Extra Credit 2 - Research
Alexander Bowne
The Goodman o' Wastness
There was once a good looking man who owned a successful farm. Given those facts alone, it is clear that many of the local young women were interested in him. However, he rejected all of them, claiming that "women were only sent as trials to men, and he had more than enough trials already." This understandably did not endear him to the rest of the village.
As it happens, the Goodman was walking along the beach and came across several selkies sunning themselves on some rocks, with their seal-skins just sitting out in the open. Whether because of their beauty or out of other reasons, the Goodman snuck up on them, and as they scattered, managed to grab one of the seal skins. When the selkie-maid followed him, crying for her skin back, he found himself both pitying her and falling in love with her, so he convinced her to come back to his farm with him and be his wife.
They had seven beautiful children together, and appeared to be a happy, functional family to the rest of the locals. However, the selkie constantly longed to return to the sea, and whenever she was left alone in the house would hunt for her seal skin. For many years she was unsuccessful, and her search became more and more frantic.
Finally, during a day long search when just her youngest daughter was in the house, the daughter asked what she was looking for. When the selkie told her, the young girl exclaimed that she had seen her father looking at a lovely seal skin and then hiding it in a space above the bed. Overjoyed, the selkie found her skin, said farewell to her daughter, and returned to seal form in the sea.
As she swam out, another selkie met her, and the two of them found the boat the Goodman was in. Revealing herself as his (now ex-) wife, the selkie bade the Goodman farewell as well, saying that she appreciated that he was kind to her, but she loved her husband from the sea more.
The Goodman never saw her again, though in his old age, he could often be found by the sea, hoping for one last glimpse of his lost love.
This is a similar story to many selkie legends, but has a bit more detail than many others. While this myth says nothing about what happens with the children, similar stories generally have the mother come visit the children and play with them in the waves. Also, since the children were the most attractive people on the island, I cannot imagine they suffered too much.
Main source: http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/selkiefolk/wastness.htm
There was once a good looking man who owned a successful farm. Given those facts alone, it is clear that many of the local young women were interested in him. However, he rejected all of them, claiming that "women were only sent as trials to men, and he had more than enough trials already." This understandably did not endear him to the rest of the village.
As it happens, the Goodman was walking along the beach and came across several selkies sunning themselves on some rocks, with their seal-skins just sitting out in the open. Whether because of their beauty or out of other reasons, the Goodman snuck up on them, and as they scattered, managed to grab one of the seal skins. When the selkie-maid followed him, crying for her skin back, he found himself both pitying her and falling in love with her, so he convinced her to come back to his farm with him and be his wife.
They had seven beautiful children together, and appeared to be a happy, functional family to the rest of the locals. However, the selkie constantly longed to return to the sea, and whenever she was left alone in the house would hunt for her seal skin. For many years she was unsuccessful, and her search became more and more frantic.
Finally, during a day long search when just her youngest daughter was in the house, the daughter asked what she was looking for. When the selkie told her, the young girl exclaimed that she had seen her father looking at a lovely seal skin and then hiding it in a space above the bed. Overjoyed, the selkie found her skin, said farewell to her daughter, and returned to seal form in the sea.
As she swam out, another selkie met her, and the two of them found the boat the Goodman was in. Revealing herself as his (now ex-) wife, the selkie bade the Goodman farewell as well, saying that she appreciated that he was kind to her, but she loved her husband from the sea more.
The Goodman never saw her again, though in his old age, he could often be found by the sea, hoping for one last glimpse of his lost love.
This is a similar story to many selkie legends, but has a bit more detail than many others. While this myth says nothing about what happens with the children, similar stories generally have the mother come visit the children and play with them in the waves. Also, since the children were the most attractive people on the island, I cannot imagine they suffered too much.
Main source: http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/selkiefolk/wastness.htm
Edmund Smethwyck
I decided to do some research on a tale about a selkie. It is called The Selkie Bride. From http://www.weingartdesign.com/TMaS/Stories/tmas1-SelkieBride.html
The Selkie Bride
I figure blue is an appropriate colour. Once upon a time, there was a fisherman. He was a Scottish fisherman. Truthfully, that doesn't much affect the story, but he is. He was fishing one day (I imagine he fished more often than just this one day XD) and he was having a terrible fishing day. He caught just about nothing. However, as he was walking home he saw a whole bunch of beautiful selkies singing on the coast. Naturally, being a man of any variety, he wandered toward them, enraptured in their beauty. They, being flighty as women are :P quickly dove back into the sea and disappeared. The fisherman thus thought he was going crazy. Because who believes in selkies in Scotland? I know, crazy. As he's walking back to the road to walk home, he spots a beeeeeautiful seal skin. Now he knows he's not crazy huzzah! And he takes it. Because even though he knows about Selkies and the fact that they can't go in the water without their skins, he's going to take it to sell it.
