Matheson Collection > Folk tales and fairy lore in Gaelic and English

THE BEN VEHIR DRAGONS.
The mountain at whose base tourists to Glencoe are
landed was first called Ben Gulbin, but it is now known
as Ben Vehir. It got this name from a dragon which,
long ago, took shelter in Corrie Lia, a great hollow in
the face of the mountain, and almost right above Balla-
chulish Pier. This dragon was apparently a terror
to the surrounding district. From the lip of the corrie
she overlooked the path round the foot of the mountain,
and, if the unsuspecting traveller attempted to pass by
her, she would leap down and tear him to pieces.
No one dared attack her, nor could anyone tell how
she might be destroyed until Charles, the Skipper, came
the way. He anchored his vessel a good distance
out from the site of the present pier, and between the
vessel and the shore formed a bridge of empty barrels,
lashed together with ropes, and bristling with iron
spikes. When the bridge was finished, he kindled a
large fire on hoard the vessel, and placed pieces of
flesh on the burning embers. As soon as the savour
of the burning flesh reached the corrie, the
dragon descended by a succession of leaps to the shore,
and thence tried to make her way out on the barrels
to the vessel. But the spikes entered her body, and
tore her up so badly that she was nearly dead before
she reached the outer end of the bridge. Meantime
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