Thomas the Rhymer

Thomas the Rhymer, or Thomas of Erceldoune, was a thirteenth-century Scottish laird and poet surrounded by later legend. Tradition credited him with prophetic powers gained after an encounter with the Queen of Elfland.

Some medieval verse is associated with his name, though authorship is uncertain. His blend of historical identity, fairy lore and prophecy made him an enduring figure in Scottish ballad and historical fantasy.

In Nigel Tranter’s True Thomas, Thomas Learmonth of Ercildoune is remembered as Thomas the Rhymer: poet, laird and prophet, a man whose sayings were repeated long after the world that produced them had vanished.