The imagination seems to yearn for colorful details about one’s ancestors. That one is descended from a person who barely existed by scratching out a living uneducated and impoverished is not nearly as compelling as the picture conjured by a clansman, targe and broadsword in hand, charging the enemy’s line while screaming a slogan shared by his fellow highlanders. But how far back do these battle cries actually go? Is there any evidence for their existence?
An example of the dubiousness of the battle cry can be found on the website for the Clan MacLachlan Association of North America. Here it is stated that the MacLachlan’s battle cry at Culloden Moor was “Life or Death!” How could anyone know this unless there is a record by those at the battle and why not provide the evidence of where it’s located? Is there a journal by a combatant of either side describing this? When did it appear in clan lore?
The clan system was already dying at the time of the ’45 and the Jacobite loss at Culloden dragged it to its grave and threw dirt in its face. I find the assertion that this war cry, if it existed at all, was used subsequently to be pure wishful thinking.
If it is indeed a fabrication of the Scottish Revival, I'd advocate the selection of a new war cry. "Life or Death!" suffers from an extreme lack of meaning and every time I read it I think of Eddie Izzard's "Cake or death?" bit from his Dressed to Kill special.
An example of the dubiousness of the battle cry can be found on the website for the Clan MacLachlan Association of North America. Here it is stated that the MacLachlan’s battle cry at Culloden Moor was “Life or Death!” How could anyone know this unless there is a record by those at the battle and why not provide the evidence of where it’s located? Is there a journal by a combatant of either side describing this? When did it appear in clan lore?
The clan system was already dying at the time of the ’45 and the Jacobite loss at Culloden dragged it to its grave and threw dirt in its face. I find the assertion that this war cry, if it existed at all, was used subsequently to be pure wishful thinking.
If it is indeed a fabrication of the Scottish Revival, I'd advocate the selection of a new war cry. "Life or Death!" suffers from an extreme lack of meaning and every time I read it I think of Eddie Izzard's "Cake or death?" bit from his Dressed to Kill special.
No comments:
Post a Comment