Here’s something I came across recently – proof that the association between the Highlands of Scotland and the supernatural has become so embedded that it’s open to parody:
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Kirsty MacDonald has written 5 articles on The Gothic Imagination.
I'm a lecturer in the Department of Cultural Studies, UHI Millennium Institute. I teach on the BA (Hons) Culture Studies and the Masters in Highlands and Islands Literature. My main research interests lie in the interdisciplinary field of contemporary Scottish culture, in particular literature and film. My work focuses on representations of the Highlands and Islands in recent literature and popular culture, and on the presence of the Gothic in contemporary Scottish fiction and film. I have just been awarded a sabbatical to complete a monograph on the literature of the Highlands and Islands.
I'm based on the island of Orkney (a Gothic location indeed).
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Wow, this is great! Thanks
So when does this association start? Planche? The Vampire: Bride of the Isles perhaps. Vampires in kilts? Or earlier?
I suppose the association began in earnest with Macpherson’s Ossianic collections/fabrications, although he was really only supplying a demand that was already there. Early travel writing had already established the idea that the Highlands were operating at an earlier stage – primitive, even barbaric, definitely superstitious and possibly even supernatural.
In terms of parody and burlesque, I can’t think of an earlier example than The Vampire: Bride of the Isles. Anyone else? I’ve read that Planche had to write to fit the available costumes, hence why he transposed the story to Scotland – is this true Glennis? Nothing to do with Staffa as a natural Gothic cathedral? Was this just a lucky coincidence? Fascinating!
The story I remember was that it was supposed to be set in the Greek Isles but the producer of the play had a pile of Scottish costumes, apparently in vogue at the time, and insisted on setting it in the Highlands. But I don’t know how much of that is just hearsay. Didn’t Planche also add the proviso that the vampire had to marry the victim before he could drink her blood (ah, the wee kirk). Not surprising that didn’t catch on as a convention.
But yes, Staffa looks amazing. Would love to see that cave it is supposed to be set in.
Just a thought – even if this was coincidence/practical, it was definitely appropriate. The drinking of the loved one’s blood is a trope in Gaelic keening (a ritualised way of expressing grief). In this example from a famous Gaelic song, the wife of MacGregor of Glenstrae wishes she had drunk her husband’s blood during his execution in battle to bring them closer together:
Mór Chaimbeul, ‘Lament For MacGregor Of Glenstrae’ – 1570
“They put his head on an oaken block
and spilled his blood on the ground,
if I had had a cup there
I’d have drunk my fill down.”
Re. Staffa – you could just about get there from Stirling in a day. Day trips run from my home town of Oban during the summer months. What a versatile forum – vampirism and holiday plans!
I’m intrigued by what you have mentioned about blood, grief, kinship and closeness. I would be really interested to know any references to blood in Scottish literature you might know. Thank you very much.