The death of a politician is guaranteed to provoke a frenzy of tributes and hagiography. On the part of his devoted followers, it is sincere; in the case of his rivals and opponents, it is often hypocrisy, performed to placate public opinion and to conceal relief that a competitor is no longer a threat. In other words, it is a posthumous continuation of the dark art of politics, executed on the same calculations as obtained when the departed was still active in the public square. The death of Alex Salmond inspired at least two national newspapers to employ the term “titan” in banner headlines on their front pages. Salmond was a very effective operator, his electoral success counterbalanced by some remarkable political solecisms: he was a significant political figure who, for more than a decade, dominated public life in Scotland; but he was not a titan.