The Old Proverb - If at first you don’t succeed try, try, try, again. There is a legend that has been passed down to children in Scotland, the British Isles, and former colonies of the British. The legend is the ultimate example of this proverb in action.
If you don’t know who Robert The Bruce is read The legend and I will tell you at the bottom. I don’t want to spoil the legend before you even start it.
Legend has it that when Robert the Bruce was defeated after multiple battles with the English. He fled to the lonely island of Rachrin, off the Irish coast. His spirits were broken, he took refuge in a cave. Sitting in the cave, he noticed a small spider attempting to weave a web.
He like others did not like spiders and knocked the spider down removing the web. The spider came back and began to build its web again. The wind blew the web apart and again the spider began again to rebuild the web.
The spider tried and failed over and over. Each time the spider fell or the web was destroyed, it climbed back up to try again. Finally, the spider managed to spin a web.
Robert the Bruce saw this as an omen. He saw himself reflected in the spider’s struggle. After watching the spider finally succeed, Robert found the inspiration to return and fight the English despite overwhelming odds.
Because this has been passed verbally down through generations you will see little difference with every story, but they all follow the same premise. Some of the legends may state this occurred in a hut while others state a cave. Some go into a lot of detail, some just outline the legend but all state the same lesson learned by Robert the Bruce. No matter how many times you fail, try again.
Children are given this legend to teach them perseverance and patience.
It may be just a legend, but the lesson learned from the legend is a great one for anyone whether they have Scottish ancestry or not. It is a lesson of resilience.
If you are knocked down get back up and keep trying.
Information on Robert the Bruce.
Robert the Bruce defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 re-establishing an independent Scotland. He became the King of the independence Kingdom of Scotland.
He had lead forces flighting the British from 1306 to 1314. For the first 4 years he lost most of the battles. It is said that this spider omen may have occurred between 1306 and 1307 when he had to flee and go into hiding for after loss at The Battle of Methven.
I can’t help but wonder if this is why I am so stubborn. Is stubborness something passed from my Scottish ancestry to me. I know I received my stubbornness from my Grandfather who was 1/2 Scottish and 1/2 English. His genealogy traces back through the Campbell line to the sister of Robert the Bruce marriage to a Campbell. Is stubbornness something passed down? I truly can’t say he is the only stubborn relative I have, but he definitely was probably the most stubborn.
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