1) Gede
Also shown in the Chronicles as Gud, Gilgidi, and Gede Olgudach, he is presented as the first true king after the sons of Cruithne. It has been suggested that his name might simply signify that he was the first in the line, as the Gaelic word for first’ is the similar sounding ‘ceud”. E.g. ‘an ceud/fhear’— the first man.

However, there is no real reason to suppose him not to have been an actual person. He is believed, according to the Chronicles, to have reigned for a staggering one hundred and fifty years. It is likely though that the figure of 150 says more about this king’s importance, or standing in the community, than it does about an imagined healthy life span. We know next to nothing about King Gede for the reasons discussed earlier, i.e. lack of documentation, yet, in spite of that, and against all the odds, we may have found his final resting-place.

High on a rise in the eastern end of the Ochil hills can be found the remains of a cairn, shown on the Ordnance Survey maps as ‘Cairn Geddes’. (O.S. Landranger 58. Grid Ref. NO.120.131). Gede, along with its other forms such as Ged, Geddes, Geddie and Geddis is a very old name in Scotland and is possibly derived from the Gaelic word ‘gead’, meaning a measure of land. It may be a ‘Q’ Celtic version of the Pictish word Pit’ or Pett’, meaning the same thing
The remains of this cairn are rather sparse. A small heap of stones about five feet high (one metre fifty) has been gathered in the middle of the cairn by occasional visitors, but by far the greater part was robbed for building material sometime in the early 19th century, apparently for the construction of drains and dykes. It was noted at the time of the plunder (some might say desecration), that the cairn was found to contain “a rude stone coffin”. Sadly, no archaeological work appears to have been carried out at the site and no mention was made of any bones or metal or other items of interest being discovered. There is every likelihood anyway that, given the landowner’s obvious disrespect for the past, all such items would have been discarded as worthless or simply pocketed as souvenirs.

What happened to the coffin is not recorded, but it is not impossible that the labourers reburied it when the bulk of the stonework had been removed. Let us hope so.

The approximate dimensions of the cairn can still be traced on the ground and enough of the base has been left for us to make an intelligent guess as to its original size. It appears to have been ellipsoid (oval) in shape, and lay along a N.N.E. to S.S.W. axis with the southern end pointing to the mid-winter sunset. The length measures roughly 66 feet (20.3 metres) and the width measures 54 feet (16.6 metres). It is of course impossible to say for sure the height of the original cairn, but it is likely to have been at least a quarter of its length which would have made it about 15 feet (4.6 metres) high. We don’t know the depth of the foundations so they haven’t been taken into consideration in any of the following calculations.

These dimensions have been appraised by a mathematician, and his calculations, when rounded, give an approximate volume of 28,000 cubic feet (815 cubic metres). Allowing for 25% spacing due to the irregular shape of the stones and boulders used in the cairn’s construction, this gives us a volume of 21,000 cubic feet (600 cubic metres) of solid stone. As sandstone weighs about 150 lbs. (68 kilos.) per cubic foot, this cairn would therefore have weighed at least a whopping one thousand four hundred tons. Imagine the organisation and the logistics involved in its creation. You have got to be someone pretty important to get a cairn like that raised to your memory and the first High King of the Picts would have been just such a person.

Nearby, to the south of the cairn, nestles lonely Loch Whirr, whose scored rocks bear testimony to the rigours of the Ice Age and whose calm waters now provide a pleasant home for a family of swans. Whirr is an unusual name, and its descent may be of some interest to students of Toponymy, (place-name research). There is little doubt that Whirr’ has derived from the Scottish pronunciation of a Perthshire Gaelic word ‘Uir’, meaning a grave, mound or tomb, in the same manner that a Scottish mother’s instruction to her bairns to Wheesht!’ has come from the Gaelic command, ‘Isd', meaning ‘Be Quiet!’ Loch Whirr simply means the loch of the burial mound.

At mid-day, as the mid-winter sun gradually sets, Loch Whirr turns golden when observed from the cairn. We can assume that this spectacular phenomenon was taken into the consideration of the people who raised the mound, for the site was obviously chosen with some care. Although it sits only 900 feet (278 metres) above sea level, the views from this ancient tomb are absolutely stunning.

To the east can be seen the whole range of the Lomond Hills in Fife and to the far south can be seen the Pentlands. To the west lies Craig Rossie, proud and prominent above the ancient towns of Dunning and Auchterarder. The view then sweeps across the Crieff Hills with the peaks around Glen Almond showing clearly on the horizon and carries on through the mountains north of Dunkeld and Pitlochry, leading one to the Braes above the Carse of Gowrie. The observer’s eye then moves north east, towards the hills of Angus, before finally settling on distant Dundee, across the river Tay.

Some places are said to reek of history, but the area surrounding Cairn Geddes positively marinades in it. Nearby runs the Wallace Road’, so called because Sir William Wallace used this track in his campaigns against the English, though it is believed to be much older, having been used originally by the Romans as a marching route to their fort at Carpow near Abernethy. The route later became a coach road and was travelled by Sir Walter Scott who mentioned the view in the opening pages of his book, The Fair Maid of Perth’.

There is much evidence of Bronze Age settlement in the area, including a cup marked boulder and a Druid’s ‘Rocking Stone’ (though, somewhat depressingly, neither rocking nor rolling since sometime in the nineteen-sixties), and the author has personally found two flint tools, dated to around 5000 years old, within a quarter mile of the cairn. Prehistoric forts dot the surrounding landscape.

The Irish ‘Book of Lecain’, tells us that a certain Gede, King of the Cruithne, ruled over Ireland as well as Alba. "The voices of all sounded as the music of the harp to each other, so great was the peace in his reign." ‘ If this was the same Gede he must have been some King.
We will probably never know for sure if Cairn Geddes was King Gede’s burial tomb, but it is surely a great pity that this cairn, which could very well be the final resting place of the first true King of the Picts, lies today so neglected and forsaken by modern Scots.