Loki's Sword

known as Cataobh, the province of Cat, with Caithness, the far northeast of the Scottish mainland, possibly meaning the Headland of the Cat People. The Duke of Sutherland is still known as Moruir Chat – the Great Man of the Cats.

Culbin Sands existed. It was a large area of sand on the Moray Coast in north east Scotland. Now densely planted with trees, it was noted for its sandstorms. One such at the end of the 17^th century covered many acres of farmland and the laird's house. In that superstitious age, people believed the area was cursed by witches, who were known to have been active in the area.

There have been legends about the Book of Black Earth for some time. One version states that it was the accumulated wisdom, or evil, of all the witches in the Scottish Highlands. I put a twist on the ancient legend.

In the Dark Ages, swords were so expensive they were given special status and were often named. The most famous is probably King Arthur's Excalibur, but there were many others. The Laxdaela Saga mentions Geirmund's sword Fotbitr – Legbiter – which was also the name of the sword owned by Magnus Barefoot, king of Norway, who made an extensive expedition to Scotland in 1098.

And, finally, Melcorka herself. Scotland has a long tradition of female warriors, from Scathach, the warrior woman from Skye who trained the great Irish hero Cuchulainn, to Black Agnes of Dunbar who held Dunbar Castle against an English army and inspired the words:

“Cam I early, cam I late

I found Agnes at the gate.”

Melcorka was merely following that tradition.

Malcolm Archibald

Angus, Scotland, 2020

Dear reader,

We hope you enjoyed reading Loki's Sword. Please take a moment to leave a review, even if it's a short one. Your opinion is important to us.

Discover more books by Malcolm Archibald at

https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/malcolm-archibald.

Want to know when one of our books is free or discounted? Join the newsletter at http://eepurl.com/bqqB3H

Best regards,

Malcolm Archibald and the Next Chapter Team

You could also like:

Midlothian Mayhem by Malcolm Archibald

To read the first chapter for free, please head to:

https://www.nextchapter.pub/books/strange-tales-of-scotland-scottish-mysteries.

About the Author

Born and raised in Edinburgh, Malcolm Archibald was educated at the University of Dundee, a city to which he has a strong attachment. He has experience in many fields and writes about the Scottish whaling industry as well as historical fiction and fantasy.