Fairies and Unicorns in Scotland? Of course!

KIRKCALDY, SCOTLAND – Washing dishes with FAIRY liquid.

A bottle of FAIRY brand 'washing up liquid'
FAIRY brand washing up liquid, “By appointment to Her Majesty the Queen”

Yep, that is what we have here in Scotland. FAIRY brand washing up liquid (dish soap to us Americans), “By appointment to Her Majesty the Queen” (It says so right on the label).

And it works great – like magic (I am assuming). I bet it used to have a picture of a fairy right on the label.

It took me a few days to think this through. It was so odd to me to find a commercial product named “FAIRY.” Where is the strength in that?

Then I realized it’s not about the strength… It’s about the “magic.”

I finally got a noggin nudge about all this mystical stuff. The “national animal” of Scotland is the Unicorn. It represents the indestructible, can’t be killed, stands for purity, honesty and all that. Good choice, because the Scots stand behind it even today.

Unicorn goes on the left… or is it the right?

An example of Scotland's Royal Crest with a Unicorn on the left and English Lion on the right
The Royal Crest of Scotland carved in stone

We were at a tourist site the other day and our guide talked about the royal crest of Scotland, with the Unicorn on the left, and with the English Lion on the right. Turns out the Scots want the crest pictured one way and the English the other. There is a “preference” for right or left side for the animals, depending on who you talk to.

I think the Jacobites are still at it.

Also of note are the family crests. I erroneously thought they would never change, like Japanese family crests (until a takeover, of course). But no; apparently they changed some with every new ruler and with each ruler’s marriage(s).

The symbols on the shield changed, if nothing else, to represent the new bride’s country or family origin and, therefore, the alliance of the two families or kingdoms.

‘Fairy interesting…’

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