Old Scottish fairy tales & short stories about animals
Old fairy tales from Scottish folklore literally feature a lot of fairies. And animals.
Read on for some of the best short stories from the most northern part of the British Isles.
Published: 1st Feb 2025
Author: Mythfolks
How the Wolf Lost His Tail
One day, a wolf and a fox stole a dish of crowdie (a type of porridge). The wolf, being the larger and more fearsome of the two, ate most of it, leaving only a small bit at the bottom of the dish for the fox. The fox, afraid to challenge the wolf, said nothing but decided to get revenge.
The next night, as they walked together, the fox sniffed the air and said, “I smell a delicious cheese!” He pointed to a reflection of the moon on a frozen pond and added, “There it is, right on the ice.”
“How will I get it?” asked the wolf.
“Easy,” replied the fox. “Lay your tail on the ice and hold it steady. If you keep it there long enough, it will stick, and you can pull the cheese out. I’ll go see if the farmer is asleep so we don’t get caught.”
The wolf, eager for the prize, laid his tail on the ice and kept it there as instructed. Meanwhile, the fox ran off to the farmer and his wife, shouting, “The wolf is here! He’ll eat your children!” The farmer and his wife rushed out with sticks to drive the wolf away.
The wolf, panicked, tried to flee but found his tail frozen solid to the ice. With the farmer and his wife closing in, he pulled with all his might, leaving his tail behind to save himself.
From that day on, the wolf has been stumpy-tailed, while the sly fox kept his long, bushy tail.
The Fox Outwitted
One day, a fox caught a plump goose by the side of a loch. Holding her by the wing and mocking her fearful cackling, he said, “Now, if you had me in your mouth as I have you, tell me what you would do.”
The goose, trying to think quickly, replied, “That’s an easy question. I would fold my hands, shut my eyes, say a grace, and then eat you.”
“Just what I mean to do,” said the fox smugly. He folded his paws, closed his eyes, and began saying a prayer, pretending to be pious.
But while he was distracted, the clever goose spread her wings and flew off, flapping across the loch to safety.
Left hungry and annoyed, the fox grumbled, “From now on, I’ll never say a grace again until I feel the meat warm in my belly.”
He stomped off, still licking his lips at the meal he had lost.
The Tulman
In a village called Baile Thangusdail, a woman was out late one night searching for two missing calves. As the rain and wind picked up, she looked for shelter.
She found a small hill and started driving a stake into the ground to tie up the calves. Suddenly, the hill opened up, and she heard strange clanging noises, like metal hooks hitting pots.
A woman appeared from inside the hill and asked, "Why are you disturbing my home?" The villager explained she was weak and needed to look after her calves.
The woman from the hill said, “Take them to that patch of grass over there. If they eat from it, you’ll always have a milk cow for the rest of your life—because you listened to my advice.”
The villager did as she was told, and from that day forward, she never ran out of milk cows.
She lived for another ninety-five years, always remembering the strange night that changed her life.
The poor man of Peatlaw
A poor man was working on Peatlaw, a hill in southern Scotland, gathering heather.
Exhausted, he lay down to rest on what turned out to be a fairy ring. When he woke up, he was shocked to find himself in the middle of a bustling city.
He had no idea how he got there and didn’t recognize anything around him. His coat was still back on Peatlaw, and his bonnet, which he must have lost during his journey, was later discovered hanging from the steeple of a church in Lanark.
The man was distressed and confused but managed to find an old acquaintance, a carrier, who helped him return to Selkirk.
Unlike the fairies' sudden and mysterious transportation, this journey back was slow and uneventful.
Most people believed the man had been taken by the fairies, although some suspected he had simply run away from home and invented the story to cover his tracks.
The Lothian Farmer’s wife
A farmer’s wife in Lothian was taken by the fairies and held captive for a year.
Occasionally, she was allowed to appear to her family, often on Sundays, when she would sit among her children, combing their hair.
On one of these visits, she spoke privately to her husband and told him how he could rescue her. She urged him to be brave and act quickly, as her happiness and fate depended on his success.
On Halloween night, the farmer went to a field of gorse, where he waited for the fairy procession. As midnight approached, he heard the eerie sound of fairy bridles and saw the strange, otherworldly procession passing by.
