Dragon

10.0C with long sunny spells. Moderate breeze.

Apothecary7's day off. We went into Dundee and had a walk up to the Howff with Maeve the Deerhound. On the way back to the car we went by City Square and then walked along the High Street past the Dundee Dragon (see below) and the Auld Tram sandwich bar.

After lunch Maeve and I went out for a two mile walk in the sunshine.

Apothecary7 took a break from her painting at 5.30pm and Maeve and I accompanied her on a short wander up past the church in search of a blip with some evening light.

E-PL5 f/9 1/250 sec. ISO-200 42mm

On the Dundee Dragon ...

There is an early carving in the city’s Old Steeple, showing a similar coat of arms with Mary, protecting her child with a shield from dragons. Following an Act of Parliament passed in 1672, Dundee’s ‘new’ coat of arms was matriculated in the office of the Lord Lyon King of Arms on 30 July 1673. However by this time Scotland had become a Presbyterian nation, and any such idolatry of the Virgin Mary would have been frowned upon, leading to the more subtle symbolism that appears today. There are different theories as to why Dragons came to be used as supporters. One is that on the earlier arms they represent the violent sea that the Virgin Mary protected David from. Another is that they relate to the local legend of the Strathmartine Dragon.

"Tempted at Pitempton,
Draigled at Baldragon,
Stricken at Strathmartin,
And kill'd at Martin's Stane."

The romantic story is thus given by Jervise :

Long, long ago, the farmer of Pitempan had nine pretty daughters.

One day their father thirsted for a drink from his favourite well, which was in a marsh at a short distance from the house.

The fairest of the nine eagerly obeyed her father's wish by running to the spring.

Not returning within a reasonable time, a second went in quest of her sister. She too tarried so long that another volunteered, when the same result happened to her and to five other sisters in succession.

At last the ninth sister went to the spring, and there,to her horror, beheld, among the bulrushes, the dead bodies of her sisters guarded by a dragon! Before she was able to escape, she too fell into the
grasp of the monster, but not until her cries had brought people to the spot.

Amongst these was her lover, named Martin, who, after a long struggle with the dragon, which was carried on from Pitempan to Balkello, succeeded in conquering the monster.

It is told that Martin's sweetheart died from injuries or fright; and the legend adds that, in consequence of this tragedy, the spring at Pitempan was named the Nine Maiden Well, and the sculptured stone at Strathmartin, also St Martin's Stane at Balkello, were erected by the inhabitants to commemorate the event."

Bishop David de Bernham dedicated a church to St Martin on 18th May 1249.