Highlands

Through Waverley, we've gotten to hear a lot about the Scottish Highlands, but what exactly are these magic little lands?  

    The topography is quite different from the rest of the British Isles, with the Highlands boasting large mountain ranges and the largest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. The Highlands are also home to the only taiga biome within the British Isles, thanks to its thick scots pine forests. The topography make the highlands quite a difficult area for the cultivation of agricultural product, with only approximately 9% of the land suitable for cultivation. Because of this, famines have been a long-standing issue in the highlands, it's hard to survive off of mountain meat all the time. 

    The Highlands are quite sparsely populated, having a population density of only about 24 people per square mile. That's comparable to Russia's population density of 23 people per square mile, only the Highlands don't consist of 6.6 million square miles like Russia does. The most populated city, Inverness, only has a population of about 60,000 within its urban area, so if you enjoy rural mountainous areas, you may want to consider the Highlands as a possible travel destination. 

    Until the late 19th century, the Highlands solely spoke Gaelic and the Islands north of the Highlands boast the highest percentage of Gaelic speakers throughout all of Scotland. When you look at the town names of Highland towns, you can sense a distinct Gaelic origin from them. For example, the city name Inverness is derived from the Gaelic words "Inbhir Nis" meaning "Mouth of the River Ness", I assume you can all guess why its named that with the english translation.

    While it'll probably be close to impossible for us to visit the Highlands in the time that we have allotted for Scotland, I hope that everyone may consider this area for a future visit to the Isles as experiencing such an area in person will be so much more magical than simply reading or writing about it.

                                       Waverley Has ADHD?

    As someone with a substantial amount of knowledge on the intricacies of neurodivergence, that is the divergence from the standards of what deems someone's mental processes as typical, I couldn't help but notice that Waverley seems to depict tell-tale signs of ADHD from a young age. When looking at him through this modern diagnostic lens his behavior is quite understandable, giving us insight into Waverley's character that readers from before the time of modern psychiatry wouldn't have. 

    Waverley is all about chasing that dopamine high. What that means is that his priorities are decided based on what provides him with the most dopamine, the hormone that sends those feel good signals to his brain. We see this clearly at the beginning of the text when Waverley is described to devour novels of knights and adventures, but neglects other necessary academic pursuits. This is not only because he is too preoccupied with collecting as much temporary dopamine as he can, but because his mind goes into a state of paralysis at the thought of doing necessary tasks.

    Individuals with ADHD tend to suffer from a symptom called ADHD paralysis, which is where the brain prohibits the individual from doing certain tasks even if the individual knows it has to be done. The brain succeeds in its self sabotage through creating physical discomfort and a mental block, keeping the individual tethered to their small sources of dopamine. 

    When Waverley is depicted as lacking interest or avoiding responsibility, it isn't just his personality to blame, but also his mental inhibitions. His ADHD doesn't make him a bad character though, but rather a special character that allows us a glimpse into the world of an old-timey neurodivergent individual chasing his dopamine high.