Strathmartine draigon

The Strathmartine Draigon is ane o the maist kenspeckle craiters fae the fowk tales o Dundee an thereaboots. The Draigon is commemoratit baith in aye-telt fowk tales, an in poetry, sculpture an in the nemmes o placies an biggins an aa.

In fowk tale

The story ahind the Strathmartine Draigon, as popularly kent, is re-telt here bi Erin Farley:

Aince there wis a fairmer wha bided oot beh the Dighty Burn wi his nine bonny dochters. Ae Sunday he tellt the auldest lass tae get a bucket o watter. But whan she got there she fund a muckle draigon cooried in aroond the well. The draigon wis hungert an it ate her aa up in a meenit. Whan she didnae come back, her Da tellt ane o her sisters tae gang efter her, but the draigon ate her up an aa. He sent ae dochter efter anither until the pair lassies were aa deid. Syne the fairmer went up tae the well himsel an saw the draigon. He pelted doon intae the wee toon baalin at the top o his vice aboot the draigon an hoo it had killt his dochters. There wis a laddie crehd Martin wha wis the blacksmith, an he wis raging, cause he had looed the auldest dochter. Martin took up his big muckle hammer an ran aff tae fecht the draigon. Him and the crater ran roon aboot aa the fields an the banks o the burnie tryin tae git a haud o ane anither. Efter a bit it looked like the draigon wis gonnae get Martin in its jaws, but the fowk o the toon were watching an they aa cried oot “Strike, Martin!” He birled his hammer roon an gied the draigon sic a dunt on its heid that it wis dune for, an the baist laid doon tae dee wi its heid on a stane. Afore it deed it spake these wirds:

I wis tempted at Pittempton

Draiglet at Baldragon

Stricken at Strikemartin

An killed at Martin’s Stane.

An efter that aa thae places hae been kent by the names the draigon gied them, though we noo creh Strikemartin ‘Strathmartine.’ The muckle stane is there noo an aa, wi carvins on it tae mind o hoo Martin dinged the draigon doon.

In the biggit environment

The tale o the Strathmartine Draigon is commemoratit in the hert o Dundee wi a muckle bronze sculpture. The Draigon noo an again flits aboot the toon, but fir noo rests doon on the Murraygate.

The auldest biggit anchor tae the tale is the Pechtish Stane ae mile north o Bridgefoot in Strathmartine, Angus. Langsyne, this stane wad hae conveyit some tint message tae the Pechtish fowk an their neebors. Nooadays its maistly associatit wi the tale o the Strathmartine Draigon, an is gied as the airt whaur Martin duntit the draigon ower the heid.

A pub in St Mary's, nae far fae the Dichty Burn, supposit airt whaur the fairmer an his bonny dochters bade, is cried the Nine Maidens, aifter the dochters swallaed bi the draigon in the tale.