Why is the Thistle the national emblem of Scotland? The following is taken from "Nancy's Thistle Page" web site. Is this fact of fiction? I thought that they might have harvested the flower pod for making linen. James Wm. Wallace "Legend has it that, a very long time ago, when Scotland was ravaged by Viking invaders, a group of Scottish fighting men rested overnight in a field. Unknown to them, a raiding party prepared to attack them, under cover of darkness. As the Vikings approached the encamped Scots, it was their misfortune to creep barefoot through a patch of thistles -- letting out cries of pain as the thorns pierced their soles. The Scots, having been awakened by this hubbub, were alerted and able to fight off their attackers. From that day, the thistle has been the national emblem of Scotland and a symbol of all things Scottish. I proudly regard and cherish the thistle as an ancestral talisman of protection and luck."