The Fairy Flag of Dunvegan

Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye, Scotland

The MacLeod clan's fairy flag has saved them from defeat three times. It may only be unfurled once more — and the cost will be the death of the chief who uses it.

The Fairy Flag — Am Bratach Sìth — is a piece of tattered, faded silk fabric, probably of eastern Mediterranean origin, now preserved in a glass case at Dunvegan Castle on Skye. It has been in the possession of the MacLeod clan since at least the 14th century, and possibly much longer. The tradition attached to it is precise: the flag was a gift from a fairy woman to an early MacLeod chief, given at the moment of their parting (the fairies could not remain with mortals). It has the power to save the clan in times of dire need — but only when physically unfurled. It has been used twice: once at the Battle of Glendale in 1490, where the MacLeods were vastly outnumbered but prevailed; once at the Battle of Waternish, again against superior forces. Each time, witnesses reported the enemy saw an enormous army where only a small one stood. The flag may be used one more time. After that, it will disappear forever, and the piper who carries it will find his hands empty. During the Second World War, the then-chief of MacLeod offered to bring the flag to the cliffs of Dover if Hitler's invasion fleet appeared. The offer was not required. Scottish regiments have carried images of the flag as a regimental emblem. Analysis of the silk suggests it dates from between the 4th and 7th centuries AD, and may have come from the Middle East or India.