Folklore & legend

Schiehallion, the Fairy Hill of the Caledonians

Schiehallion and the cave of Uamh Tom a' Mhor-fhir

Traditional; parish accounts of the 18th and 19th centuries are quoted online

In the retelling by the John Muir Trust, the man from Braes of Foss heard fairies singing in the cave, joined in and was rewarded by having his hump removed. His friend from Tempar copied him, sang badly, and was given a second hump and a curse that he would keep growing until he died. A version quoted on the Land of the Fae blog says the fairies gave the first man three gifts: that he would be tall and lose his hump, that he would be healthy, and that he would have plenty until he died.

The same blog quotes older parish descriptions of the cave as an abode of fairies and supernatural beings rather than a hiding place, and says a tradition held that the cave's far end opened some miles to the east. It also quotes an account of the fairy tribes of Glen Lyon, Rannoch and Strathtummel gathering on the hill once a year under a queen. Those quotations are not dated on the page, so treat the details as folklore that has been passed on and reworked.

The cave is on the hill's south-western side; treat the location as approximate and take care on open hillside.
Evidence
Long-standing local tradition
Access
Open ground
Location
56.667, -4.100 (Parish-level only, treat as an area)

Sources: John Muir Trust, Schiehallion fairies (23 November 2023) [other]; Land of the Fae, Schiehallion, the Fairy Hill of the Caledonians [other]; Wikipedia, Schiehallion [other]

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