Edinburgh publisher Canongate recently launched a new series of books looking at myths, with its first written by Canadian Margaret Atwood. So this seems an appropriate time to have a fresh look at the myths and stereotypes attached to Scotland and the Scots.

Our mainstream tourist trail still thrives on popular icons such as tartan, pipes and the revered Loch Ness Monster.

Stray off the traditional trail, however, and you'll find a fresh twist to all of Scotland's icons. Modern Scotland is thriving in music, arts, sciences, technology and so much more. Like all myths and stereotypes, there is a little bit of truth, a little bit of history and a little bit of ingenuity. Scotland is constantly evolving and new legends are being created in all fields, from food to fashion. It's time to take a new look at Scotland.

Tartan will never be old hat
Tartan was made universally popular by Queen Victoria, who loved all things Scottish and especially all things Highland. Scotland has always had a thriving textiles industry. Following the dispersal of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Highland army, the industry was put to work mass producing the brightly coloured plaids of the Highland clans. Over the centuries tartan has become so popular and so synonymous with Scotland that it has become a bit of a cliché. Until recently that is.

Inspired new Scottish fashion designers like Howie Nicholsby, Jilli Blackwood and Jonathan Saunders have given tartan new scope in terms of both fabric and design. Kilts are the cool of the catwalk from New York to Milan. Saunders' distinctive patterns and geometric shapes – literally 'tartan on acid' – recently earned him the title 'the Pucci for the iPod generation' from the Times newspaper.

Scotland has become such a recognised hotspot of fashion design that not only are its art colleges hives of new talent but 'festival city' Edinburgh is to launch its first ever Fashion Festival in April. Iconic fashion designer Vivienne Westwood along with Matthew Williamson and Scotland's own Jonathan Saunders are lined up to take part.

See . . . it's a kilt Jim, but not as we know it.

Pipes, drums and steel guitars
Around the world, people still thrill to the sound of a pipe band. However, many now realise that there is so much more to our music. From KT Tunstall, winning female soloist at the 2006 Brit Awards, to Franz Ferdinand's supremacy in the British and US charts, contemporary Scottish music rocks. Bands like Travis, Texas and Belle and Sebastian are trailblazers in the pop scene. Others like Mull Historical Society, Salsa Celtica and Blazing Fiddles are taking traditional folk music and blending it with world music to create a vibrant new sound that is impossible not to dance to.

Ceilidhs, with a distinctly modern sassiness, are alive and very well across the country. So visitors thinking that a village dance is going to be 'staid' will be very surprised. There may be many kilts but the gathering is likely to be very informal and the temperature hot! Glasgow is the Mecca of many new bands and along with the capital Edinburgh boasts some of best clubs West of Berlin and East of New York. Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival remains a highlight of the year with an ever-increasing Celtic New Wave wowing the international audience. The summer outdoor festival of T in the Park in Perthshire attracts the biggest names in music. Holding the MTV Music Awards in Edinburgh was the pièce de résistance and acknowledged that Scotland is 'the place' for music.

Haggis haute cuisine

Porridge, battered haggis and chips with everything? Not in Scotland. Any visitors to both metropolitan Scotland and the scenic routes will find that food is our speciality.

For a start the local produce is second to none. In addition to the best salmon and trout, Scotland has a cornucopia of seafood available. Much of the fresh seafood produce is exported to France and Spain given its high quality.

With its world famous beef, venison, lamb and not to mention a tasty cheeseboard, Scotland produces first class food. Even haggis, which is really tasty though occasionally derided, is being served up in fresh combinations such as a terrine or a side dish. All over Scotland, hotel kitchens along with chic and traditional city restaurants are coming up with imaginative new recipes and delicious gastronomic experiences. Scotland has some leading names in the chef world with Gordon Ramsay, Nick Nairn and Gleneagles chef, Andrew Fairlie, who has recently been awarded a prestigious second Michelin star. They are just the tip of a splendid sorbet!

What's in a stereotype?
So there are some new snapshots to dispel some of the more hackneyed images of Scotland, but what about the stereotypes? Stereotypes usually have some basis of truth but are then exaggerated and fixated upon. Nationalities are often seen through the frame of stereotype. There are three common stereotypes that pertain to the Scots and on consideration they have some very positive aspects.

The Scots are often perceived as fierce with their 'Braveheart ' label. Pugnacity may be one side of this but on the other there is the fierceness of loyalty, trust and friendship which are all qualities historically associated with Scotland. In the same vein the qualities of tolerance, valuing individual freedom and human rights are rooted in the Scottish mindset and expressed so eloquently in the poems of Robert Burns.

The Scots have sometimes been portrayed as mean. There's the old self-deprecatory joke on seeing a road works sign beside a hole in the ground that some Scot has lost a sixpence. A better word for this quality is 'canny'. Canny in the financial sense means thrifty or shrewd. Henry Duncan, a Dumfriesshire minister, set up the first trustee savings bank in the world. Some of our biggest banks have been looking after our money for hundreds of years (300 in one case) and many of today's pensions companies are of Scottish origin. Shrewdness coupled with probity, another good Scottish quality, account for our world-class financial services today. It is a little known fact but the Scots are actually the biggest givers to charities per capita in the UK. In addition to being the most generous they are the most neighbourly. Far from being dour, a nationwide survey has found that Scots know their neighbours better than anywhere else in the UK. On average, they could name over 15 of those living near them while in London that figure fell to less than five.

Ingenuity is a third common stereotype. Not a bad one at all! Television, the telephone, the rubber tyre, golf, the fax machine and colour photography were all invented by Scots. Scotland virtually invented geology and engineering. Today we are leaders in the fields of biotechnology, medical research and computer games. There's hardly a negative side to this stereotype. In fact this ingenuity is supported by Scottish self-confidence, belief in the value of education and a prodigious work ethic.

Monster Myth
Scotland's First Minister Jack McConnell has said:

Scotland is a place that is open for business — a place that is a modern, vibrant and attractive nation. I want to make that bridge between the traditional, almost mythical image of our country and the vibrancy and energy of the new devolved Scotland.

Some of the images and stereotypes of Scotland mentioned contribute to this 'almost mythical image'. Scotland cannot help but be a land of mystery and imagination. It is not surprising that some of the most fantastical writers lived here or were so moved by the visit, that their subsequent work was littered with castles and spectres. Scotland boasts more haunted castles than just about any other country outside Transylvania. In fact, in addition to a rich folklore of goblins and witches, Scotland has a long line of ghoulish true stories, like that of the body-snatchers Burke and Hare. The fascination with the supernatural and the gruesome is still alive and kicking as the popularity of the 'mystery tours' in Edinburgh's Old Town attest.

When it comes to the Loch Ness Monster, who is to say? She was first 'spotted' in 565 by St Columba and he was a man of integrity. However, most of the sightings have been in the last 100 years or so, since that aforementioned Scottish invention of colour photography! Perhaps this is due to more people looking out for her or the growth in the Scottish tourist industry. Whatever, Nessie is so up to date that she now has her own Internet diary!

Building the bridge
What's important today, post-devolution, is for Scotland to be tuned in to its history and as it forges a new identity, it should be as creative as Sir Walter Scott was in his day. The bridge that the First Minister talks about is being built by Scotland's artists, writers, film-makers, designers and musicians. Voice and image is being given to the new Scotland with all the passion, canniness and ingenuity we possess as a nation but as the classic myths remind us, underlining everything, are the fundamental questions and concerns of being human.

With a much loved backdrop of romantic myths and stereotypes, Scotland is making its name in the international mainstream of fiction, film, design and popular music. Not only are we open for business but we're doing business as usual with a Scottish panache!