In a time when the Scottish highlands were wild and untamed, a poor widow lived with her two sons, Martin and Kenneth. The family had little more than a small cottage and a few sheep, but the boys were strong and eager to seek their fortune. One day, Martin, the elder, declared he would go out into the world to find work and wealth. His mother gave him a bannock cake and her blessing, warning him to choose the half with her curse if he wanted good luck, or the half with her blessing if he did not. Martin, proud and careless, took the cursed half and set off across the heather-covered moors.

Martin walked for many miles until he came upon a castle made of black stone, surrounded by a forest of twisted trees. Inside, he found a giant with three heads, each one red and snarling. This was the Red Ettin, a fearsome creature that guarded a treasure of gold and jewels. The Ettin set Martin three tasks: to fetch water from a well that never ran dry, to cut down a forest with a blunt axe, and to find a lost key in a field of thistles. Martin failed each task, and the Ettin turned him to stone with a wave of his hand, adding him to the collection of statues in the castle courtyard.

Back at the cottage, Kenneth grew restless and decided to follow his brother. His mother gave him a bannock cake, and this time he wisely chose the half with her blessing. He journeyed through the same moors and forests, but along the way he met a strange old woman who asked for a piece of his cake. Kenneth shared his food kindly, and in return she gave him a magic wand, a sword, and a cloak of invisibility. She told him that these gifts would help him defeat the Red Ettin, but only if he used them with courage and cleverness.

The Ettin set Martin three tasks: to fetch water from a well that never ran dry, to cut down a forest with a blunt axe, and to find a lost key in a field of thistles.

Kenneth reached the black castle and confronted the Ettin. The giant set him the same three tasks, but Kenneth used the magic wand to draw water from the well, the sword to slice through the forest, and the cloak to find the key hidden among the thistles. Enraged, the Ettin charged at Kenneth, but the boy drew his sword and fought bravely. With a mighty stroke, he cut off all three of the giant's heads. The castle shook, and the spell was broken. All the stone statues, including Martin, returned to life. The brothers embraced, and the treasure was shared among the villagers.

The story of the Red Ettin is a classic example of the hero's journey archetype, where a young person leaves home, faces trials, and returns transformed. The setting—a bleak, magical landscape—reflects the inner challenges of growing up. The audience, often children, learns that kindness and wisdom are more powerful than brute strength. The tale also shows the importance of heeding a mother's advice and the value of helping strangers. In Scottish folklore, such stories were told around fires to teach moral lessons and to explain the dangers of the wild world beyond the village.