Scotland and the Thistle

For this post, I am doing Scotland and the thistle. I have been to Scotland a few times and I have noticed that on road signs and on lots of Scottish things, for example, the rugby strip, there is a picture of a thistle. I am going to find out why this is.

The Thistle (Fóthannan):

http://www.scotlands-enchanting-kingdom.com/an-ode-to-a-thistle.html

The thistle is a spiky purple or pink weed. It grows all over the world and attracts many animals such as butterflies, moths and goldfinches. It was used in the medieval times for cures for baldness, headaches, the plague and vertigo, along with others.

Scotland (Alba):

Scotland is located in the very north of Great Britain. Its population is somewhere around 5.2 million. Its capital is Edinburgh and some of its other main cities are Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness. Scotland is famous for its beautiful scenery in the highlands, its bagpipe music and its tartans.

Connection between plant and Country:

No one is exactly sure how the thistle became one of the national emblems of Scotland. There is a legend that in the 1200's, some Norsemen tried to invade the Scottish coast. The Norsemen decided to creep up on a Scottish clan, under the cover of darkness and surprise them. So they wouldn't wake up the Scottish warriors, they took off their shoes. As they were creeping up, a Norseman stood on a thistle and let out a yell. This alerted the Scottish warriors who defended their country in a battle called The Battle of Largs.

Websites Used:

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-Thistle-National-Emblem-of-Scotland/
http://www.scotland.org/about-scotland/facts-about-scotland/population-of-scotland/
http://www.faclair.com/?txtSearch=
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thistle