Thankfully, and predictably, the Selkie to whom the skin belongs stops him as he's walking. He's stubborn, and tells her that she'll just have to marry him and come to his house, because he's got her skin. But don't worry, he promised to treat her like a princess! So the Selkie, having no choice, follows him back to the house and marries him. Due to Stockholm syndrome, they fall in love. And have 7 babies. 7. That's a lot of babies. I wonder if they came out as human babies with seal heads. That wasn't mentioned in the story. The Selkie loved her children with all her heart, but they would always catch her looking out at the sea with wistful glances and misty eyes. They'd ask her why she was upset, and she didn't tell...until she did. Then her youngest child asked and she told him that she was from the sea. So the little kid, being very brave as little children tend to be in fairy tales, takes the seal skin out of the fireplace chimney, where the fisherman had hidden it, and essentially told his mom "BYE HAVE FUN BE SAFE DON'T DO DRUGS I LOVE YOU" without even letting the father say goodbye.
So basically, they were sad that she was gone, but seeing her be in her real home gave them a sense of satisfaction and that warm fuzzy feeling in their heart. The moral of the story as far as I can see it is not to fall in love with supernatural creatures because they're just going to break your heart. Are you listening, Ms. Swan? The offspring I assume live peaceful Scottish lives farming or something. I doubt they fish because they'd be too sad or something. But it's sort of a bittersweet happily-ever-after. Definitely not a tragedy though! Probably this story would have a soundtrack where all the women in the audience would be crying into their hankies and perhaps the men too, although in today's society they'd probably be like "I would'a slapped that ho" or something thoroughly inappropriate.
But yes. That was the Selkie Bride in a nutshell!
The Selkie Bride
I figure blue is an appropriate colour. Once upon a time, there was a fisherman. He was a Scottish fisherman. Truthfully, that doesn't much affect the story, but he is. He was fishing one day (I imagine he fished more often than just this one day XD) and he was having a terrible fishing day. He caught just about nothing. However, as he was walking home he saw a whole bunch of beautiful selkies singing on the coast. Naturally, being a man of any variety, he wandered toward them, enraptured in their beauty. They, being flighty as women are :P quickly dove back into the sea and disappeared. The fisherman thus thought he was going crazy. Because who believes in selkies in Scotland? I know, crazy. As he's walking back to the road to walk home, he spots a beeeeeautiful seal skin. Now he knows he's not crazy huzzah! And he takes it. Because even though he knows about Selkies and the fact that they can't go in the water without their skins, he's going to take it to sell it.
Thankfully, and predictably, the Selkie to whom the skin belongs stops him as he's walking. He's stubborn, and tells her that she'll just have to marry him and come to his house, because he's got her skin. But don't worry, he promised to treat her like a princess! So the Selkie, having no choice, follows him back to the house and marries him. Due to Stockholm syndrome, they fall in love. And have 7 babies. 7. That's a lot of babies. I wonder if they came out as human babies with seal heads. That wasn't mentioned in the story. The Selkie loved her children with all her heart, but they would always catch her looking out at the sea with wistful glances and misty eyes. They'd ask her why she was upset, and she didn't tell...until she did. Then her youngest child asked and she told him that she was from the sea. So the little kid, being very brave as little children tend to be in fairy tales, takes the seal skin out of the fireplace chimney, where the fisherman had hidden it, and essentially told his mom "BYE HAVE FUN BE SAFE DON'T DO DRUGS I LOVE YOU" without even letting the father say goodbye.
