Scottish Thistle and Knot Wood CarvingScottish Thistle and Knot Wood Carving. Do you know how the thistle became the emblem of the Sottish nation? The story goes that a sleeping group of Scottish warriors avoided an ambush by an invading Norse army when one of the Norseman stepped on a thistle with his bare feet. He shrieked and yelled which alerted the Scots and allowed them to defeat the invaders. The thistle was then adopted as the symbol of Scotland. Dimensions: 13" x 13" x 1. 5"