Aiken Drum, ‘The Brownie of Blednoch’ and the Pictish Brown Boy
For my friend Gordon. Well, this happened a long time ago in Scotland, but if you listen closely you will probably still hear the children singing of the little man named Aiken Drum. He came one night out of the blue. It was dusk, just when the milking was done and before the children had gone to bed. People were standing outside on their doorsteps talking about the fine springtime weather when suddenly they heard the strangest humming sound coming from down by the river. The sound came nearer and nearer. Everyone stopped talking and looked down the long road. They stared and rubbed their eyes when they glimpsed this bewildering sight. The most frightful creature anyone had ever seen was walking right into their village. He was a wee man, covered from head to toe with hair, and wore only a little kilt woven of green rushes. His hair hung forward, nearly covering his face. His beard was so long it almost touched the ground -- and it was blue! His little legs were twisted and ...