Late afternoon dog walk. I love this view, looking across north Northumberland to the Borders and the three peaks of the Eildon.
On those distant slopes, Thomas the Rhymer met the fairy queen (or 'queen of an unco' land' as she was in the oldest version we have) and went with her into the hills.
There, many years later, Canobie Dick tried and failed to wake the sleeping King Arthur in a torchlit chamber under the same hills.
A landmark visible from virtually every raised point in the whole region and easily identifiable, no wonder it was used as the site of a Bronze and later Iron Age settlement, then the Roman fort of Trimontium, and went down in legend as a place of magic and mystery.
@northfolk@folklore I've been listening to Steeleye Span's "Thomas the Rhymer" for so many years - and have been to Melrose and up the Eildons on many occasions - but didn't, until right now, know they were connected
@grange85@folklore Oh wow! Yes, Thomas the Rhymer is a medieval story that exists in romance and (somewhat later) ballad form, popularised by Walter Scott, as many of the Border Ballads were. Eildon is where he fell asleep, and they've erected the "Rhymer's Stone" on the supposed spot - you can see it if you're up there again! (Thomas was also a real historic figure in the 13th century, also known as Thomas of Ercildoune, which is now the village of Earlston.)
@northfolk
Yes, I noticed the stone when I Googled. My partner's sister lives in Melrose so we visit often. I'll definitely pay a visit to the stone next time. @folklore
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