The Old Man of Lochnagar facts for kids
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| Author | Charles, Prince of Wales |
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| Illustrator | Hugh Casson |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's fiction |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton |
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Publication date
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November 1980 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 46 |
| ISBN | 0-241-10527-7 |
| OCLC | 219806186 |
The Old Man of Lochnagar is a fun children's book. It was written by Charles, Prince of Wales, who is now King Charles III. Sir Hugh Casson drew the pictures for the book.
The story is about an old man. He lives in a cave near a beautiful lake, or loch. This loch is at the bottom of a mountain called Lochnagar. This mountain is in Scotland, near Balmoral Castle. The Royal Family, including Prince Charles, often spend their summer holidays there.
Prince Charles first told this story many years ago. He made it up to entertain his younger brothers, Andrew and Edward. The book was published in 1980. All the money raised from selling the book went to The Prince's Trust. This charity helps young people.
The book later became an animated short film by the BBC. Robbie Coltrane was the voice of the old man. Prince Charles himself narrated the film. It was also turned into a musical play. In 1984, Prince Charles read the story on the BBC children's show Jackanory. He even read it in Welsh and Scottish Gaelic on TV.
In 2007, a new ballet was created based on the story. The National Youth Ballet of Great Britain performed it. The music was written by Nigel Hess. The ballet was first shown in London.
Contents
The Story of Lochnagar
The story begins with Prince Charles at Balmoral. He is trying to entertain some bored children. He tells them about an old man. This man was looking for a quiet place to live. He also wanted a hot spring bath.
The Old Man's New Home
The old man found a remote cave at Lochnagar. He dragged a bathtub inside. He decided this cave was his new home. The old man used to make a lot of noise. His old neighbors often complained about it. He talked to an animal he called Maudie. Maudie was already living in the cave. He set up his pipes for his long-awaited bath.
Finally, everything was ready. The Old Man wore his tartan dressing gown. He was excited to jump into the bath. But when he jumped in, the water was freezing cold! His squeals echoed around the loch. He told Maudie he would have to wait for a bath. He needed to find a way to heat the water first. Then he pulled the plug on his full bath.
Meeting the Gorm Pixies
The Old Man did not know that his cave was special. It was near the underground home of the Gorm. The Gorm are a clan of Scottish pixies. They are responsible for making spring flowers grow in Scotland.
The Gorm King was an inventor. He had created a strange device. It looked and sounded like bagpipes. This device could shrink full-grown flowers back into seeds. The seeds would turn back into flowers when they got wet. The Gorm Queen and Princess were excited. They said the King had changed how everyone would work.
Suddenly, a flood poured down from above. This was the water from the Old Man's bath! It followed his pipes into the Gorm's workshops. The water ruined their flowers. It also flooded out the workers. The Princess and her younger brother were washed away. They came out of a tree stump alone and wet. They looked up and saw a 'giant'. He was tending a huge pot over a fire. The young Prince feared they would be made into soup.
A Giant Problem
The 'giant' was actually the Old Man. He had found a way to heat his bath. He lit a huge fire underneath it. He was still in his tartan dressing gown. Suddenly, he was hit by the Gorm King's device. The young Princess had picked it up. He immediately shrank to the size of a pixie. The Prince and Princess took him away. They wanted to show him what his bathwater had done.
At first, the Old Man thought he was dreaming. He didn't seem to care about the damage. He just said, "I've never dreamed in colour before." This lasted until he fell down a hole. He hit his head. When he felt the pain, he realized it was real. You can't feel pain in a dream. The damage was his fault.
Fixing the Mess
The Prince and Princess took the Old Man outside. To their shock, the whole world seemed to be on fire! The fire under the Old Man's bath had spread. It was threatening the countryside. The Old Man offered to help. But he needed to be bigger first. The Princess did not want to help him at first. But she changed her mind. She told him he needed to 'get watered'.
With Maudie's help, the Old Man was launched into his bath. He returned to his normal size. He pulled the plug again. This flooded the area and put out the fire. It also protected the pixies' underground home.
The Old Man learned an important lesson. His actions affect others. He must think about the consequences. The story ends with the Gorm sharing a huge bath with the Old Man. It had water wheels and boats! When he finished, the Old Man drained his bath. He used his special plumbing skills. The water reactivated the magic seeds. Flowers popped up all around.
The End of the Story
The story finishes with the Old Man of Lochnagar. Then it returns to Balmoral and Prince Charles. The children told him it was a good story. But they said it was "just a story." Charles replied that "you never really know." He lifted a set of bagpipes from his desk. He began to play. After a few notes, the Prince shrank to a tiny size. This suggested his story was inspired by true events! The children then raced off to find the bathtub. They wanted to restore the Prince to his normal size.
Links to Scottish Stories
The Gorm are pixies in the story. Their name means "Blue." They might be inspired by "Na Fir Ghorma." These are the Blue Men. They are a tribe of fairies. People say they live in The Minch in Scotland. Other similar Scottish folklore stories also exist. The idea of blue-skinned fairy folk is also in The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett.
