Born in Fife in 1676, the story of Alexander Selkirk inspired Daniel Dafoe’s novel ‘Robinson Crusoe.’

After choosing to be marooned on a desert island, Selkirk endured solitude, enemy privateers and a round the world trip before landing back on home soil.

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Alchemy is a historical practice that attempts to transmute base metals into gold. Through the influence of the Muslim world, the knowledge of alchemy spread through Europe with the help of travelling scholars like Michael Scot.

Scot was a polyglot mathematician, alchemist, apothecary and academic born in Scotland. He worked with like-minded intellectuals like Leonardo Fibonacci to translate many influential texts that spurred the Renaissance. Despite his many accolades, his legacy as a magician and wizard was cemented in popular culture with his appearance in Dante Alighieri's epic poem, Inferno.

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The Edinburgh Vaults are a series of underground chambers located inside the South Bridge's enclosed arches. Originally used as storerooms, the poor conditions led to them becoming a place of squalor, crime, and possibly body snatching. 

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The Milk White Doo is a well known Scottish tale from times when stories were passed down from generations through word of mouth. Like most fairy tales, this story is meant to teach children about the realities of death and losing a close family member.

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Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh is home to one of the world's most prolific and violent poltergeists in the world. It has been the subject of numerous investigations and paranormal sightings, with reports of objects being thrown and even people being levitated. The graveyard is believed to be haunted by the spirits of Covenanters who died under Bluidy George Mackenzie's prosecution.

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In Shetland folklore, the wulver, or wullver, is a wolf-like humanoid creature. Unlike traditional werewolf legends, the wulver is gentle, rarely harming humans. Some believe that it is a guardian of the sick and the poor. In modern times, the origins of this legend have been disputed.

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The conclusion of our series on the legendary William Wallace. Having led the Scots to a strategic victory over English forces at Stirling Bridge, he suffered a humiliating loss at Falkirk. After time on the run, Wallace returned only to be betrayed to the English. Regardless of defeat, his legacy has endured for centuries, inspiring and motivating generations of Scots and others to fight for freedom. 

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An introduction to the obscure, contradictory and legendary tale of Scotland's national hero William Wallace. His story starts with the death of King Alexander III and 'The Great Cause' of finding Scotland a new monarch, the events which would shape his life, death and Scotland's fight for freedom.

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