Orkney Travel Tales

Here are three tales for the traveler wishing to enter into the  legends, history, folktales, and myths of Orkney.  The first, “The Limpet” bride is a classic folktale about the Finfolk who live under the sea. “Young Magnus” is a retelling of the great tragedy of the Viking Earl Magnus to a restless young contemporary Orcadian by his uncle, steeped in the islands’ ancient lore.  Finally, “Swelkie” is the re-telling of an Orcadian legend by Washington Irving who heard the tale from his father, an Orcadian native who emigrated to New York. Indeed, his other more famous stories -- Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow -- are also based on Orcadian folktales.