In the Highlands of Scotland, an impressive flat topped mountain rises to overshadow the valleys and loch below. This mountain is known as MacLeod’s Tabletop. It is said that the flat summits were created after St. Columba visited the island on which it sits. According to local lore, St. Columba was not greeted with the hospitality he expected and God therefore created the mountain so that he would have a bed to sleep on and a table to dine at. Yet, that is a story for another time.
This story is about the MacLeods, a Scottish clan who ruled for hundreds of years in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye where the flat topped mountains are located. MacLeod of Dunvegan (at least the MacLeod featured in this story), was a clan chief who prided himself on his hospitality as well as the beauty of his land. A well respected chief in his realm, he was pleasantly surprised to be invited as a guest of King James V, to attend a feast in Edinburgh at the King’s request. It was not a secret that those in the city tended to look down upon the clans of the Highlands and more remote rural areas as being perhaps savage, or at least quite a bit more “simple” than city folk, let alone royalty. MacLeod felt that his reputation must be of a higher standing than he thought in order to have secured such an enviable invitation. Chest puffed up with pride, he began the long journey to Edinburgh and eventually arrived at his destination.
Dressed in his kilt with his clan tartan draped over his shoulder, sporran gleaming at his waist and his sgian dubh tucked neatly into his socks, MacLeod made quite a striking figure. MacLeod was announced as he was ushered into the King’s castle, and his eyes took in the ornate luxury that surrounded him. The King greeted him personally and walked MacLeod through his palace, stopping at intervals to point out the various riches and indulgences at his disposal.
“Ahhh,” said the King, “I am sure Dunvegan is a beautiful land. Yet, I bet you don’t have such a grand palace in your realm with so many wonders for your eyes to behold.”
MacLeod did not reply, but simply smiled politely and nodded.
The King then walked him over to the banquet of food laid out on a long table in the dining hall. The King remarked, “Look at this amazing array of culinary delights! You have probably never encountered a table large enough to contain a banquet as ample as this. This must be quite a bounty compared to the fare that you enjoy back home.”
Once again, MacLeod silently smiled and nodded.
The King pointed overhead to a grand chandelier, which was near to drowning in opulent gold and crystals. It’s many candles emitted a radiant, blazing light which encompassed the entire room.
“Look above you,” the King said. “Just look at that wondrous chandelier. Why, it illuminates the entire room!I am quite sure you don’t have anything like that in Dunvegan, do you?”
For a third time, MacLeod silently smiled and politely nodded.
MacLeod indulged his senses at the feast. He ate and drank heartily. He impressed the men in attendance both with his strength and his intelligence, and there was not a woman in the room – be she young or old- that was not enchanted by MacLeod. In fact, it is rumored that those married women who encountered MacLeod that evening were found by their husbands to be quite a bit more amorous than usual. (Not that these men were complaining, mind you. Although a bit perplexing, most felt it was a pleasant change to be pursued by their wives. Their manly egos suitably stoked, they walked around town the next day with shoulders broadened and head held high as though they themselves were the kings. Of course, whether or not it was their husband’s face that their wives were imagining or that of a certain Highland clan chief was a secret that no wife was willing to divulge).
As he was leaving the grand event, MacLeod approached King James and thanked him profusely for inviting him to attend. MacLeod insisted that King James come and visit him in Dunvegan so that he could return the favor of the King’s hospitality. Amused and charmed by the imposing Scot, the King agreed that he would make his way to Dunvegan in the near future.
In those days, of course, a journey from Edinburgh to Dunvegan could easily take a month to complete. As soon as MacLeod heard that the King had embarked upon his journey to the Highlands, he began ordering his men to make preparations for a feast on the flat topped mountains of Skye. Using just about all of the resources at his disposal, MacLeod arranged for all of the best culinary delights from the Highlands to be brought to the mountain, and for the mountain to be laid out as exquisitely as any grand hall. When King James finally arrived, MacLeod met him at the summit plateau of the mountain. The view from the mountain was unparalleled, as one could see valleys and the ocean down below stretching out for miles and miles. The sun, in all of its splendor and glory, lit up the entire sky as though the sky was on fire.
MacLeod and his people offered the King every courtesy and Highland delight that there was to be had. As day began to fade into dusk, MacLeod’s men bore torches to light the way to the evening’s feast and as the night wore on, the infinite stars of the Milky Way twinkled brightly. Towards the end of the evening, MacLeod took King James aside.
“I hope, my King, that you have enjoyed your visit today.”
Grinning from ear to ear, the King nodded vigorously his assent.
“Of course, I am sure that what rudimentary pleasures I am able to provide in my small little corner of the world are quite different than what you, as royalty, are used to.”
The King, jovial with a full stomach – and perhaps his fill of ale as well- reassuringly told MacLeod that he certainly couldn’t be expected to match what could be found in the capital city of Edinburgh but that he was quite impressed with MacLeod’s offerings and found the feast to be quite enjoyable.
“We have brought to you delicacies that are unique to our region, unlike anything you have tasted I would imagine?”
“Oh, yes,” the King replied. “Quite true.”
Macleod smiled.
“This is my bounty and I am sure that you don’t have food like that in Edinburgh. And look, look at this beautiful mountain! This, my king, this is my banquet hall and my tabletop. Have you ever seen anything quite like this?”
Smile fading a bit, the King politely nodded and agreed that he did not, in fact, have a comparable “banquet hall” in Edinburgh.
MacLeod continued. “You have seen the sun blaze through the sky, lighting up the entire island. You now see the stars laid out before you, sparkling like diamonds in an indigo sky. They are indeed more beautiful than any painted palace ceiling that I have seen. No offense, of course, your Highness.”
King James, slightly embarrassed, quietly replied, “Of course. No offense taken”.
“This,” MacLeod said, with his arms open wide and his eyes pointed towards the sky, “This is my chandelier. The light which it provides is more brilliant than that of a thousand candles, wouldn’t you agree? I would imagine that you don’t have anything quite like that in all of Edinburgh…do you?”
The King, realizing he had been upstaged in a most unexpected and unusual way, somberly nodded.
From that day forward it is said that the King had a newfound respect for MacLeod and for the Highlanders over which he ruled. MacLeod worked hard to replenish the food and other resources he had allocated to the feast, his pride and delight in elevating the Highlands in the King’s eyes overriding any feelings of regret he might have had about spending so much to do so. Despite the many changes in rulers throughout Scottish history, the MacLeods continued to rule for hundreds of years and still maintain a castle near Dunvegan.