The Battle of Rosline in 1303 was one of many battles that culminated into what we now understand as the First War of Scottish Independence. Through further examination this story represents a vivid image of a Highland hero.  It's from this image of a hero we will draw from to determine the characteristics required to be considered a Scottish national hero. Descriptive words such as, "bold" and "brave" establish a simple understanding of heroic qualities. However, on the first page of the chapbook we are told the Scottish leaders are equal to Caesar, a great and powerful leader of the Roman Empire. 

With every act of bravery comes a question of cowardice.  The paragraph outlined describes the scene of battle when the English rushed to fight and the Scotsmen stand strong and instill fear into the oncoming army; they "made their foes to startle." The Scots chose a battle tactic that caused their enemies to panic and run away. From this passage we can understand the acts of a hero as standing in the face of danger knowing the possible outcomes, in this case the only solution was fighting for Scotland's freedom and winning. "Like lions our Heroes raged, Dealt death at every blow."

Further into the story the more our definition of a hero evolves. A hero is bold, brave, courageous, and a warrior with a just cause and true hearts. This chant, outlined in blue, exemplifies the motives behind Scotland and its defenders. With bravery and disdain for the English, Scotland will overcome oppression and 'slavery' with a fight until "our last blood is spent."

This last page notes the family names of the men who fought as heroes for their country. It's not only appreciation but also a memorial to these men and their families: Douglas, Campbell, Hay, Gordon, Montgomerie, Ker, Murray, Keith, Boyd and Hamilton. It is important to note the phrase at the end of the story, "But alas! we're not all true blue [Scottish nationalists], as we were in the days of old." The author points out the difference between the heroes in the War of Scottish Independence and the heroes in the nineteenth century.  The evolution of heroic qualities speaks to the change in liturature over the years.  Modern-day comic book heroes have different added qualities, such as 'super' powers, compared to heroes from the nineteenth century, who are 'normal' but do extraordinary things.