Fairy flag: a mysterious relic of the Isle of Skye that can change fate three times (12 photos)

A Scottish castle holds the tattered remains of a banner with a mysterious history and legendary magical powers.





Visitors to Dunvegan Castle, walking through the restored halls filled with Clan MacLeod relics, may notice a glass frame containing what appears to be a scrap of fabric.



Dunvegan Castle

This is the Am Bratach Sith (Magic Banner), an ancient silk flag shrouded in supernatural legends. Its powerful magic is said to have protected the clan from harm for centuries.

Three Legends of Origin





The Crusade and the Daughter of Thunder. One of the MacLeod ancestors took part in the Crusade. On the way, he was sheltered by a hermit who warned him about an evil spirit - Nein na Feopera (Daughter of Thunder), who killed believers. MacLeod fought with her and won. Before her death, the spirit told him to take her belt and spear and make a banner and staff from them.

The Cradle and the Fairies. During a feast in the castle, the nurse left the baby, the heir of the clan, alone in the tower. The child began to cry, but no one heard him. Then a fairy appeared and wrapped him in a silk scarf. The next morning, when the nurse brought the baby into the hall, everyone heard the fairy singing.

The Fairy Wife and the Parting Gift. Chief MacLeod married a fairy, but in time she returned to her world. On the Fairy Bridge, she gave him a banner, promising that it would bring victory in three battles. But no more.



Dunvegan Cup, Fairy Flag, Rory More's Horn (photo taken shortly before 1927)

The banner is about 45 centimeters long, made of tan silk with red dots and was once decorated with gold crosses. In the 20th century, it was placed in a sealed display case for preservation.



Fairy Bridge

English archaeologist Alan Wace suggested that the silk came from Syria or Greece, and the flag itself could be a relic, such as a saint's robe. However, Sir Reginald MacLeod, the head of the clan, only replied: "Mr. Wace, you can believe your theory, but I know - it was given to my ancestor by fairies."



The "Maidens of MacLeod" are cliffs on the Isle of Skye where, according to legend, the wife and three daughters of Ian Ciar, the 4th chief of the MacLeod clan, perished

In addition to winning battles, the banner supposedly healed cattle, increased fertility, and even lured herring into the lake near Dunvegan. But its magic can only work three times. After which the artifact will disappear, and the clan may perish.



It is said to have been used twice, in the 14th and 15th centuries. One last chance.



The Fairy Flag, photographed sometime before 1924

During WWII, Winston Churchill was rumored to have asked the MacLeods to unfurl the banner for an Allied victory. But the clan, mindful of the prophecy, allegedly refused.



A modern photograph of the Fairy Banner displayed at Dunvegan Castle

Either way, the Fairy Banner still hangs in the castle, a silent reminder that even in this age of science, the mysteries of the past still await explanation.