Robert the Bruce later account, "Tales of a Grandfather" by Sir Walter Scott, and may have originally been told about his companion-in-arms Sir James Douglas (the "Black Douglas"), who had spent time hiding out in caves within his manor of Lintalee, which was then occupied by the English. The entire account may in fact be a version of a literary trope used in royal biographical writing. A similar story is told, for example, in Jewish sources about King David, and in Persian folklore about the Mongolian warlord Tamerlane and an ant. It is said that before the Battle of Bannockburn, Bruce was attacked
Robert the Bruce favourite axe. To this day, the story stands in folklore as a testament of the Scottish people and their culture. Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Medieval Gaelic: '; modern Scottish Gaelic: '; Norman French: ' or '; Early Scots: "Robert Brus"; ), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert was one of the most famous warriors of his generation, and eventually led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully during his reign to regain Scotland's place