Wolves were once ‘howl’ over Stirling

DIGGING INTO THE PAST with Dr Murray Cook

There are ferocious wolves all over Stirling … and it’s not the next phase of the wonderful Argaty’s species reintroduction plans of first red kites and now beavers which is well worth a visit but rather one of our proud burgh’s ancient symbols.

Tradition has it that during the 9th century Stirling had been conquered by the Anglo-saxon Osbrect and Ella (both on the Nationwide Building).

During a Viking raid the guard at the south gate (presumably the Dirt Raw Port under Boots) had fallen asleep but the Vikings disturbed a sleeping wolf near what is now Wolf Craig.

The howling of the wolf woke up the rest of the troops who chased the Vikings off. The fate of the sleepy guard is not recorded. A great story but is it true?

There were certainly wolves at this point and while Osbrecht and Ella where real kings of Northumbria they didn’t raid

Scotland let alone conquer Stirling!

But the Vikings raided here after the Battle of Dollar in 875 and my excavations on Abbey Craig under the Wallace Monument prove the fort was contemporary.

So I think it’s just possible that the legend garbles a memory of after Dollar when the Vikings tried and failed to conquer Abbey Craig.

However, someone did eventually capture it and it was completely destroyed by fire. The fire was so intense, with temperatures reaching in excess of 1000 degrees Centigrade that the stones began to melt and vitrify.

Imagine the whole hilltop on fire for several days, the smoke visible across the whole Forth Valley and the fiery red eye of destruction visible even further at night.

A statement of awesome destructive power and regime change, unfortunately we don’t know who was defending and who was attacking …. but certainly Stirling’s wolves will have howled!