So basically, they were sad that she was gone, but seeing her be in her real home gave them a sense of satisfaction and that warm fuzzy feeling in their heart. The moral of the story as far as I can see it is not to fall in love with supernatural creatures because they're just going to break your heart. Are you listening, Ms. Swan? The offspring I assume live peaceful Scottish lives farming or something. I doubt they fish because they'd be too sad or something. But it's sort of a bittersweet happily-ever-after. Definitely not a tragedy though! Probably this story would have a soundtrack where all the women in the audience would be crying into their hankies and perhaps the men too, although in today's society they'd probably be like "I would'a slapped that ho" or something thoroughly inappropriate.
But yes. That was the Selkie Bride in a nutshell!
Kynthia Near
The Great Selkie o' Suleskerry
According to the story, during the Selkie's stay on land he meets a young mortal woman with whom he haves a son with. Soon after their baby boy is born the Selkie dissapears and returns to the sea. A few years later and while the woman is taking a stroll near the sea wondering out loud where her son's father is, a seal appears on shore. The seal approaches the young maiden and speaks to her. He tells her that he is a Selkie, a man while on shore and a seal when he returns to the sea and that his homeland's name is Suleskerry. He then gives her a golden chain for his son and dissapears again in the sea. Seven years later, the Selkie returns at shore. He takes his son with him after giving the woman a purse of gold and predicting that she'll marry a gunman who is going to kill both him and her son in the future. The woman does marry a little while after and one day her husband goes hunting. When he reaturns home he gives the woman a golden chain which he tells her got from one of the two seals after he shot them. The woman realizes, that her new husband has indeed killed her lover and son, just like the Selkie told her.
In contrast to most Selkie stories in which the main characters are a female selkie and a male mortal, the Great Selkie o'Suleskerry -or Grey Selkie of Suleskerry as it is also known as- is about a male selkie and his mortal lover. Originally a ballad, this story is one of the most popular Selkie legends in North Scottland.
According to the story, during the Selkie's stay on land he meets a young mortal woman with whom he haves a son with. Soon after their baby boy is born the Selkie dissapears and returns to the sea. A few years later and while the woman is taking a stroll near the sea wondering out loud where her son's father is, a seal appears on shore. The seal approaches the young maiden and speaks to her. He tells her that he is a Selkie, a man while on shore and a seal when he returns to the sea and that his homeland's name is Suleskerry. He then gives her a golden chain for his son and dissapears again in the sea. Seven years later, the Selkie returns at shore. He takes his son with him after giving the woman a purse of gold and predicting that she'll marry a gunman who is going to kill both him and her son in the future. The woman does marry a little while after and one day her husband goes hunting. When he reaturns home he gives the woman a golden chain which he tells her got from one of the two seals after he shot them. The woman realizes, that her new husband has indeed killed her lover and son, just like the Selkie told her.
In contrast to most Selkie stories in which the main characters are a female selkie and a male mortal, the Great Selkie o'Suleskerry -or Grey Selkie of Suleskerry as it is also known as- is about a male selkie and his mortal lover. Originally a ballad, this story is one of the most popular Selkie legends in North Scottland.
Ophelia Cromwell
One story about the selkie involves a fisherman named Neil MacCodrum who lived alone by the sea. One evening the men in his clan were bringing their boats full of herring back to shore, readily awaiting their warm homes and their wives. Neil was the last to drag his boat up on shore and he stood awhile, watching the birds, before he headed up the shingle towards home. However, as he turned he saw something move in the rocks - a glimmer of white, and heard high laughter. He set down his fish and slowly walked towards the rocks, very frightened. He hid behind the largest rock and, to his utter surprise, saw seven girls with long, flowing hair. They were naked and white, dancing in a ring at the shoreline. Then he spotted a pile of shapeless, speckled brown skins and he realised that the girls were selkies. Moving stealthily, Neil slowly slid the top skin off the pile but just as he rolled it up and put it in his coat, one of the selkies gave a sharp cry. They stopped dancing and ran over to the boulder, slipped into their skins and went back into the water as seals. But one remained. She stared at him, held out a hand and said, "Please give me back my skin." But Neil didn't return her skin. Instead, he said, "Come with me, I will give you new clothes to wear."
Neil and the selkie had a grand wedding. The whole clan came, eating and drinking with countless toasts being made to the happy couple. Neil was very happy, although a little awkward but his wife sat quietly next to him. Soon, the selkie had two children, one boy and one girl, who had their father's hair and their mother's eyes. They also had webbed fingers and toes. Each day when Neil was out fishing, she would walk along the shore with her children to gather limpets. She was happy enough, particularly in spring but during stormy weather she was restless and would sit at her spinning-wheel humming strange tunes. Neil didn't like it when she did this and would sit in the corner, glowering.
