Stories We Tell About the World

Myths, legends and folklore have always been ways of understanding the world around us.

Long before maps, forecasts and scientific explanations, stories helped explain the landscape, the sea, the changing seasons and the things that seemed to exist just beyond certainty. Some stories warned of danger. Others offered comfort. Many simply gave shape to experiences that were difficult to explain any other way.

Engraved brandy glass with an illustration of two horses galloping through the water

Scotland's folklore is rich with such figures. The Cailleach brings winter across the hills. Kelpies wait in dark water. Selkies move between sea and shore. Deer appear as guides, protectors and symbols of renewal. The Angel's Share gives a story to the slow loss of spirit from oak casks. Even creatures such as Nessie and the Wild Haggis occupy a place between story, identity and imagination.

What interests us is not whether these stories are literally true. It is the reason they endure.

Engraved whisky glass with an illustration of the Loch Ness Monster watching a boat

The best folklore often begins with something familiar. A mountain hidden by cloud. A loch whose depths cannot be seen. The sudden appearance of the northern lights. The changing shape of the seasons. Over time these experiences become stories, and those stories become part of a place's identity.

Aurora Borealis decanter and Cailleach Snow Queen whisky glass on a dark background.

Many of the designs within this collection begin there. Rather than illustrating a complete tale, they focus on a single moment, silhouette or symbol. The Cailleach emerges from the mountain itself. The Selkie remains suspended between woman and seal. The Deer Mother carries branches and starlight in her antlers. The Aurora flows across glass as a shifting ribbon of light.

Engraved whisky glass with The Angels Share illustration

Not every story in the collection comes from an ancient legend. Some emerge from traditions, sayings and shared language. The Angel's Share is one such example. The gradual evaporation of spirit during maturation has a straightforward explanation, yet generations of distillers chose a more memorable one. Like much folklore, it transforms a practical observation into a story that feels larger than the fact itself.

Each design is prepared specifically for engraving, balancing detail, contrast and negative space so that the subject remains clear when transferred to glass. The aim is not simply to decorate the surface, but to preserve something of the character and atmosphere that made the story memorable in the first place.

These are not illustrations of folklore for its own sake. They are interpretations of the landscapes, traditions, observations and shared stories that continue to shape how we understand the world around us.

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  • Hand engraved glass decanter featuring a wrap around Aurora Borealis design inspired by the Northern Lights.

    The Aurora Decanter. A design inspired by the shifting forms of the northern lights, prepared as a continuous engraving that moves around the vessel.

  • Engraving detail of a wine glass with deer design and personalised engraved text on a dark background

    The Deer Mother. A guide and life-giver in northern folklore, shown with antlers that branch into leaves and starlight.

  • Engraved whisky glass with Beira, ancient spirit of the mountain illustration

    The Cailleach. A cloaked figure emerging from the mountain itself, where landscape and folklore begin to merge.

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  • Engraved whisky glass with an illustration of a selkie emerging from the water

    The Selkie. A figure suspended between sea and shore, human and seal, presence and memory.

  • Engraved glass decanter illustrated with The Angels Share and pair of feathered wings

    The Angel's Share. A familiar whisky-making process transformed into one of Scotland's most enduring stories.

  • Elegant table setting with engraved wine glasses, candles, and decorative elements.

    The collection began long before it appeared on the website. Many of these designs first existed around our own table, where stories, music, food and friendship gave them meaning.

Explore Myths, Legends & Lore, a collection of hand engraved glassware inspired by folklore, legendary creatures and the enduring stories woven through Scotland and beyond.

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