a guy with a family lineage in-tow that has generations of males named Robert Bruce... it was an interest of mine! The Scottish Historical and Antiquities Society has been a fantastic source of information and support in many of my historical inquiries!

I would also imagine that there will be a few ignats out there who will pass the "new" story that Scotland uses the Thistle because it's what that little girl gave to William Wallace at his father and brother's burial. When Mel Gibson carried it for years, Scotland was stoked. So they put it on the flag.

[free2Bme]

Here is what one Scottish American woman did with her souvenier Thistle that she brought back from Scotland with her....

She lives in an older section of Downtown Paducah, KY that is undergoing some upscale beautification projects. Her two-story Victorian home is on the National Historical Register of Homes, and has been nicely maintained for almost 150 years. The street that she lives on was once a cobble stone boulevard, which over the years was paved and a grass covered median was installed. So the City Beautification Board went all out and decided that there should be some trees planted on the median. In order to do this, they dug up the median, and destroyed the grass, and just left these bare mud mounds in the middle with several well spaced "stick saplings" growing out of it. Then the Beautification Board ran out of money to complete the project! So they told all of the homeowners if they didn't like the median as it was, it was going to be up to them to plant flowers and grass back on the median. And they left it at that....

So my Scottish American friend, being more than slightly upset by their uppity attitude couldn't decide what to plant on the big muddy mound in front of her home. That was when she thought of a way to "get back" at the beautification board - you guessed it - she planted the whole mound with thistle! Now I don't know that much about plants, but apparently thistle really likes the Kentucky soil and climate, because now, several years later, there is Scottish Thistle growing all up and down the street - in places where it wasn't planted, it just came up on its own!

Whenever the city workers have to come and do anything to the medians or read the meters now, they are out there just cussing up a storm about the @#$#@!@#!!!! thistle, and my friend just sits on her porch and enjoys the whole thing!

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Freebie... that's a GREAT story!!!!!

It gives me the inspiration to "show my appreciation for the Scottish" in a few choice places!

[barddas]

Now that is A great story !! Thanks for sharing it!

[Shadows]

I had always thought it was because the Thistle could grow and propogate in the rugged Highlands, jest like the Scotts.