Thirteen years later, when the children were almost grown up, her daughter, Morag, ran up to her mother exclaiming that she'd found something strange. The selkie ran her hand over the smooth brown skin, then held it to her chest and called to her son, Donald. She told them that she would soon be leaving them, not because she didn't love them, but because she had to become herself again. That night, she left and walked to the shore. She took off her clothes and unrolled the seal skin. She hesitated for just a moment, looking back at the house but then wrapped the skin over her and dropped into the water. In his bed, Neil felt for his wife and knew she would never come back. But, if his children ever found it difficult to sleep at night they could run down to the shore and wait for a speckled seal to come where they would laugh and swim with her until dawn.
Neil and the selkie had a grand wedding. The whole clan came, eating and drinking with countless toasts being made to the happy couple. Neil was very happy, although a little awkward but his wife sat quietly next to him. Soon, the selkie had two children, one boy and one girl, who had their father's hair and their mother's eyes. They also had webbed fingers and toes. Each day when Neil was out fishing, she would walk along the shore with her children to gather limpets. She was happy enough, particularly in spring but during stormy weather she was restless and would sit at her spinning-wheel humming strange tunes. Neil didn't like it when she did this and would sit in the corner, glowering.
Thirteen years later, when the children were almost grown up, her daughter, Morag, ran up to her mother exclaiming that she'd found something strange. The selkie ran her hand over the smooth brown skin, then held it to her chest and called to her son, Donald. She told them that she would soon be leaving them, not because she didn't love them, but because she had to become herself again. That night, she left and walked to the shore. She took off her clothes and unrolled the seal skin. She hesitated for just a moment, looking back at the house but then wrapped the skin over her and dropped into the water. In his bed, Neil felt for his wife and knew she would never come back. But, if his children ever found it difficult to sleep at night they could run down to the shore and wait for a speckled seal to come where they would laugh and swim with her until dawn.
Prof. Akira Yamada
One story out of northern Ireland, is of a fisherman and his lovely wife, who loved to swim in the sea. They did not have a daughter, but one day, while he was fishing, he spotted a group of seals on a rock in the bay. These seals, upon seeing him, dashed off into the water, but they left behind a tiny human child, a beautiful baby girl, a selkie baby. Seeing this, the fisherman rejoiced, as he knew his wife had wanted a child. So he gathered up the baby girl and her tiny seal skin, and hurried home. Once home, he hid the tiny skin in a locked trunk in the attic, and told his wife that he had found a baby! He would not mention that she was a selkie, not wanting to worry his wife that she might one day lose her tiny beloved. The years went by, and the baby girl grew into a young girl, who enjoyed swimming in the water just as much as her mother. They were the happiest family around. One day, towards the end of the fishing season, the father was to go out for one last fishing expedition. He had determined that he would reveal the true origins of their daughter upon his return. Shortly after leaving, a foul wind blew up and a heavy storm rolled in. Days went by, and the woman and her daughter worried about the fisherman’s safety. When he did not return as scheduled, the woman and daughter wept, knowing the worst had befallen him. The wife rocked sadly in her chair that night, wishing for her lost husband, when she heard a creak on the stair. She got up, thinking her lovely daughter must be having nightmares, and went to check on her. The daughter, however, was fast asleep, as if the wind did not howl and their lives had not been torn asunder. Again, the mother heard another creak on the stair, and watched as a shadow flitted across the open doorway. Wary of an unwanted intruder, the wife creeped toward the door, but nothing was in the hallway. Up the stairs to the attic, the creak continued, and a banging on the locked attic door began. Frightened now, the wife ran to the kitchen and grabbed a knife before returning to investigate the attic space. There was scraping now, coming from the inside of the locked attic room! Carefully, cautiously she listened at the door.
