Beinn a' Bheithir: Mountain of the Dragon (Scottish Folklore)

Consider supporting me on Patreon: / liathwolf
All around the world great draconic creatures can be found in tales and stories dating back millennia. Not only do dragons exist far and wide, but each culture seems to have there own distinct species of this mythological creature. In Scotland this beast is commonly known as a Bheithir. It is said to tower above all men and have the form of a great serpent, But this dragon has no wings or fiery breath, instead it kills its victims with giant pointed fangs and a potent, venomous sting. Today’s tale is of one such beast and its hidden mountain lair, Beinn a’ Bheithir.
My T-shirt link: shop.spreadshi...
Intro Music: Written for me by Bobbin
bobbin.bandcam...
Other Music by : Alexander Nakarada alexandernakar...
References:
Campbell, J.G. (1900) Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. James MacLehose and Sons. Glasgow.
Douglas, G. (1901) Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales. A. L. Burt Company, Publishers. New York
Walkhighlands. (2013) Sgorr Dhearg (Beinn a'Bheithir)". walkhighlands.co.uk. [www.walkhighla...]
Walkhighlands. (2021) The Munros - Gaelic Pronunciation, walkhighlands.co.uk. [www.walkhighla...]
Katharine, B. (1976) An Encyclopedia of Fairies Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures 1st American ed. Pantheon Books. ISBN:0394409183
Mackenzie, D. (1935) Scottish Folklore and Folk Life. Blackie & Son Limited.
Campbell, J.F. and Henderson, G. (1911) The Celtic Dragon Myth. Edinburgh: John Grant.

[@Rednecknerd_rob9634]

Aww, those poor Bheithirs in the story of Beinn a' Bheithir. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@noname-bk7bc]

Great Story. My daughter and I often play unicorns vs dragons. Can't wait to play her this one :)

[@ThatMontanaMom]

I live in a state called Montana near the Flathead Lake. It is 45 km long, 24 km wide and up to 113m deep in some parts . We have tales of the Flathead Lake Monster, and sightings of some sort of enormous underwater eel type animal have been reported over the years. Some naysayers claim they could be giant sturgeon. Though I think giant sturgeon grow to 12m long which is what this has been reported as.

[@userunknownx]

I have always thought that ancient people found dinosaur fossils and the dragon mythos evolved around that. What better place unearth a dinosaur than a quarry? I love the folklore, thank you so much.

[@ASmartNameForMe]

In seriousness though imagine the terror of coming across a dinosaur fossil for the first time not knowing what dinosaurs are. It’d set off so many questions

[@gemmatweedy7585]

Unfortunately, while I love this theory, I don't think it applies to this creature. The rocks of Scotland are ancient, more ancient then the dinosaurs! Scotland is where we get fossils of giant centapieds, swimming scorpions and eagle sized dragonflies. I think there were some pretty big salemanders at the time, so maybe they could be an inspiration? No dinos though. Still a cool time period! Look up "Carboniferous" next chance you get.

[@WideGauge]

a "corrie" is not a quarry

[@abrunson9022]

always awesome, thank you

[@ghash242]

The part about her killing herself is extremely dark, I love it!

[@missmadigan9285]

I can’t help but feel sorry for the baby dragons and their poor mother who took her own life in her grief 😱🥺😭

[@ironrose6]

Beautiful! This must be where the behir (a many-legged lightning serpent known for its destructive feud with dragons) in dnd is inspired by! Slàinte mhath!

[@LiathWolf]

I am pretty sure this was the inspiration, Also the lighting powers of the Behir is a nice touch considering the history of the word. Thanks for watching

[@ironrose6]

@@LiathWolf No, thank you for uploading! We have a special notification setup for when we get the patreon email; my kids always go nuts when they hear it :D.

[@LiathWolf]

@@ironrose6 Thanks, for the support, Glad you enjoy the videos

[@davidparker4649]

thanks again for great folklore. something to look forward to,

[@milesbliss3256]

Great story telling as always

[@IggyBitz]

Thanks mate As a Scotsman myself I struggled to find good content surrounding Scottish lore and myth I'm writing a novel that uses alot of mythology, primarily Scottish and Celtic myth so thanks for being a help

[@francesrees4334]

This is great something I've never heared of so something new to learn about thank you 😊 🙏 ☺ 🙂

[@JAGzilla-ur3lh]

It's interesting that this dragon (in the artwork, at least) has multiple sets of legs, like a centipede or something. You don't see many like that.

[@LiathWolf]

It is mentioned in some of the material that the Bheithir did have 6 legs, but honestly there are many conflicting descriptions

[@Davlavi]

Beautifully read - as always - thank you again

[@rolandandfriends7734]

Another great part of folklore I love shareing these story's with others and share your videos as much as I can

[@LiathWolf]

Thanks for watching glad you enjoy the stories, plenty more to come👍

[@margaretlumley1648]

So beautiful! Thank you for these wonderful stories

[@viterzg1r]

Outstanding! Drangon is one of my fav mythical creator. I was so glad to hear this tale.

