Sir Rory Mor's Horn
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Sir Rory Mor's Horn is a
drinking horn A drinking horn is the horn (anatomy), horn of a bovid used as a cup. Drinking horns are known from Classical Antiquity, especially the Balkans. They remained in use for ceremonial purposes throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period ...
, one of several
heirloom In popular usage, an heirloom is something that has been passed down for generations through family members. Examples are a family bible, antiques, weapons or jewellery. The term originated with the historical principle of an heirloom in ...
s of the MacLeods of Dunvegan, chiefs of
Clan MacLeod Clan MacLeod ( ; ) is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye. There are two main branches of the clan: the MacLeods of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Harris and Dunvegan, known in Gaelic as ' ("seed of Tormod") an ...
. Clan custom is that each successive chief is to drink a full measure of the horn in wine to prove his manhood. MacLeod, F.T. 1912–1913: p. 115. The artwork on the horn has been dated to the 16th century, and by some as far back as the 10th century. The MacLeod chiefs have several other notable heirlooms kept at
Dunvegan Castle Dunvegan Castle (Caisteal Dhùn Bheagain) is located to the north of Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland. It is the seat of the MacLeod of MacLeod, chief of the Clan MacLeod. Probably a fortified site from the earlie ...
, such as the
Fairy Flag The Fairy Flag (Scottish Gaelic: ''Am Bratach Sìth'') is an heirloom of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod. It is held in Dunvegan Castle along with other notable heirlooms, such as the Dunvegan Cup and Sir Rory Mor's Horn. The flag is made of silk ...
and the
Dunvegan Cup The Dunvegan Cup is a wooden ceremonial cup, decorated with silver plates, which dates to 1493. It was created at the request of Caitríona, wife of John Maguire, lord of Fermanagh in Ireland. Rigby 2003: p. 573–574. The cup is an heirloom of ...
(''pictured right'').


Description and custom

Sir Rory Mor's Horn is a
drinking horn A drinking horn is the horn (anatomy), horn of a bovid used as a cup. Drinking horns are known from Classical Antiquity, especially the Balkans. They remained in use for ceremonial purposes throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period ...
, made of an ox's horn, tipped in
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
. The rim around the mouth of the horn is thick and on this there are imprinted seven medallions. On three of the medallions are beasts, on three others are patterns, and on the seventh and joining medallion is both a pattern and a beast. R. C. MacLeod considered the work to be Norse, and declared the horn to date from the 10th century. The horn holds about . Clan MacLeod custom is that each successive chief, on achieving the age of manhood, should drain, in one draught, the horn which is filled to the brim. The horn is named after
Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...
Ruairidh Mòr MacLeòid (–1626), the 15th chief of Clan MacLeod. There have been differing opinions concerning the age of the horn. In 1927, R. C. MacLeod declared his opinion that it dated from the 10th century.
Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
Brögger, from
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
, thought it was of Norse origin, dating from the 10th century. Professor Callander, from
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, considered it to be not unfamiliar with other objects of Scotland, and dated it to the 16th century. MacLeod, R.C. 1927: pp. 40–41. In 1906, R. C. MacLeod noted that the greater proportion of the horn had been filled in, and that it was "but a moderate drink the present day Chiefs have to quaff. With what contempt, what might scorn would these stern warriors of the past look upon the puny performances of their descendants". MacLeod, R. C. 1906: pp. 46–47. In 1956,
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
and
Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
visited
Dunvegan Castle Dunvegan Castle (Caisteal Dhùn Bheagain) is located to the north of Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland. It is the seat of the MacLeod of MacLeod, chief of the Clan MacLeod. Probably a fortified site from the earlie ...
. During this occasion,
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
, maternal grandson of the clan chief
Dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...
Flora MacLeod of MacLeod Dame Flora MacLeod of MacLeod, (3 February 1878 – 4 November 1976) was the 28th Scottish clan chief, Chief of Clan MacLeod. Biography Flora Louisa Cecilia MacLeod was born at 10 Downing Street, London, in 1878, the home of her grandfather Sir ...
, was challenged to quaff the horn which was filled with
claret Bordeaux wine (; ) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city, the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gir ...
—which he did in one minute 57 seconds.