The scraping continued, but came closer to the door. Moments later, she heard a shuffling and saw the door shake. Whatever it was, it was trying to get out! The door then opened, and the noises stopped. When the wife walked into the tiny room, she saw, to her surprise, a chest she had never noticed before. What was more, this chest appeared to have recently been drug across the dust covered floor towards the door. Wondering what was in the chest, the wife went to it, and, lying as if forgotten, found the key beside it on the floor. Opening the chest she gasped: a tiny seal skin lay rumpled at the bottom. Hurriedly, she snatched the skin up and ran into her daughter’s room, waking her up. As the daughter, bleary eyed sputtered out questions, the wife dragged her down the stairs, where she pulled another hidden chest from under the stairs. This one she opened with the key around her neck to reveal another, much larger seal skin. The tired girl’s eyes went wide in sudden realization. She was a selkie, and so was her mother! They hurried out to the water with their skins, and rejoined their hearts’ desire, the sea. During their swim, in the still dark and swirling ocean, they saw for instant what appeared to be a fishing boat with a man standing on the bow, smiling and waving. They smiled and waved back, and the boat and the man were gone. They knew that father and husband had returned to say one final goodbye and give his loved ones their lives back.
This story is one where a selkie woman falls in love with a mortal man, a fisherman. She loves him, and hides her seal skin from him, never letting him know that she is a selkie. She retains her love for the water, but never loses her love for the man she gave up everything for. He knows how much she would love a daughter, and the fates and the sea give him just that one day when he finds a lost and left behind selkie infant. Taking the girl home, he hides her skin from the child and her new mother. While the woman keeps her secret from man and child, the man keeps his from wife and child. The two female selkies both love the water, and say good bye to the fisherman as he heads out to sea, only to die in a bad storm. His spirit returns to reveal the secret he has kept for ten long years. Upon discovering that the daughter she had raised and loved was also a selkie, the woman reveals her own secret, and together they go back to the sea. In the sea, the fisherman’s spirit says a final farewell to his two selkie loved ones.
This is both a tragedy, because the fisherman dies, but also a happy ending because the secret of the selkies is revealed and everyone can rest happily, even the fisherman who could not in life do what he did in death.
The scraping continued, but came closer to the door. Moments later, she heard a shuffling and saw the door shake. Whatever it was, it was trying to get out! The door then opened, and the noises stopped. When the wife walked into the tiny room, she saw, to her surprise, a chest she had never noticed before. What was more, this chest appeared to have recently been drug across the dust covered floor towards the door. Wondering what was in the chest, the wife went to it, and, lying as if forgotten, found the key beside it on the floor. Opening the chest she gasped: a tiny seal skin lay rumpled at the bottom. Hurriedly, she snatched the skin up and ran into her daughter’s room, waking her up. As the daughter, bleary eyed sputtered out questions, the wife dragged her down the stairs, where she pulled another hidden chest from under the stairs. This one she opened with the key around her neck to reveal another, much larger seal skin. The tired girl’s eyes went wide in sudden realization. She was a selkie, and so was her mother! They hurried out to the water with their skins, and rejoined their hearts’ desire, the sea. During their swim, in the still dark and swirling ocean, they saw for instant what appeared to be a fishing boat with a man standing on the bow, smiling and waving. They smiled and waved back, and the boat and the man were gone. They knew that father and husband had returned to say one final goodbye and give his loved ones their lives back.
This story is one where a selkie woman falls in love with a mortal man, a fisherman. She loves him, and hides her seal skin from him, never letting him know that she is a selkie. She retains her love for the water, but never loses her love for the man she gave up everything for. He knows how much she would love a daughter, and the fates and the sea give him just that one day when he finds a lost and left behind selkie infant. Taking the girl home, he hides her skin from the child and her new mother. While the woman keeps her secret from man and child, the man keeps his from wife and child. The two female selkies both love the water, and say good bye to the fisherman as he heads out to sea, only to die in a bad storm. His spirit returns to reveal the secret he has kept for ten long years. Upon discovering that the daughter she had raised and loved was also a selkie, the woman reveals her own secret, and together they go back to the sea. In the sea, the fisherman’s spirit says a final farewell to his two selkie loved ones.
This is both a tragedy, because the fisherman dies, but also a happy ending because the secret of the selkies is revealed and everyone can rest happily, even the fisherman who could not in life do what he did in death.
Sirithre Leylnn
The legend of the Goodman o' Wastness is a fairly well known
one as far as selkie legends go. The story was about a well-liked man who owned
a farm , and had many a local girl after him already. The man, however, was not
at all interested in marriage. Because of this, the townswomen began to dislike
him and describe him as an old man despite his youth.
