Auliston was located on the Morvern Peninsula in the Highland region of Scotland, overlooking the Isle of Mull. It was once occupied for a century before it was cleared of its inhabitants in 1855, during the Highland Clearances.

The rugged landscape and geographical isolation of much of the Scottish Highlands made it a relatively inaccessible place for much of its political and cultural history. With this, however, came the evolution of its own very unique traditions, cultural life, and folklore.

The West Highland Museum in Fort William houses a significant collection of items curated by the renowned 19th-century Scottish folklorist and antiquarian Alexander Carmichael (1832–1912).