Thomas of Erceldoune [key], fl. 1220?–1297?, Scottish seer and poet, also known as Thomas the Rhymer and Thomas Learmont. Evidence of his existence is founded on the mention of his name in documents of the 13th cent. Soon after his death his reputation as a prophet became proverbial. His reputed sayings were consulted as late as the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745. He supposedly predicted the battle of Bannockburn and the accession of James VI to the English throne. The poetical romance of Thomas and the Elf-Queen, attributed to him but actually composed about 1400, describes the events surrounding his receipt of the gift of prophecy.
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