Though he desperately wanted to act, fear overtook him, and he stood frozen, unable to stop them.
As the last fairy passed, the entire group disappeared with mocking laughter.
Among their voices, the farmer clearly heard his wife crying out, lamenting that he had lost her forever.
The Bogle
A Bogle is a mischievous spirit in Scottish folklore, known more for causing confusion and fear than for doing harm. One such spirit, called Shellycoat, is said to haunt rivers and coastal areas.
His name comes from the clattering sound of shells that adorn his body, which often gives away his presence. Shellycoat was infamous for playing pranks on unsuspecting travelers.
One dark and stormy night, two men were walking along the banks of the Ettrick River when they heard a desperate voice crying, "Lost! Lost!" from the water.
Thinking someone was drowning, they followed the voice, which seemed to move upstream as they chased it. Despite their efforts, the voice always stayed just out of reach. Exhausted, the men eventually found themselves near the source of the river by dawn, only to hear the voice move down the mountain on the opposite side.
Realizing they had been tricked, the frustrated travelers gave up. Almost immediately, they heard Shellycoat's mocking laughter echoing through the hills, celebrating the success of his prank.
Locals believed that Shellycoat often haunted the old house of Gorinberry in Liddesdale, near the River Hermitage, where his mischievous ways became the stuff of legend.
The Brownie and the thievish maids
The Brownie, a household spirit known for its moral strictness, was fiercely protective of the honesty and order within the homes it served.
It closely watched over the behavior of both masters and servants, especially alert to any wrongdoing in the barn, kitchen, or pantry. No amount of bribery could dissuade a Brownie from exposing misdeeds, and it took great satisfaction in catching wrongdoers.
While the family often respected the Brownie, the servants lived in fear of its sharp eyes and meddling ways.
In one household in Peeblesshire, the mistress was notoriously stingy, providing her workers with barely enough food to keep hunger at bay.
Two dairymaids, desperate and tired of their empty stomachs, decided to take matters into their own hands. They stole a bowl of milk and a bannock, retreating to a quiet spot in the kitchen where they thought they wouldn’t be caught.
Sitting side by side on a wooden bench, they placed the milk and bread between them, agreeing to share the meal equally.
What they didn’t know was that the Brownie had been watching their every move. Invisible to the eye, it waited for its chance to strike.
As the first maid took a sip of milk and handed the bowl back, the Brownie quickly drank a large gulp. Then, as the second maid took her turn, it did the same.
The bread, too, began to vanish far faster than either maid could eat it. The two women, confused and increasingly frustrated, began accusing each other of greed and cheating.
Their whispers grew louder until they were bickering, certain that the other was taking more than her share.
Just as their argument reached its peak, the Brownie suddenly revealed itself, grinning with mischief. Laughing heartily, it exclaimed, “Ha! Ha! Ha! Brownie hast’a!”
The maids, now red-faced with embarrassment, realized they had been outwitted. The Brownie’s laughter echoed through the room as it disappeared again, leaving the dairymaids humiliated and still hungry.
The story quickly spread, serving as a reminder of the Brownie’s ever-watchful eyes and its determination to uphold moral conduct in the household.
Another Brownie fairy tale
There was once a Brownie who served a Scottish family who lived near the border with England.
When the lady of the house unexpectedly went into labor, the laird ordered a servant to fetch a midwife from Jedburgh. The servant, moving sluggishly, failed to act quickly.
The Brownie, seeing this, took the laird’s best horse and rode to town himself, carrying the midwife safely back, even crossing a dangerously swollen river.
Once the midwife arrived, the Brownie put the horse in the stable and found the servant lazily putting on his boots. Outraged, the Brownie gave him a severe whipping.
Grateful for the Brownie’s help, the laird learned it had once expressed a wish for a green coat.
He had one made and left it for the Brownie, who took it and disappeared, never to be seen again.
It’s said the Brownie, now dressed in green, may have left to join the fairies.
I hope you enjoyed this short wrap of some old Scottish fairy tales.
For more on the folklore of this wonderful country, check out my overview article Scottish folklore & mythical creatures and discover all the best old Scottish superstitions here.
Article sources
- Douglas, George Brisbane, Sir, ed. Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales. New York: Burt, 1900
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