[@hapitoons1515]

Such a cool monster. Thx for sharing

[@saucywench]

I’ve read or seen a lot of the words/names etc many times in books I’ve read previously. Unfortunately I’ve butchered the pronunciation of each in my mind. So I like hearing the correct pronunciations in your stories. I found your Awesome channel by accident and it’s the best thing to happen to me all day! A Scottish accent is my favorite and I could listen for hours….so I’ve been bingeing! I’ve shared with friends, hopefully they’ll subscribe as well.

[@LiathWolf]

Thanks for sharing, hope you continue to enjoy the videos 👍

[@hollyw9566]

I just felt terribly sad for the creatures, especially the babies. Dragons gotta eat too! 😢

[@KittyCat-jn1xp]

This is such an interesting story! Loving your Scottish folklore series :))

[@MegaMacReal]

J. G. Campbell puts his Islay tale at "Scanlastle", which actually is Scannasdale/Scanlistle/Scanistle, an old farm off the A846 with a standing stone nearby.

[@Joesamurai]

cant wait for the next one B)

[@johannadauria6478]

I'm loving your stories, as well as the accent; which makes it all 100% believable😉 Anyone here think the idea of dragons (with wings and all) is incredibly cool, yet at the same time become completely freaked out and repulsed at the thought of possible giant snakes ranging around?

[@theetruetolkienpatriot7701]

I live in Cheyenne Wyoming and I would like to name something after a dragon I love dragons a lot they are my favorite animal and they are real it's in the Bible

[@kevinobill4818]

Wait a minute, the DnD Behir is based on a Scottish Dragon? That’s new.

[@LiathWolf]

Yeah, DND draws from world folklore, I have found a lot of links to both DND and Tolkien, while reserching stories. thanks for watching

[@chezzyg8659]

I wonder is Nessie is a benevolent water bound bheithir. Cheers for the video.

[@LiathWolf]

Ohh, thats a theory I have never heard before, interesting.

[@jackpayne4658]

If you happen to be a dragon, you'd be well advised to move to China.

[@maxmnm2397]

With whats happening there, I'll take my chances here 🐲🐲🐲

[@theetruetolkienpatriot7701]

Can you do more dragons please Tá grá agam duit

[@henriettaabeyta1457]

Thank You now I know all 3 Aerouant (Irish dragon ) Herensuge ( Basque dragon ) Bheither ( this Scottish dragon ) Plus Draco the Spanish word for dragon.

[@øðæñæł.æþęñąþęñ]

The story that related to King Malcolm says that the son of Friskin, obtained the lands from Malcolm III of Scotland after he had sheltered him under hay in a barn and this is said to have given rise to the family's coat of arms which is of a shake-fork, as well as the motto Over fork over.

[@wintersking4290]

The description sounds very similar to the Norse Linnormr, or lindwurm.

[@theetruetolkienpatriot7701]

I like dragons as you can see I put a dragon on My profile picture

[@juneroberts5305]

I find it fascinating that the Dragon is seen as positive in Chinese culture, but as evil in other cultures. Just as fascinating is that the Chinese dragon is snake-like and the only other dragon similarly described is Scottish.

[@LiathWolf]

There are also many snake like dragons or sea serpents found in Norse Folklore, although all I know about are not seen as positive, yet they do bring balance. It is interesting that some scholars have suggested Thunder and nature worship as the origin of the chinese dragon, which aligns quite well with the Bheithir.

[@juneroberts5305]

@@LiathWolf Very true, but (and please correct me if I am wrong) they are considered snakes/serpents and called such. Also, both the C and S dragons are described as having feet. The others have 'normal' snake attributes. (I am far from an expert and consider being corrected a bonus opportunity to learn. 🙂)

[@LiathWolf]

@@juneroberts5305 I have seen the term Wurm used often, at least in Scotland, for example "The Linton Wurm, or the Great Stoor Wurm" these creatures are sometimes referred to as dragons, but I honestly don't know if that is due to more modern interpretations of the tales, using the word dragon. I totally agree that the Bheithir has far more incommon with Chinese dragons, as far as I know (not much) in chinese mythology dragons control weather, which may relate to the Bheithir and thunder or lightning. Its definitely an interesting concept, which never crossed my mind while reserching. Thanks for watching

[@cgoodson2010]

Could Nessie actually be a bheithir?

[@LiathWolf]

Some of the more serpent looking versions of nessie, seem to be quite similar to tales of the Bheithir. So it is possible. Thanks for watching

[@haroldgodwinson832]

What an utterly preposterous story!!! How could Charlie (if that was even his real name) possibly have mounted long steel spikes on those barrels?? It just doesn't add up m8......

[@kaygo6244]

it's almost as if it's mythology, and not meant to be taken 100% seriously...

[@øðæñæł.æþęñąþęñ]

I can show u a bhethir

[@spidermantoolsandtricks2213]

Remember me

[@øðæñæł.æþęñąþęñ]

The story that related to King Malcolm says that the son of Friskin, obtained the lands from Malcolm III of Scotland after he had sheltered him under hay in a barn and this is said to have given rise to the family's coat of arms which is of a shake-fork, as well as the motto Over fork over.