We all probably know that Scotland is famous for its incredible nature, national animal, haunted castles, men wearing kilts, haggis, the Loch Ness Monster, ginger population, bagpipes, and the Scottish whisky (try saying that in one breath).
But have you ever taken the time to learn how these fascinating aspects of the country came to be? If not, no worries, as we’re going to be delving deeper into some of them today.
We’ll start off by Scotland’s ginger population, which is the second largest in the world. It’s estimated that around 6% to 13% of the country's inhabitants have red hair. This totals to around 650,000 Scottish people possessing fire locks.
Globally, this trait is rare, with just 1-2% of the population having the ginger gene. However, scientists speculate that it’s so common in the northern regions because it allows the body to keep in the heat and produce vitamin D. These traits evolved over time in places where there’s not much sunlight. This is a big advantage, as efficient vitamin production helped to avoid illnesses during long, cold winters.
Some also think that the red hair gene appeared in Scotland due to Vikings who settled in the British Isles, which is partly true too.
Next, we’re moving onto something that is rarer than red heads—the national animal of Scotland—the unicorn. The connection to this mythical animal comes from the Celtic culture, where it symbolized innocence and purity as well as chivalry, pride and boldness. The first recorded use of the unicorn symbol appeared in the 12th century on the Scottish Royal coat of arms. By the 15th century, the animal already embellished coins that circulated for the next century.
Funnily enough, for thousands of years people believed that unicorns were real. However, in 1825, a French naturalist, Georges Cuvier, was determined to dispel this myth. He based his belief on the fact that animals with a split hoof couldn’t grow a single horn on their heads. Despite his attempts, the unicorn spirit continues to live on. Scotland even has a national day for it, which is celebrated on 9 April.
Continuing with the theme of mythical creatures, Scotland's castles are believed to be inhabited by ghosts. As Haunted Britain and Ireland writes, “A variety of ghosts are to be found in the houses, castles, inns, moors, lochs and ruins of Haunted Scotland. Scotland has always been a divided nation and its history is spattered with the blood of countless conflicts, many of them fought between the Highlanders and the Lowlanders. Only very occasionally did the two sink their differences to unite against a common enemy, as successive English Kings strove to invade and conquer.”
