Nannie Dee is the young witch from ‘Tam o’Shanter’ who danced the dance of witches in her scanty “cutty sark”.
Nannie stood out like a beacon amongst the wizened hags in the coven and her frenetic dancing so enchanted Tam that he forgot where he was and yelled out, “Weel done, Cutty Sark!” – an act of stupidity which blew his cover and brought the hordes of hell down on him and his trusty steed.
Nannie is depicted here with Maggie’s Tail which Tam’s heroic horse lost to her in that final leap across the Brig o’ Doon.
"To sing how Nannie lap and flang (A souple jade she was, and strang) And how Tam stood like ane bewitched, And thought his very een enrich’d
…till first ae caper, syne anither, Tam tint his reason a thegither, And roars out, "Weel done, Cutty-sark!“ And in an instant all was dark:"
