May 26, 2006, 1:02 a.m. (Message 45381)
I may have found it!!! The Braes of Mellinish might be the hills around Loch Linnie. There was a Laird of Mellin, whose estates were outside of Perth and so the hills would have been sort of Mellinish -- don't ya think? According to legend... Perth has long been known as the 'bonnie toun' on account of its lovely women. This dates back to the time of King Arthur. When he first ascended to his throne, he dispatched heralds to summon the most beautiful maidens in the land to Camelot to attend the first Tournament of his Knights of the Round Table. The fairest of all the girls that he saw there was Lady Guinevere, from Perth. It is said that he fell in love with her almost at first sight, and would not rest until she consented to become his bride. But her father, Hamish, Laird of Mellin, set him a task to perform to prove his worthiness before he would consent to the marriage. Arthur was asked to swim across Loch Linnie in the cold of December. So on the appointed day, Arthur went to the shore of the loch, stripped off his tunic and hose, and waded into the icy water. On Merlin's advice, he chose a part of the shore where the loch was narrow, and succeeded in reaching the other side in less than a minute, thus avoiding hypothermia. There is a children's rhyme"Frae Perth came Guinevere, to make the King revere, He saw her face in the Loch of the north, and never went more forth" Okay, okay, now I'm going back to work.