A Safe stronghold...

From some angles the Castle seems to rise straight out of the area it once defended with military might.

Here in Edinburgh, at the heart of the Scottish Reformation, it reminds me of an earlier manifestation of the European Reformation in the work of Martin Luther! This, written by him, was supposedly sung by Luther and his companions as they entered Worms on April 16, 1521 to defend themselves on charges of heresy.

Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott,
Ein gute Wehr und Waffen;
Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not,
Die uns jetzt hat betroffen.
Der alt' böse Feind,
Mit Ernst er's jetzt meint,
Gross' Macht und viel List
Sein' grausam' Ruestung ist,
Auf Erd' ist nicht seingleichen.

Edinburgh Castle may not be as dramatic as the fortified castles of Central Europe, but the strength of the Castle is an astoundingly effective metaphor for those seeking assurance and security in a world of violence, plague and massive injustice. (Yes, I do mean 1529!)