The Inchcape rock is based on the idiom "What goes around comes around" or even "Tit for Tat"! the poem speaks about a huge and perilous rock , known as the Inchcape rock near the coast of Scotland . During sunny days it could be easily noticed but during a storm , the ships would meet their death because of it .
To solve this problem, the Abbot of Aberbrothok placed a bell upon this rock. The bell would be heard loud and clear during a storm & hence worn the sailors that the fatal Inchcape rock was near .
Now a pirate called Sir Ralph The Rover enters the story. The bell was a great disadvantage for him because he looted the ships that were wrecked by the Inchcape rock. So one day he decided to cut the bell from the rock. He was very happy now since there was no bell there was a lot more loot !
Soon he was very rich and came back near the shore of Scotland.It was a very stormy day . There was a thick haze, a strong gale and it was nearing nighttime. It was so dark that they could not see land . Sir Ralph tried to give his sailors courage by saying that the moon would soon appear and that they would be able to see .
However, they still cant see and everybody wishes they could hear the Inchcape bell . The ship soon strikes the rock and everybody is in despair . Sir Ralph was cursing himself as the ship was sinking beneath the tide .
Even as he was dying , Ralph could hear one dreadful sound . It was as if it was the warning sound of the Inchcape bell, it was as if it was the sound of the Devil ringing his knell.
(btw the knell is the sound that signifies death, disaster or more importantly - the end of something)
Copyright © 2026 eLLeNow.com All Rights Reserved.