Folklore of the Scottish Highlands

Folklore of the Scottish Highlands examines the beliefs and customs of Scottish Gaelic society, from seasonal practices associated with Celtic festivals to rituals surrounding birth and death. Anne Ross also considers omens and taboos, traditions of seers and second sight, and accounts of witchcraft and the Evil Eye.

Music and oral tradition are central to the book, particularly the waulking songs once sung by Hebridean women while shrinking tweed cloth by hand. These songs preserve ballads, clan lore, tales of heroism, and encounters with monsters, both human and supernatural. Ross combines material gathered through her experience in Highland crofting communities with earlier published records, presenting folklore as part of everyday social and cultural life.