Folklore - The Linton Worm

The Linton Worm does battle.

The village of Linton can be found in Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. It lies within the Cheviot Hills and is a site that has seen occupation since prehistoric times. It was once an Iron Age hillfort, and although time has greatly reduced the evidence of its defences; some of the earth ramparts are still visible.

Linton is a legend-haunted area and was, many years ago, said to be home to a terrible beast: a dragon-like monstrosity known as the Linton Worm or Wyrm. Wyrm is an Old English term for a serpent. The story of this terror, and its eventual downfall at the hands of one brave knight, was told by Sir Walter Scott in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, Volume II (1802).

It is said that the grim beast dwelt in a darkened hollow of the earth on the north-east side of Linton Hill. It was described as being “in length three Scots yards and bigger than an ordinary man’s leg – in form and colour to our common muir edders”: roughly over nine feet long.

At dusk, it would crawl from its lair and slither about the land, terrorising the countryside, devouring cattle, crops, and even unlucky night-time travellers, before vanishing back into its den before sunrise. According to the legend, a few attempts were made to kill it, but normal weapons seemed unable to penetrate the armour of its hide. Thus Linton and the surrounding lands were ravaged by the beast, and gradually the area began to fall into ruin.

Stories of the wyrm and the terror it caused eventually reached the ears of the Laird of Lariston, one John de Somerville, a knight of the realm with a reputation for reckless bravery. Such a man was drawn to the beast like iron to lodestone. He journeyed to the nearby town of Jedburgh, where he rested awhile in a local tavern and listened to the folk whisper tales of the monster, over their foaming cups of ale.

Though brave, he was a canny fellow, and decided to observe the beast before confronting it. That evening, he concealed himself in an ancient grove of trees near the creature’s lair and watched. As the sun’s rays disappeared behind the horizon, and light mists rose up from the ground, it came crawling from the earth. He observed that when it approached its prey, it opened its mouth wide to swallow the doomed victim whole.

An so, idea began to form in the knight’s mind.

The next day, he had a blacksmith craft him an iron lance, upon the end of which he fixed a lump of peat coated in tar and brimstone.

That evening, he rode back to the beast’s lair and waited. Again, as the sun dipped below the misty hillside, the creature emerged. The knight ignited the sticky mass on the end of his lance, then charged. The great wyrm opened its mouth, intent on swallowing both knight and steed, but the flaming lance was driven deep into its throat.

The writhing death-throes of the Linton Worm supposedly created the curious topography of the hills in the area, a place that became known as “Wormington”. The wounded creature retreated into the darkness of its lair to die, its thrashing tail bringing down the hillside behind it and burying it forever.

The legend states that de Somerville’s heroism was memorialised by a carved stone at Linton Kirk. He was raised to the position of Royal Falconer, knighted, and made “First Barrone of Linton” in recognition of his deed, and the family crest of the Somervilles became a wyvern.

Finally, the good folk of Linton could sleep easy in their beds.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, my friend. I do hope you enjoyed this tale of a dashing knight and his battle against a terrible predatory beast.

I have also recently released a short book for charity, Big Dawg and the Great Walkies Sweepstake. It is a mere 80 pages long and small enough to sit comfortably in a pocket or handbag. The book is a comedy/farce greatly influenced by the work of one of my favourite writers, P. G. Wodehouse, and is entirely family-friendly. All profits will go to a local charity, the Mary Stevens Hospice, whose wonderful staff supported my friend and his family at a very difficult time. I do hope you consider picking up a copy and supporting this worthwhile cause. This little book would make a wonderful Christmas stocking filler.

Link below and Blurb below..
Many thanks,
See you next week - and stay spooky

BIG DAWG - and the Great Walkies Sweepstake.

By P. A. Sheldon

Big Dawg never meant to cause chaos at Poshington Place – honestly. All he wanted was a quiet weekend, a decent breakfast, and perhaps the odd flutter on the elderly ladies’ dog-walking.

Instead, he ends up battling a scheming rival, rescuing the wrong dog, becoming engaged by accident, and relying on a disgruntled Neapolitan mastiff to save him from matrimony.

With Pedro’s terrible ideas and Millhouse’s impeccable damage control, Big Dawg stumbles through a weekend of aristocratic mayhem, canine melodrama, and romantic misfires.

A hilarious country-house caper for fans of Wodehouse, sausage rolls, and badly behaved dogs.

Sources

Wikipedia

Folklorescotland.com

Dscoverscottishborders.com