The Fairy Flag of Dunvegan

Long ago, on the Isle of Skye, there stood a gray stone castle called Dunvegan. It was the home of the chief of the MacLeods, and he had a brand-new baby son. The whole family was so happy that they held a big party in the great hall. There was music and dancing, and everyone sang late into the night.

Upstairs, the baby was sleeping in his wooden cradle. His nurse was watching over him. But the music was so merry that the nurse wanted to see the dancing too. “I will only be gone for a minute,” she whispered, and she tiptoed downstairs.

While she was away, the baby wriggled and kicked off his warm blanket. The night was cold, and a chilly wind blew in through the window. The little baby began to shiver and cry.

Then, very softly, a lady in shimmering green came into the room. She was a fairy from the hills. She bent over the cradle and wrapped the baby in a soft silk cloth. Then she rocked the cradle gently and sang him a fairy lullaby. The song was so sweet that the baby stopped crying and smiled up at her. Soon he was warm and cozy and fast asleep.

Downstairs, the people in the hall suddenly heard the singing. Everybody stopped dancing to listen, because it was the loveliest song they had ever heard. The nurse ran back upstairs, and the chief and his guests hurried after her. When they opened the door, the fairy was gone. But the baby was sleeping peacefully, wrapped in a golden silk flag with little red spots.

The nurse had heard the words of the fairy’s song, and she told the chief what they meant. “The flag is a gift for the MacLeods,” she said. “If the family is ever in great trouble, wave the flag, and help will come.” “But it will only work three times, so use it wisely.”

The MacLeods kept the fairy flag safe in Dunvegan Castle. And for many, many years, the nurses of the castle sang the fairy’s lullaby to every new baby. They say you can still see the fairy flag at Dunvegan today, old and faded, but still carefully kept.