Episode 85: Auld Croovie

We're a bit past midsummer but it's such a great story, I couldn't resist!This is another Celtic story taken from my new book Scottish Myths & Legends Volume II, told by me. It's an old pagan tale of dancing trees which, to me, is an illustration of the overflowing of life and light we experience in Scotland in the middle of summer, when the nights never truly darken. I wonder if the people of Ancient Scotland might have believed that all the trees, not just those in this one glen, danced on midsummer's night.  My version of the story comes from a version by the influential Traveller singer and storyteller Stanley Robertson. Supposedly Stanley’s family would camp at a Traveller site near Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire when they were working on the flax harvest; Auld Croovie was the name of a tree near the site. In some versions, the trees dance only once every fifty years. The word ‘Croovie’ is from the Gaelic word ‘craobh’ for tree.Stanley Robertson had a profound influence on many singers and storytellers, including the celebrated singer Sam Lee who was his apprentice. You can listen to some recordings of Stanley on Soundcloud here.Go out and tell this story to the trees. You can buy Scottish Myths & Legends Vol. II here. Get my free ebook of Orcadian stories here.Support the podcast by buying one of my ebooks for the price of a cup of coffee here. Learn about Myth Singers, my Online Celtic Storytelling Apprenticeship, here. If these stories speak to you, you're welcome to journey deeper into myth with me.Start with my free full-colour Celtic Mythology Handbook, available here. You'll get access to regular mythic writings from me.Or you can start with one of my books. Each one is a full immersion in Celtic Dreamtime. Thanks for being part of House of Legends.