Tradition

The ''
Bannatyne manuscript The Bannatyne Manuscript is an anthology of literature compiled in Scotland in the sixteenth century. It is an important source for the Scots poetry of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The manuscript contains texts of the poems of the gr ...
'' dates from about 1830 and is thought to have probably been written by Dr.
William MacLeod Bannatyne Sir William Macleod Bannatyne, Lord Bannatyne FRSE (26 January 1743 – 30 November 1833) was a distinguished Scottish advocate, judge, antiquarian and historian. Life The son of Mr. Roderick Macleod WS and Isabel Bannantyne, daughter of He ...
. R. C. MacLeod noted that the manuscript contains a tradition concerning the origin of the horn. This tradition runs that one night,
Malcolm Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to: People * Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Malcom (footballer) (born 1997), Brazilian football forward * Clan Malcolm * Maol Choluim de Innerp ...
(1296–1370), the 3rd chief of Clan Macleod, returned from a tryst with the Campbell wife of the chief of the Frasers who possessed the lands of Glenelg. That night Malcolm encountered a bull which lived in the woods of Glenelg and which had terrorised the local inhabitants. Armed with only a
dirk A dirk is a long-bladed thrusting dagger.Chisholm, Hugh (ed.); "Dagger", ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 11th ed., Vol. VII, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press (1910), p. 729. Historically, it gained its name from the Highland dirk (Scott ...
, Malcolm slew the bull and broke off one of its horns. Malcolm carried off the horn to
Dunvegan Dunvegan () is a village on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It is famous for Dunvegan Castle, seat of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod. Dunvegan is within the parish of Duirinish, Skye, Duirinish. In 2011, it had a population of 386. Name In ''The Nors ...
, as a trophy of his prowess. For this act of valour, Fraser's wife forsook her husband for Malcolm, thus starting a lengthy clan feud between the Frasers and the MacLeods. The tradition runs that ever since Malcolm's slaying the bull the horn has remained at Dunvegan; and was converted into a drinking horn, which each chief must drain to the bottom in one draught. The manuscript continues that ever since Malcolm defeated the bull, the family of MacLeod have used a ''bull's head'' as their
heraldic crest A crest is a component of a heraldic display, consisting of the device borne on top of the helm. Originating in the decorative sculptures worn by knights in tournaments and, to a lesser extent, battles, crests became solely pictorial after t ...
, with the
motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...
"hold fast". R.C. MacLeod noted another tradition concerning a bull and motto of the clan's chiefs (though not the drinking horn). The tradition runs that one day Tormod (–1584), 12th chief of Clan MacLeod was being entertained by Argyll, chief of Clan Campbell, at
Inveraray Castle Inveraray Castle (pronounced or ; Scottish Gaelic ''Caisteal Inbhir Aora'' ) is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch. It is one of the earliest ex ...
. During his visit, the MacLeod chief learned that one of his clansmen was a convicted criminal who had condemned to be gored to death by a bull. The MacLeod chief appealed to Argyll, but the Campbell chief replied that it was too late and that nothing could save the MacLeod clansman. The MacLeod chief then sprang into the ring, armed with only his dirk, and attacked the bull. He grabbed hold of the bull's horns and cried out "hold fast!" and saved the clansman. MacLeod, R. C. 1927: pp. 107–108. The Skeabost Horn, which was the trophy awarded to the champions of the Southern League in the sport of
shinty Shinty () is a team sport played with sticks and a ball. It is played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and among Highland migrants to the major cities of Scotland. The sport was formerly more widespread in Scotland and even played in Northern ...
is based on the horn of Rory Mor. The Horn is no longer competed for but is in the possession of Jack Asher.


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * {{Skye Clan Macleod heirlooms Drinking horns Drinking culture Isle of Skye Scottish folklore