Robert the Bruce and the spider
The legend of Bruce and spider is world famous.
It is said that in the early days of Bruce’s reign he was defeated by the English and driven into exile. He was on the run – a hunted man. He sought refuge in a small dark cave and sat and watched a little spider trying to make a web.
Time and time again the spider would fall and then climb slowly back up to try again.
If at first you don’t succeed – try, try again.
Finally, as the Bruce looked on, the spider managed to stick a strand of silk to the cave wall and began to weave a web. Robert the Bruce was inspired by the spider and went on to defeat the English at the Battle of Bannockburn.
The legend as it is now told was first published by Sir Walter Scott in ‘Tales of a Grandfather’ in 1828, more than 500 years after the Battle of Bannockburn. It is thought that Scott may have adapted a story told about Sir James Douglas.
Many caves across Scotland and Ireland are said to be legendary cave of Bruce and the spider
- Bruce’s Cave on Rathlin Island.
- King Robert the Bruce’s Cave in Kirkpatrick Fleming near Lockerbie
- King’s Caves , Arran. lovely selection of images here
- Bruce’s Cave – Uamh-an-Righ, Balquhidder
King Robert the Bruce was born at Lochmaben castle in 1274, he was a knight and overlord of Annandale and was crowned as King of Scotland in 1306. In the winter of 1313 after suffering defeat he went into hiding in this very cave whilst evading capture by Edward longshanks the notorious King of England, he spent three months living a solitary existence at a time when the wars of independence were at their bleakest for the Scots.
Whilst in the cave and at the depths of despair, King Robert happened to watch a spider attempting to build a web, the spider would spin then fall, get up and spin again and again relentlessly until it eventually finished the web. This gave Robert heart and is reputed to be the birth of the saying
“If at first you don’t succeed try, try, and try again”
King Robert then went forth from the cave, raised an army and won the historic battle of Bannockburn in 1314, even though he was outnumbered ten to one. He established is claim to the throne and thus the beginning of freedom for Scotland.
During the video you will notice some engraving above the entrance to the cave, it reads thus:
Within this cave King Robert the Bruce
from foes pursuant sought a truce
like my forbears who for him fell
I Irving Guard do guard it well
According to a legend, at some point while he was on the run during the winter of 1306–07, Bruce hid in a cave on Rathlin Island off the north coast of Ireland, where he observed a spider spinning a web, trying to make a connection from one area of the cave’s roof to another. It tried and failed twice, but began again and succeeded on the third attempt. Inspired by this, Bruce returned to inflict a series of defeats on the English, thus winning him more supporters and eventual victory. The story serves to illustrate the maxim: “if at first you don’t succeed, try try try again.” Other versions have Bruce in a small house watching the spider try to make its connection between two roof beams.[84]
This legend first appears in a much later account, “Tales of a Grandfather” by Sir Walter Scott,[citation needed] and may have originally been told about his companion-in-arms Sir James Douglas (the “Black Douglas”), who had spent time hiding out in caves within his manor of Lintalee, which was then occupied by the English. The entire account may in fact be a version of a literary trope used in royal biographical writing. A similar story is told, for example, in Jewish sources about King David, and in Persian folklore about the Mongolian warlord Tamerlane and an ant.[85]
It is said that at the Battle of Bannockburn, Bruce faced the English Knight Sir Henry de Bohun on the battlefield. Riding with the heavy cavalry, de Bohun caught sight of Bruce, who was armed only with his battle-axe. De Bohun lowered his lance and charged, and Bruce stood his ground. At the last moment, Bruce swiftly dodged the lance, raised in his saddle, and with one mighty swing of his axe, struck Bohun so hard that he split his iron helmet, and his head in two, so powerful that it shattered the very weapon into pieces. Afterwards the King merely expressed regret that he had broken the shaft of his favourite axe. To this day, the story stands in folklore as a testament of the Scottish People and their culture.
- Background and early life
- Beginning of the Wars of Independence
- War of King Robert I
- Battle of Bannockburn
- Death
- Burial
- Discovery of the Bruce’s tomb
- Ancestry
I have no idea if the story of Robert the Bruce and the spider is true or just a nice wee story, but, i don’t actually think it matters. I believe that the moral of the story is much more important than whether it is factually correct.
We have all felt beaten & hopeless & feel like giving up at some point in our lives, but that doesn’t mean we should quit fighting for what we believe in.
If anything is important enough to fight for in the first place, then surely its worth trying again?
Pick yersel up, Brush yersel down & fight back.
NOTHING that’s worth having ever comes easy.
W i l d C a t