The Selkie Bride

The Selkie Bride On cold, dark nights by the firesides of crops around the coasts of Scotland I've told tales of long ago. Of strange creatures who lived in the waters of the sea and whose forms can be seen sometimes swimming in the flickering flames of the fire. A tale is told of 3 brothers. One night, as the sea was calm they went fishing together. As they came around an outcrop of land they saw some figures on the beach before them. A group of girls. Laughing and dancing together in the moonlight. As they watched, the youngest brother, Caudron, noticed one girl unlike the ones he had ever seen. Her black hair shone so in the moonlight, he couldn't take his eyes from her. She had smooth olive skin and her dark shining eyes were as mysterious and beautiful as the moon shining on the dark waters of the sea. "Come! Follow me!", the oldest brother whispered and they kept up to a pile of seal skins caps lying on the sand. "Take one", he said "and this night you shall have a bride". Caudron didn't understand, but as his brothers each picked up a seal skin, so he too did the same. As the sun rose, the girls began to collect their caps running towards the sea and diving into the water. Soon, only 3 remained. Searching around the beach for their seal skins. "Here!" Caudron turned to see his eldest brother standing with one of them in his hand. "I have your cap and I claim you as my bride, for I know that you are selkies, seals in human form and that you cannot return to the sea, as long as I have your seal skin." The selkie came meekly to him and knelt at his feet. "You are right", she said. "You have my cap and I will be your bride as I must." And so, Caudron's brothers claimed their brides. Then Caudron motioned to the girl he'd been watching. "Is this yours?", he asked. She noded. "Then, you will be my bride and... and my love will be greater than... than all the oceans of the world. And he took her hand and kissed her and led her away from the sea. The brothers decided to hide the seal skins, for fear their brides might find them and return to the sea. Caudron was hiding his, when he noticed his bride sitting alone on the rocks below gazing at the water. As he got closer, he heard her softly singing. "What's that song?", he asked. "Why is it so sad?" "I'm singing to the sea", she replied. "I know you love me and would do nothing to hurt me but the sea is my home and my heart can never leave it." And she told him of her life in the sea. Of the great blue whales that move through the oceans like mountains and how they leap into the air with joy and then with a great crashing of waters sending the foam high into the sky. And of the beautiful ice cathedrals of the north, where the selkies play, darting through the great tunnels and columns of moulded ice. And as she spoke, Caudron could imagine her there swimming free. And in his heart, he could feel the joy and the wonder of being one with the sea. He felt a single drop of water on his hand and looking up, saw that his bride was crying. He held her in his arms and in her songs he heard all the sorrows of the world. And he felt as if his heart would break him for he knew that she would never be his. She would always belong with the sea. His heart was heavy as he returned the seal skin to her. Then watched her walk slowly down to the shore and dive with hardly a ripple back into the ocean. Night after night, Caudron sat alone by the sea. He almost wished, he and his brothers had never seen the selkies, for all the sorrows it had brought them. For his brothers too, had lost their brides. One had found the seal skin as her husband lay sleeping and in the morning she was gone. When the other brother heard this, he grew afraid for he loved his bride. When she was in the house, he tried to burn her seal skin but she saw him and came running out to save it. And was lost in the flames. So it was, that Caudron sat there alone staring into the sea, missing his bride. "Caudron!" He looked up startled and there before him was his bride. Dark and lovely in the moonlight. "I've been watching you from the sea and I've missed you." "Although I must return there, each ninth night I will join you here as your bride." "And our love will be greater than all the oceans of the world." And she took him by the hand and together they slipped quietly into the dark waters of the night. Some said the man had become a selkie too and joined his bride in sea. Some that she had joined him on the land as his wife. And others, spoke of seeing strange dark children with smooth olive skin and sleek black hair and soft dark eyes, that seemed to hold all the magic and mysteries of the oceans. Written & produced by Walter G. McCrorie Storyteller: Tom Conti Music composed: Billy Tennent Music performed by Neal MacArthur & Jenny Devevo, engineered at Big Bang Studios by Chick Medley With great thanks...