A man married a seal woman but lost her when she found her s...
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1979.20.A1
Original Tape ID
Summary
A man married a seal woman but lost her when she found her skin, which he had hidden.
Stanley Robertson introduces a story that he calls 'The Selkie o the River Dee', told by his father about one of his Stewart forebears. The man saw a girl come out of the River Dee, take off a sealie hood [sic] that covered her, and go into the bushes naked to pick berries. The man took the hood and buried it. He took the girl home and married her, and they had three children. After seven years, the children found the sealie hood. The woman disappeared with it and the man was just in time to see her go into the water, never to return.
Stanley speculates that perhaps the woman committed suicide, giving rise to the story. Barbara McDermitt asks about any legacy of healing left to the family, and Stanley points out that the family, including his father, were all great swimmers.
Item Notes
'Seelie-hoo' is Scots for a caul on the head of a new-born baby.
Recording Location
County - Aberdeenshire
Parish - Aberdeen
Village/Place - Aberdeen
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good