Sawney Bean: Dissecting the Legend of the Scottish Cannibal

Legend has it that Scotland's most heinous crimes were committed by Sawney Bean and his murderous clan of cannibals-an incestuous cave-dwelling tribe thought to have preyed on hundreds of travellers on the coast of Galloway in the sixteenth century. The Beans' appetite for human flesh has since accrued international infamy, and is even supposed to have incited a royal manhunt by King James I of England. The Beans have, over the centuries, carved out a secure place in Scottish folklore. Sawney Bean: "Dissecting the Legend of the Scottish Cannibal is the first major non-fictional investigation of a tale that has permeated accounts of Scotland's history, and Scottish cultural practices today. Blaine L. Pardoe uses a wide range of carefully researched material to examine every aspect of the myth, while tracking its oscillating journey between fact and fiction. Readers will glean from his writing some fascinating insights into the burgeoning literary formats, anti-Scottish prejudice, and sensationalist culture of early modern Britain. Book jacket.