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= Shetland Sword Dance = Or Papa Stour Sword dance is a British linked sword dance involving seven dancers, who represent the seven Champions of Christendom: St. James of Spain, St. Denis of France, St. David of Wales, St. Patrick of Ireland, St. Anthony of Italy, St. Andrew of Scotland and St. George of England. The dance originated on the island of Papa Stour, of the Shetland chain.

The dance was apparently on the brink of extinction by the early 1800s, until Sir Walter Scott wrote a fictional account of it in his novel "The Pirate", which revived interest public interest in the dance. Later, in his Magnum Opus edition of "The Pirate", Scott included a description and script of the dance in his notes.

The music for the Shetland Sword Dance is a Muckle Reel in quadruple meter.

Music
The music for the Shetland Sword Dance is written in the Ionian mode and is in the key of A major. It is divided into two parts, a short introduction called the "Tripp", followed by the Dance Proper.

The "Tripp", in quadruple meter, is used as a solo introduction for each of the dancers.

After each of the Seven Champions has been introduced, the Dance Proper, begins. The dance proper is a Muckle Reel. It is divided into four sections, shifting from duple meter in the A section, to quadruple meter in the B section and then to triple meter in the C section.

Lyrics
There are different versions of lyrics, which are spoken before each repetition of the Tripp to introduce each character. Sir Walter Scott, in his notes on "The Pirate", gave a script of the lyrics that he received from a Dr. James Scott.