Imbolc at Roslin

Rosslyn Chapel in the Snow

Rosslyn Glen Snow

I spent the weekend at a cottage on the edge of Roslin village, right beside the chapel. The house is dated 1660. There was graffiti scratched on my bedroom window dated 1899. It’s interesting to think about all the people who must have stayed here. It used to be an inn, and a Freemason lodge met here. Now it is rented out.

I found a book in the house about green men. It said there are 103 green men in the chapel, and only one Jesus. The Green Man appears in the Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh, and in another form as the Summer King at Samhuinn. I was interested to learn more about this character. Roslin chapel lies above a forested glen, which is also a place of magical interest, and somewhere you might see a green man. :)

A Green Man in Rosslyn Chapel

A Green Man in Rosslyn Chapel

There is a circle of stones in the garden that looks like it used to be a well. There is a tradition of visiting holy wells at Imbolc, so it was interesting to find one here. I walked round it.