A visit to Rosslyn Chapel

Rosslyn Chapel is a small chapel located in the village of Roslin (about 7 miles south of Edinburgh), which was founded by William St Clair in 1446. The chapel lived a relatively quiet existence until the 20th Century when a number of interesting claims were made about the chapel's history in both works of fiction and non-fiction. 

A lot of the speculation that has arisen around the chapel and its history is inspired by the intricate carvings that adorn almost every part of the walls and ceilings of the chapel, and the attempts that people have made to decode the messages that they are assumed to contain. Some of the most prominent features of the chapel include:

• Three intricately carved pillars: the Master Pillar, the Journeyman Pillar, and the Apprentice Pillar. The Apprentice Pillar is the most well known of the three and it has a legend associated with it. The legend claims that the apprentice who carved the pillar was murdered by his jealous master, for carving it against his master's orders.

• 213 cubes which protrude from the pillars and arches within the chapel. Each of these cubes has patterns on its faces, and numerous attempts to decode the meaning of these patterns have been made. One theory is that the patterns on the cubes represent the wave patterns seen when flat surfaces vibrate at different frequencies, and that these frequencies can be interpreted into music. 
  

• Over 100 carvings of Green men (which are typically human faces adorned with various leaves and plants).
  

• Carvings of various plants, including carvings that are interpreted to depict both maize and aloe vera. Maize is believed to have originated from North America and to have been unknown in Europe at the time of the chapel's construction.
  

• The chapel crypt in which generations of the St Clair family have been buried. The contents of the crypt have been subject to many theories over the years, and it has been rumored to have housed such things as the Holy Grail and the treasure of the Knights Templars.

It is mostly likely that the chapel was built by the St Clairs purely as a family chapel for private use, however who knows? Perhaps there is a hidden message or treasure residing within the chapel awaiting discovery.

Chapel frontage.

 Chapel frontage. 

Memorial.

Memorial close up.

Chapel side.

Chapel frontage.

Pictures, Scotland (October 2011).

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A Boob Jar

The piece of pottery pictured below caught my eye during a visit to the National Museum of Scotland. The caption that accompanied the jar stated that it is dated from circa 1400-1200 years BC.  It also noted that mothers milk was believed to have healing properties and that a sick child might have been given milk from a jar like this.

When I saw this jar I wondered if the Great Ormond Street Hospital would ever administer milk to one of its patients in such a jar. Sadly however I doubt it!



Picture, Edinburgh (October 2011).

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Legends of Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard is an atmospheric graveyard in the historic Old Town of Edinburgh. Over the years the kirkyard has been linked to a number of interesting legends, the most famous of which is no-doubt the story of Greyfriars Bobby. The pictures below show a statue of Bobby (which is just outside the kirkyard), Bobby’s grave, and the grave of his “owner” John Gray (Auld Jock).

As everyone knows, Greyfriars Bobby was a faithful little dog, who spent 14 years in the kirkyard mourning at the grave of his “owner” Auld Jock, until Bobby eventually died in 1872. However, it would seem that this story everyone knows to be true is in reality a myth. The current most likely explanation for this legend is that it was made up to stimulate more visitors to the kirkyard, and in reality Bobby was in fact not one dog, but two. It is thought that “graveyard dogs” such as Bobby were a relatively common occurrence across 19th century graveyards.

Another legend associated with Greyfriars Kirkyard is that of the McKenzie Poltergeist. In the kirkyard is the tomb of “Bloody” George McKenzie (which is pictured below). The tomb is supposedly haunted by a poltergeist that has been known to attack visitors to the tomb, and sometimes even to manifest in the properties that back onto the kirkyard. Unfortunately, there was no evidence of otherworldly goings on during my visit.

Pictures, Edinburgh (October 2011).

A Dirty Knight In Edinburgh

While visiting Edinburgh Castle Mrs J snapped some photos of this rather interesting statue which adorns the outside of the War Memorial. To my rather immature mind, the statue seems to show a Knight being orally pleasured by a rather small child! I doubt this interpretation was the artisan's original intent however, but it is not clear exactly what the statue is designed to show. If you have any thoughts, please share them in the comments section.

These pictures have also featured on Andrew May's Forteana Blog, and in Fortean Times (Issue 288). 

Pictures, Edinburgh (October 2011)

Thunderbirds are Go!

The below photos show a Native American style Thunderbird Mask in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The caption accompanying the mask reads: “The Thunderbird legend tells of the Great Chief who lived in the highest mountain. At one time a great flood threatened to engulf the world. Lightning flashed four times, and a Thunderbird, a mythical creature from the sky, appeared, transformed itself into a human being, and came to the rescue of the Great Chief”.

The Thunderbird is of particular interest to Forteans as there is a long standing legend of a real life flesh and blood Thunderbird, this cryptozoological legend has even apparently been photographed. The story goes that: “in April 1890, two cowboys in Arizona killed a giant birdlike creature with an enormous wingspan. It was said to have had smooth skin, featherless wings like a bat and a face that resembled an alligator. This description has some similarity to that of a prehistoric pterodactyl, an animal whose existence was known at the time. They are supposed to have dragged the carcass back to town, where it was pinned with wings outstretched across the entire length of a barn. A picture of this event may have been published in the local newspaper, the Tombstone Epitaph. Cryptozoology.com has an account of this story with the events taking place in the state of Texas”.

What is especially interesting to Forteans is that many people seem to remember seeing the rumoured photo of the Thunderbird, but no one has ever been able to find a copy of it. It is easy to believe that the mythical Thunderbird photo does not in actuality exist and the common memory of seeing the photo in the dim and distant past is some form of creation of the Fortean hive mind, a self-generated false memory. But then again the photo may exist, so do keep looking!

Pictures, Edinburgh (October 2011)

A Face Like a Camel's Arse

Mrs J spotted this simulacra while we were perusing the exhibits in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Not only has this poor camel been stuffed, but it has had its posterior arranged into a vaguely comic face!

I sent this simulacra into Fortean Times for Simulacra Corner, alas I was told that it was “not striking enough for use”.

Picture, Edinburgh (October 2011).