The Goodman disregarded these comments and the women of town in general. He saw marriage as only another trial he would have to go through in life, and simply didn't care for the experience. Goodman often stated he'd never be able to love a woman, despite warnings of the townsfolk to watch his tongue, and that he might find himself bewitched someday.
Eventually, the man stumbled across a spot on the beach where a number of selkies were sunning and playing in the waves. Their seal-skins had been left carelessly on the rocks, and the man quickly broke into a run and snatched one up before they could get away.
Proud of himself, he headed back home, his prize in hand. The unlucky selkie followed behind, crying and begging the man to return her skin so she could reunite with her people.
The selkie was forced to stay with the man, and he soon came to love her, making her his wife. She was a wonderful partner for the man, and was quite kind to him despite his capturing her against her will.
They bore a total of seven children, four boys and three girls. They were the most beautiful children in Orkney, and the family seemed very happy to outsides.
But the selkie always longed for the ocean, and whenever left alone to the house, she would search for her long lost skin. One day, one of the children noticed their mother looking for something, and asked. She dismissed her, and told the child she was merely looking for a pretty skin to make her some shoes.
The child had seen the man looking over a skin not long ago, and told their mother where it was hidden. She rushed to take back her skin, and immediately fled back to the ocean, passing her husband on her way out to sea. She bid him farewell, stating that he had been good to her, but that the sea would always be her home.
The man never saw her again, though he often wandered the shoreline hoping to glimpse her fair face once more.
Resources:
http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/selkiefolk/
The Goodman disregarded these comments and the women of town in general. He saw marriage as only another trial he would have to go through in life, and simply didn't care for the experience. Goodman often stated he'd never be able to love a woman, despite warnings of the townsfolk to watch his tongue, and that he might find himself bewitched someday.
Eventually, the man stumbled across a spot on the beach where a number of selkies were sunning and playing in the waves. Their seal-skins had been left carelessly on the rocks, and the man quickly broke into a run and snatched one up before they could get away.
Proud of himself, he headed back home, his prize in hand. The unlucky selkie followed behind, crying and begging the man to return her skin so she could reunite with her people.
The selkie was forced to stay with the man, and he soon came to love her, making her his wife. She was a wonderful partner for the man, and was quite kind to him despite his capturing her against her will.
They bore a total of seven children, four boys and three girls. They were the most beautiful children in Orkney, and the family seemed very happy to outsides.
But the selkie always longed for the ocean, and whenever left alone to the house, she would search for her long lost skin. One day, one of the children noticed their mother looking for something, and asked. She dismissed her, and told the child she was merely looking for a pretty skin to make her some shoes.
The child had seen the man looking over a skin not long ago, and told their mother where it was hidden. She rushed to take back her skin, and immediately fled back to the ocean, passing her husband on her way out to sea. She bid him farewell, stating that he had been good to her, but that the sea would always be her home.
The man never saw her again, though he often wandered the shoreline hoping to glimpse her fair face once more.
Resources:
http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/selkiefolk/
Sky Alton
There are several legends about the Selkies from the Faroe Islands. The most common seems to be one about a really misogynistic and trigger happy farmer. Said farmer was spying on a group of Selkies while they were dancing on the beach (more than a bit creepy). Apparently these Selkies were even more careless than usual about their seal skins because the farmer seems to find one with relative ease. By concealing the skin, he forces the Selky which it belongs to to stay with him on land and become his wife. This really does raise the question of whether being human and dancing is worth the risk of being stuck doing some selfish guys washing; given that this is the plot of several fairy tales though (see Disney's version of the Little Mermaid), one has to conclude that dancing is one hell of an experience for sea dwelling maidens. Anyway, my musings aside, the Farmer decided to keep the seal skin in a chest, the key of which he always kept with him. The judiciousness of keeping it locked away in such an obvious location rather than hiding it far away and in an unlikely spot would probably take me a further 200 words so I won't go in to it. Needless to say, if I was mean enough to want to make a Selky stay with me against their inclination, I would have worked this bit out first. Unsurprisingly, Farmer Boy forgets the key one day when he goes out
fishing and (even more surprisingly) returns to an empty house. If I were the Selky I would have done much more than leave but that's neither here nor there. The farmer is left to bring up his kids alone; one might say that single parenthood is his just deserts, to which I would respond 'yes, but what about the kids?'. The tale, however does not end here. While out hunting, the farmer commits a major blunder by killing the Selky's true husband and sons.
