Behind the Story: The Riddle and the Battle of Culloden 1746
B ehind the Story of “The Riddle” recently published in the Dragon Soul Press anthology “Trickster” With connections to events depicted in the popular Outlander TV series and in Scottish folklore, the Riddle is a story set in the chaos immediately following the battle of Culloden in 18 th century Scotland. THE RIDDLE: The Battle of Culloden Jacobite memorial cairn from Culloden The battle pitted the British forces of King George II (often contemptuously referred to by the Scots as the German King because of the Hanover heritage) under the command of the soon to be notorious Duke of Cumberland, against the Jacobite army of the Bonnie Prince Charles Stuart. The battle took place on April 16 1746. It was an attempt by the Catholic Stuarts to regain not only the throne in Scotland, but England as well. Cannons and cavalry routed the charging Scottish forces, leaving over 1,000 soldiers dead to the British 50. Cumberland earned the nickname ‘The Butcher’ for his brutality against