Scota

Scota, in Erse meethologie, Scots meethologie, an pseudohistory, is the name gien tae the Wyffe o Geytholos an tae hees Mither, twa different meethological dochters o twa different Egyptian Pharaohs tae whom the Gaels tracit their ancestry, allegedly explainin the name Scoti, applee'd bi the Romans tae Erse raiders, an later tae the Erse invaders o Argyll an Caledonie which became kent as Scotland.

History o the Scota legends

Early sources

Edward J. Cowan haes tracit the first appearance o Scota in leeteratur tae the 12t century.^[1] Scota appears in the Erse chronicle Book of Leinster (conteenin a redaction o the Lebor Gabála Érenn).^[2] Housomeivver a recension foond in a 11t-century manuscript o the Historia Brittonum conteens an earlier reference tae Scota.^[3] The 12t-century sources state that Scota wis the dochter o a Egyptian pharaoh, a contemporar o Moses, who marriet Geytholos (Goídel Glas) an became the eponymous foonders o the Scots an Gaels Efter bein exiled frae Egyp.^[4] The earliest Scots sources claim Geytholos wis "a certain keeng o the kintras o Greece, Neolus, or Heolaus, by name", while the Lebor Gabála Érenn Leinster redaction in contrast describes him as a Scythie. Ither manuscripts o the Lebor Gabála Érenn conteen a variant legend o Scota's husband, no as Goídel Glas but insteid Mil Espaine an connect him tae Auncient Iberie.^[5][6]
Anither variant meeth in the redactions o the Lebor Gabála Érenn state that thare wis anither Scota who wis the dochter o a Egyptian Pharaoh namit Cingris, a name foond anerly in Erse legend. She marriet Niul, son o Fenius Farsaid, a Babylonie who travelled tae Scythie efter the collapse o the Touer o Babel. Niul wis a scholar o leids, an wis invitit bi the pharaoh tae Egyp an gien Scota's haund in marriage. They haed a son, Goídel Glas, the eponymous ancestor o the Gaels, who creatit the Gaelic leid bi combinin the best featurs o the 72 leids then in existence. See an aw Geoffrey Keating. Awtho these legends vary, they aw gree that Scota wis the eponymous foonder o the Scots an that she gave her name tae Scotland an aw.

Scota an the Stane o Scone

Main airticle: Stane o Scone

Baldred Bisset is first creditit tae hae fused the Stane o Scone wi the Scota foondation legends in his Processus (1301) puttin forrit an argument that it wis Scotland an no Ireland which wis the oreeginal Scoti hameland.^[7]

Bisset wis keen tae legitimise a Scots (as opposed tae Inglis) accession tae the throne efter Alexander III o Scotland dee'd in 1286. Alexander hissel at his coronation in 1249 heard his ryal genealogie recitit back throu 56 generations tae Scota.^[8] Bisset tharefore attemptit tae legitimise a Scots accession bi makkin Scota significant, as haein transportit the Stane o Scone frae Egyp durin the exodus o Moses tae Scotland. In 1296 the Stane itsel wis captured bi Edward I an taken tae Wastmeenster Abbey. Robert the Bruce in 1323 uised Bisset's same legend connectin Scota tae the stane in attempt tae get the stane back tae Scotland's Scone Abbey.^[9]

The 15t-century Inglis chronicler John Hardyng later attemptit tae debunk Bisset's claims.^[10]

Later sources

Andrew o Wyntoun's Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland an John o Fordun's Chronica Gentis Scotorum (1385) are considered major sources on the Scota legends, alangside Thomas Grey's Scalacronica (1362). Walter Bower's 15t century Scotichronicon includit the first picturs o the legends. Hector Boece in his 16t century Historia Gentis Scotorum ("History o the Scots Fowk") mentions Scota an the foondation meeth an aw.

Grave o Scota

Signpost on by-road, sooth o Tralee

The grave of Scota reputitly lees in a valley, sooth o Tralee toun, in Co. Kerry Ireland. The aurie is kent as Glenn Scoithin, "Vale o the little flouer", mair normally kent as Foley's Glen. Indicatit bi a Coonty Cooncil road signpost, a trail frae the road leads alang a stream tae a clearin whaur a circle o lairge stanes marks the grave steid.

Sources

• Lebor Gabála Érenn
• Geoffrey Keating, Forus Feasa ar Éirinn
• Seumas MacManus, The Story of the Irish Race (February 1970 The Devin-Adair Company New York)
• Seumas MacManus, The Story of the Irish Race (1990 edition printed by Wings Books)
• Michael O'Clery, Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland (1616–1636 Donegal)
• Benedict Fitzpatrick's (1901–1963) "Ireland and the Foundations of Europe"