Published October 10, 2023

fAIrytales – Trolls of Scotland

In the annals of Scotland’s history, one dark chapter remains shrouded in the deepest of secrecy, an untold tale of genocide among the violent and unjust Highland Clearances that altered the course of both human and mythical creatures alike. Hidden in the mists of time lies the tragic story of the Scottish troll-folk.
As the Highland Clearances swept across Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries, countless families were forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands to make way for sheep farming and more profitable enterprises. While this dark period in Scottish history is well-documented, one facet of it has been largely forgotten – the discovery, internment and eventual extinction of the rare Scottish troll.
The oral stories of our ancestors tell us that trolls had always lived among the people of rural Scotland. Like all their Fae kin, trolls had existed peacefully in Scotland long before the arrival of the human. Living in the mountains and valleys of the upper highlands. As the Pictish, Celtic and eventually Scottish civilisations developed and thrived, stories of these shy and gentle giants were common place. There were of course the occasional disagreement, and even one documented battle between a crofter and a grumpy troll, but for the most part trolls, known for their physical strength, lack of wit and seemingly endless hunger lived peacefully among the people of Scotland. Trading their crafts and providing labour for food.
It is also said that certain trolls could command elements of nature. One such tale tells of an old troll by the name of Cùl Uaine who thumped his great hands into the earth and brought to life an entire failed crop enough to feed a starving town for a year, while another tells of a young (by human standards) troll named Cridhe Creige who created a stone bridge from his own body so a group of Highlanders could escape the English soldiers, then toppled himself into the deep gorge as the soldiers crossed his back in pursuit. The trolls of Scotland were often described in the Gaelic tongue as ‘feadhainn mall, caoimhneil’ or ‘slow, kind ones’.

As the English forces moved North through the highlands they would come to discover these creatures hiding in the remote hills. Despite their ancient history, peaceful nature and overt kindness they were believed to be dangerous and were either hunted and killed, or interned. The troll pits of the lower highlands, long filled and covered over remain a scar on our cultural landscape. Eventually, those who could be ‘tamed’ were moved to Edinburgh to support the growing industrialised city, their existence reduced to one of servitude and slavery. They shrank in their stature, their bodies emaciated from hard labour and little food. Their forest and mountain furs replaced by cheap dirty rags.

For decades, the trolls toiled in the shadows, working tirelessly in the harsh conditions of the labor camps and factories. They were subjected to gruelling hours, meagre rations, and abysmal living conditions. Their tragic plight went largely unnoticed by the human population, who now regarded them as nothing more than dangerous creatures.
But in 1925, tired, starving and living in squalor, the trolls decided they had endured enough. Led by a rebellious young troll named Làmhan Làidir (Strong Hands), the trolls of Edinburgh broke from their ghetto confines and marched on Holyrood Palace, seeking an act of Troll Rights; better working conditions, more food, freedom to travel to their homelands. The protests quickly escalated into a confrontation with the police, leading to what is now known as the ‘Oidhche na Drochaide Loisgte, or ‘Night of the Burning Bridge’.

March of the Trolls – Edinburgh, Scotland – 1925

For ten tumultuous days, trolls clashed with law enforcement in the heart of Edinburgh. The streets ran red with blood as both sides suffered casualties. Many hundreds trolls were killed, and the once-secret world of these mythical beings was thrust into the public eye. Eventually the trolls were cornered and amassed on a large wooden bridge overlooking the cowgate, to which the city police set fire at both ends. Many of the trolls died in the fires or by hurling themselves off the sides and into the cobbled streets below. Those who made it through the flames, or survived the fall were beaten to death.

Burning Bridge Riots – Edinburgh, Scotland – 1925

For ten tumultuous days, trolls clashed with law enforcement in the heart of Edinburgh. The streets ran red with blood as both sides suffered casualties. Many hundreds trolls were killed, and the once-secret world of these mythical beings was thrust into the public eye. Eventually the trolls were cornered and amassed on a large wooden bridge overlooking the cowgate, to which the city police set fire at both ends. Many of the trolls died in the fires or by hurling themselves off the sides and into the cobbled streets below. Those who made it through the flames, or survived the fall were beaten to death.

With the help of a human network known as ‘Fir Fae’ or ‘Men of Fae’ (though ironically this movement was largely led and orchestrated by women), a scattered few of the city’s trolls went into hiding throughout Edinburgh, evading capture for as long as they could. But their hiding was short-lived. A relentless hunt ensued, conducted by a special unit of militarised police and the clergy combined known as ‘Fae Finem’ or ‘Fae’s End’, and on the fateful day of November 29, 1927, Làmhan Làidir, Scotland’s last troll was captured and killed, and his body hung by a chain on Leith Walk. With the death of this ancient creature, the chapter of trolls in Scotland’s history was firmly closed.

Today, this shameful story of the forgotten trolls serves the few who know it on both sides as a sombre reminder of a time when fear and prejudice led to the oppression of mythical beings who were as much, if not more a part of Scotland’s heritage as its human inhabitants. The Burning Bridge stands as a testament to the troll’s struggle for recognition and justice, a reminder of a dark period in Scotland’s past that should never be forgotten.

Stephen Reid