The Selky, finally showing a bit of back bone, puts a curse on the island's men. They will keep dying in various (quite creative) ways until enough perished to ring the island. I'm not entirely sure what the main moral of this story is as I can see several but I think the most crucial might be: Sellkies be crazy.
fishing and (even more surprisingly) returns to an empty house. If I were the Selky I would have done much more than leave but that's neither here nor there. The farmer is left to bring up his kids alone; one might say that single parenthood is his just deserts, to which I would respond 'yes, but what about the kids?'. The tale, however does not end here. While out hunting, the farmer commits a major blunder by killing the Selky's true husband and sons.
The Selky, finally showing a bit of back bone, puts a curse on the island's men. They will keep dying in various (quite creative) ways until enough perished to ring the island. I'm not entirely sure what the main moral of this story is as I can see several but I think the most crucial might be: Sellkies be crazy.
St.John Aloisius Sloots
I’m not sure what it is about the selkies, or any of the shapshifting water folk for that matter, that seems to resonate with me. Consider the last two serious fairy-esque-stories I wrote for you: “The Seal Maiden and the Fisherman” and “The Virtuous Old Man.” Both involve women with the ability to change into aquatic creatures and men who love them. I wonder if there isn’t some sort of silkie blood in my background somewhere.
The tale I’m going to summarize is a story related by G. F. Black in his book, County Folk-lore Vol. III. Examples of Printed Folk-Lore Concerning the Orkney & Shetland Islands. With a little bit of internet digging, I’ll bet an ebook version can be found as the copyright on the material is surely expired. Stereotypically selkie-tales involve fishermen who steal the seal-skin of cavorting selkies and force the beautiful, but sorrowful females, to marry. They usually have seven children and live happily, but as the stories go, she usually finds a chance, after many years, to search for the skin. Upon finding it, she abandons the family and returns to the sea leaving behind husband, daughters and sons with little more than a tear or two. While on one hand this is rather cold and tragic, on the other, the fisherman did basically forcing himself on to the unwilling selkie which was none too kind either.
I thought then, you might enjoy a change of pace and so the tale summary below comes from the other side of the fin, so to speak, and involves a relationship, albeit rather shallow, between a male selkie and a certain Orkney laird’s daughter. Interestingly when Black related the tale, he did so careful not to reveal the name of the woman as her relatives were still then living on Orkney and he didn’t want to offend them.
The story goes that Ursilla was a pretty young woman handsome and very proud. She was a bit stern however, and could not abide the thought of a man claiming her as a bride without her say so, so she endeavored to find herself a man of her own choosing. Her eye fell on a braw young gallant who worked for her father, the laird, as a ‘farm hand.” She knew her father would disapprove of her choice, particularly because the young fellow was not a nobleman, and knew he would most likely disinherit her. Ursilla thus, waited patiently until her father had died and with her inheritance safe, she declared her love for the ‘farm hand’ and her intention that they be wed. Being rather simple, though very handsome, the young man agreed. And though the gentry did not approve and whispered their dissent behind their hands, she would not be deterred and ignored them.
Things seemed to be going well. Ursilla successfully managed both the family estates and lands, as well as the life of her husband, and was considered a “goodwife” by all who knew her. In reality things had begun to go sour between the couple when it came to…ah…bedroom obligations and on more than one occasion the young hero left Ursilla a bit dissatisfied. This went on for some time much to Ursilla’s consternation. Being a woman of pride however, she did not reveal the source of her discomfiture to her noble women friends as she knew they would only tell her, “Well, that’s what you get for marrying a commoner.”
She decided she’d take matters into her own hands and land herself a selkie lover. So, according to the story, she went down to the sea, sat on a rock and cried, and after weeping seven great tears into the surf—the only tears she is said to have ever shed—a huge selkie came gliding up to her rock and asked what her will might be. She explained her situation and he agreed to meet her at a specific place and at a specific time when it might be conducive for him to change into human form. This they did…often…so often, in fact, that all her offspring bore webbed fingers and toes. This of course would be a dead give away that she was having an illicit affair with a selkie, so she and the midwife secretly snipped the webbing away from between the fingers and toes of the bairns as needed.
