For the Love of Scotland
Nature is all around us. It is the air we breathe and the ground we walk on. I feel that people today are so busy that they miss what is so beautiful and enchanting around them. Nature can be wild, tame, dangerous, and serene all at the same time. There is nothing so versatile as Mother Earth. The Wonder Tales of Scottish Myth and Legend by Donald Alexander MacKenzie, give a great description of the beauty of the land but there is something lacking. The stories feed off nature and put it in a supporting role to the main characters. In most of the tales the characters are described with the inclusion of a description of nature that they are standing in, near, or on. Nature is mentioned and described on the same level as the characters in the stories are. The only difference is that nature does not have a voice. I want to give nature a voice and give it the credit it deserves. It is more than just a backdrop for stories. It is life, it is beauty, and it is alive.
I have always wanted to visit Scotland. All the green hills, menacing mountains contrasted with the sparkling blue rivers that all receive visits from the rolling gray mist. It is so easy to be inspired by Scotland's beauty. All my hopes are geared for an acceptance to graduate school in Wales, United Kingdom. From there I will be a train ride away from Scotland. Not to say that Wales won't be gorgeous as well, but Scotland has a mystical spell around it that calls your inner being to it.
Since nature is the focus of my storytelling I want to give a description of the main geographical elements of Scotland. The northern section of Great Britain is constituted by Scotland. Scotland can be divided into three sections: the Highlands, the Central Belt and the Lowlands. The Highlands are a mostly mountainous region, the Central Belt is the flat plains where the capital and most of the population resides. The Lowlands are hilly and speckled with mountains. Scotland also has many islands surrounding the mainland; around 790 as an estimate. Depending on the region there is a difference in climate. It can range anywhere between lots of snow, sunshine, or rain. Pertaining to the elements of my stories there are a couple definitions I want to provide just in case there is confusion. The first word is isle and put simply it is a small island. The second is loch and it is a long narrow inlet of the sea also known in Scotland as a lake.
A little added information for those interested. Scotland and Wales are both countries smothered in Celtic traditions. They each have features that make their country recognizable. Scotland is known for its lochs and mountains. Wales, on the other hand, is famous for its beautiful waterfalls. Ironically both countries physically are part of the same land mass as England and both struggled for their independence from the "Land of Hope and Glory." Scotland is most famously theatrically portrayed in Mel Gibson's Braveheart where the famous patriot William Wallace fought for independence against England. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tom Jones are a couple of modern day celebrities from Wales. You may be wondering why I am comparing Scotland and Wales...well they are so similar and have a lot of the same traditions. I feel that if I study the lores and legends of Scotland I won't be too far from the same sentiments that Wales might possess.
If you think in any way that you have an interest in nature let me introduce you to two entities that love nature more than we can possibly imagine. The Sun and Moon. You see the Sun and Moon are best friends with nature. Everything in nature they feel they are "the watchers" of. The Sun, Moon and Nature have been dear friends for a very long time but the Sun and Moon do not get to visit with each other as it is obvious they do not share the day together. When Sun is up Moon is down and vice versa. So when that fateful day came where they could finally meet excitement grew and nature could not wait to see the love rekindled between the good friends. An eclipse is the only way that the Sun and Moon have liberty to share the sky at the same point and it has been quite a few years.............
