Thomas the Rhymer
is Scotland 's answer to Nostradamus.
Thomas the Rhymer,
or Thomas Learmont, was a 13th century poet and seer who
lived in Erceldoune, a part of Berwickshire now known
as Earlstoun.
Legend has it
that whilst out walking the Eildon Hills, Thomas fell
asleep for what seemed to him like a few minutes but was
in fact three years.
During this time,
he was spirited away by the enchantingly beautiful Queen
of Elfland to be her lover.
He must have
been a pretty good shag because the elf queen in her gratitude
gave him the gift of prophesy, releasing him back into
the mortal world on the strict understanding that he would
return immediately on her summons.
Sounds suspiciously
to us as if Thomas found a particularly potent batch of
magic mushrooms for his lunch on the hillside, but nevertheless
Thomas went on to use his elf-given powers by prophesying
several significant events in Scotland 's history.
These included:
- The death
of King Alexander III in 1296
- The succession
of Robert the Bruce to the throne
- The disastrous
Scots defeat at Flodden in 1513
- The defeat
of Mary Queen of Scots ' forces at the Battle of Pinkie
in 1567
- The Union
of the Crowns in 1603
1603 was also
the year in which his prophesies were first collected
together and published in print. Belief in his predictions
was so enduring that they were even consulted before the
Jacobite uprisings of 1715 and 1745.
His story is
told in the ballad of "Thomas the Rhymer " which Sir Walter
Scott included in his collection "Minstrelsy of the Scottish
Border ".
Thomas himself
is also believed to have been the author of "Sir Tristrem
", edited by Scott and reputedly the oldest known piece
of Scots poetry.
So, did the Queen
of the Elves ever summon Thomas back for a further bit
of rumpy-pumpy? It would seem so.
He disappeared
one day after walking out of his towerhouse and was never
seen again. According to legend, he will return again
to come to Scotland 's aid in the hour of her greatest
need.
With the 2002
World Cup Finals looming large on the horizon, now 's
as good a time as any, Tommy boy, so put the elf babe
down and get your pants on.