In place of the webbing, though, the children grew a horn-like growth that covered their hands and feet and rendered many common labors and pleasures impossible. The growth had to be removed. In some cases, quite drastically too. One poor fellow had to resort to using a hammer and cold chisel to remove the horney shell!
So were many of Ursilla descendants marked. Some supposedly showed these growths, along with the scissors used to snip the webbing, to Mr. Black as a sign of the truth of their tale. He seems rather dubious however, and in his conclusion declares that while the, “…phenomenon…” was “…worthy of careful investigation by the physiologist. Pity it could not be traced to the seal; we might then be in sight of the missing link” (Black 179).
I’m not sure if you would consider the outcome tragic so much as unhappy. I would imagine the kids were wonderful swimmers, however.
The tale I’m going to summarize is a story related by G. F. Black in his book, County Folk-lore Vol. III. Examples of Printed Folk-Lore Concerning the Orkney & Shetland Islands. With a little bit of internet digging, I’ll bet an ebook version can be found as the copyright on the material is surely expired. Stereotypically selkie-tales involve fishermen who steal the seal-skin of cavorting selkies and force the beautiful, but sorrowful females, to marry. They usually have seven children and live happily, but as the stories go, she usually finds a chance, after many years, to search for the skin. Upon finding it, she abandons the family and returns to the sea leaving behind husband, daughters and sons with little more than a tear or two. While on one hand this is rather cold and tragic, on the other, the fisherman did basically forcing himself on to the unwilling selkie which was none too kind either.
I thought then, you might enjoy a change of pace and so the tale summary below comes from the other side of the fin, so to speak, and involves a relationship, albeit rather shallow, between a male selkie and a certain Orkney laird’s daughter. Interestingly when Black related the tale, he did so careful not to reveal the name of the woman as her relatives were still then living on Orkney and he didn’t want to offend them.
The story goes that Ursilla was a pretty young woman handsome and very proud. She was a bit stern however, and could not abide the thought of a man claiming her as a bride without her say so, so she endeavored to find herself a man of her own choosing. Her eye fell on a braw young gallant who worked for her father, the laird, as a ‘farm hand.” She knew her father would disapprove of her choice, particularly because the young fellow was not a nobleman, and knew he would most likely disinherit her. Ursilla thus, waited patiently until her father had died and with her inheritance safe, she declared her love for the ‘farm hand’ and her intention that they be wed. Being rather simple, though very handsome, the young man agreed. And though the gentry did not approve and whispered their dissent behind their hands, she would not be deterred and ignored them.
Things seemed to be going well. Ursilla successfully managed both the family estates and lands, as well as the life of her husband, and was considered a “goodwife” by all who knew her. In reality things had begun to go sour between the couple when it came to…ah…bedroom obligations and on more than one occasion the young hero left Ursilla a bit dissatisfied. This went on for some time much to Ursilla’s consternation. Being a woman of pride however, she did not reveal the source of her discomfiture to her noble women friends as she knew they would only tell her, “Well, that’s what you get for marrying a commoner.”
She decided she’d take matters into her own hands and land herself a selkie lover. So, according to the story, she went down to the sea, sat on a rock and cried, and after weeping seven great tears into the surf—the only tears she is said to have ever shed—a huge selkie came gliding up to her rock and asked what her will might be. She explained her situation and he agreed to meet her at a specific place and at a specific time when it might be conducive for him to change into human form. This they did…often…so often, in fact, that all her offspring bore webbed fingers and toes. This of course would be a dead give away that she was having an illicit affair with a selkie, so she and the midwife secretly snipped the webbing away from between the fingers and toes of the bairns as needed.
In place of the webbing, though, the children grew a horn-like growth that covered their hands and feet and rendered many common labors and pleasures impossible. The growth had to be removed. In some cases, quite drastically too. One poor fellow had to resort to using a hammer and cold chisel to remove the horney shell!
So were many of Ursilla descendants marked. Some supposedly showed these growths, along with the scissors used to snip the webbing, to Mr. Black as a sign of the truth of their tale. He seems rather dubious however, and in his conclusion declares that while the, “…phenomenon…” was “…worthy of careful investigation by the physiologist. Pity it could not be traced to the seal; we might then be in sight of the missing link” (Black 179).
I’m not sure if you would consider the outcome tragic so much as unhappy. I would imagine the kids were wonderful swimmers, however.