White Stag Spotted In Scotland

This just in: After the only previously known living white stag was killed and beheaded by poachers near the Cornwall border last October, a new one has been spotted in the Scottish Highlands.

Four articles pertaining to this event:

  • Here is a news article that has pictures of the rare deer.
  • And here is another that has video.
  • Here is another article that give some historical information from British history and appearances of a white stag.
  • Here is a news article about the killing of the previously known white stag. (Please ignore the inappropriate pictures in the side-bar. I always drag my browser such that I can’t see them. What a pain.)

From WikiPedia’s article about the White Stag:

A white stag or white deer is a red deer with a condition known as leucism, a rare genetic pattern that causes a reduction in the pigment in the animal’s hair and skin. They are often thought to be albinos; however, unlike albinos, who have characteristically red eyes, deer with leucism have normal colouring in their eyes.

In my first Arthurian novel (5th century A.D.), I have not included a white stag in the story, per se, but I do begin Part One of the story with a poem that equates the death of a white stag with the death of the Celtic people of Britain, which is one of the dangers that will loom up in future books of my series as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invade, being called there by a supernatural enemy of Christianity (who will be revealed later). For what it is worth, here is the poem:

Swift as the moon the white stag running
Fleet as the owl the hunter hunting
Sharp as the claw the swift spear striking
Red as the sun the fresh life flowing
Leaved in green
There all Britain dies

Also, a white stag has been spotted in Missouri of all places. Check out the picture at my other post.