The Heart of Midlothian is a

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

located outside St Giles' Cathedral in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. The heart marks the location of the entrance to Edinburgh's Old Tolbooth which was demolished in 1817. Locals will often spit upon the heart as a sign of good luck. While the tradition is now one of good luck, it was originally believed to be done as a sign of disdain for the executions which took place within the Old Tolbooth. The Edinburgh football team

Heart of Midlothian F.C. Heart of Midlothian Football Club, commonly known as Hearts, is a professional football club in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Professional Football League. Hearts, the oldest and most successful football club in the Sco ...

takes its name from the Old Tolbooth, and the mosaic which marks its former location.

References

External links

A short documentary
with both locals and tourists giving their differing views about the origin of spitting on The Heart.
Picture of the Tolbooth
i
Edinburgh City Libraries' ''Capital Collections''
execution sites in Scotland history of Edinburgh mosaics Royal Mile Scottish traditions tourist attractions in Edinburgh {{Edinburgh-stub