Derick Thomson and the Ossian Controversy

This paper focuses on Derick Thomson’s engagement with the Ossian controversy and maps his contributions, both scholarly and popularising, and the development of his attitudes. As the Gaelic dimension of the Ossian controversy still tends to be overlooked and many contributors to the debate exhibit very little awareness of it, a survey of Thomson’s scholarship provides numerous relevant impulses for further research. Moreover, since many aspects of Thomson’s career have not received due attention, this essay also strives to provide more understanding of Derick Thomson as a scholar.