Scottish Folk Tales & Legends-The Mermaid &The Dancing Giant

Hello,

My name is Rachel and my country is Scotland.

A country rich in legends and folklore.

Long ago Scots folk told stories to entertain one another around the hearth and bring families and communities together.

Scotland has a rugged and mysterious landscape which acts as a wonderful backdrop to tales involving magical creatures such as dragons,

Fairies,

Water horses known as kelpies and selkie seal women.

In my stories I will draw in elements of these traditional yarns told for hundreds of years but also add my own twist.

So please get comfy and coorie in,

Close your eyes and come with me to Scotland.

This is a story based in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland called The Dancing Giant.

There are more than 100 islands and skirries in the long chain that forms the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland.

They are exposed to the might of the Atlantic Ocean on their western border and the Minch Sea on their east.

Although they can be rugged and wild places to inhabit there's also a great deal of beauty like the marram grasses which are dotted with wildflowers and dance in the wind and the white sandy shores and sparkling turquoise waters.

The Minch Sea Strait is wide and stormy with the depths reaching nearly 300 meters in places.

Lies between the Scottish mainland and the islands of the Outer Hebrides and is home to a number of mythical creatures some which are helpful and kind and others which are unfortunately very different beasts.

Under the waves of the Minch there lived a brave and benevolent merking who was beloved by the merfolk.

He lived with his daughter the Princess Alna in a beautiful palace on the seabed made of gold,

Coral and precious stones.

Alna was blessed with her father's kindness,

Wisdom and secret magic but she was also full of fun and youthful spirit and was known for her beautiful singing.

And for taking human form and dancing on the shores of the Hebridean islands.

The dancing brought prosperity to the islanders.

Her magic meaning that if she danced facing the sea there was plenty of fish for the islanders to catch and if she danced facing the land the crops would grow in abundance.

These gifts won her great affection with the Scottish islanders and soon the tales of her charm and beauty reached the mainland and many human men travelled to the isles to attempt to woo her.

However these attempts were all in vain as she loved her father and the other merpeople and did not wish to leave them and her palace under the sea.

For many years she never showed any inclination to leave her father's side in the depths of the Minch.

Until one day the Prince of Loughlin came to meet her.

He was handsome and kind and played beautiful music on the harp and fiddle.

And after many weeks of dancing and chatting the night away on the shores of Ben Bicula,

An island between North and South Uist,

He won her love and her hand.

On their wedding eve Princess Alna was so happy and she sang to him a magical mermaid song.

While he played along on his fiddle.

The song was so joyous it woke up all of the creatures in the Minch.

And they swam and danced and frolicked with the merfolk.

They all had her father the merking's blessing.

And even the fish,

Dolphins and whales leapt out of the water in joy.

And the seabirds circled above the water singing along as they soared.

The music carried far and wide.

And on the seaboard of Westin Argyle lived a fearsome old giant named Finn.

He was just taking a footbath before planning to set off on a rampage across the isles.

Breaking or stealing what he could from the islanders.

For hundreds of years Finn had been the bane of these remote parts of Scotland.

But no one had the might or the magic to stop him.

As he heard the sound of Prince Lachlan's fiddle and the enchanting voice of Princess Alna.

He lifted his head,

Cocked an ear.

In spite of himself he felt compelled to tap his huge feet.

Which were bigger than sailing boats.

And keep in time with the music.

Before long he felt that tapping his feet was inadequate.

And his desire to dance grew.

And he rose up.

His towering frame reaching well into the sky.

And his body started to move.

And to sway.

Causing great winds to gust towards the isles.

The fiddle music was becoming faster and faster.

So to keep beat Finn began a jig in the water.

Lifting his knees up high.

And causing great waves to break on the islands every time a giant foot splashed back down.

This was completely unheard of.

He had never before danced.

But almost against his will he was completely lost to the music.

Enchanted by the mermaid and Prince Lachlan's love.

It was like his body.

Those huge limbs had been awoken from hundreds of years of slumber.

Before he knew it he was jumping and spinning too.

Sending water crashing all around.

If this wasn't enough he then had the desire to actually leap.

To soar into the sky like the seabirds.

And this great leap actually took him right over the cullins of the Isle of Skye.

And still Alna kept singing and Prince Lachlan kept playing.

By this point word had reached the prince and princess of what was transpiring with Finn.

And they were urged to keep singing and playing.

In case it might distract Finn from his rampages for a while.

So they did.

And Finn leapt again.

This time over the cullins of Ram.

And still the prince and princess kept on singing and playing.

And Finn continued to dance and dance.

They played all through the night.

Their joy about their impending wedding.

Keeping them going and keeping spinning.

For it's high.

Through the night Finn's dancing started to tire.

He was feebly wobbling now from foot to foot.

Barely able to raise a giant knee.

Eventually as the sun rose.

And kissed the sea on the day that Prince Lachlan and Princess Alna were to be wed.

The giant Finn collapsed and lay down in the western sea.

There he stayed.

And he never got out.

Up to torment the islanders again.

This caused great rejoicing.

From the islanders and merfolk alike.

Princess Alna and Lachlan were married that day in a ceremony.

On the sandy shores of Wimbicula underneath a beautiful heather archway.

The happy couple exchanged vows to a huge crowd on the shore.

Their kilts and finery.

And with the merfolk looking on in the water.

Celebrating.

Celebrating too.

There was lots of traditional ceilidh dancing.

And lively reels and jigs and twirling and laughing.

To celebrate not just the union of the mermaid and the prince.

But also to celebrate the undoing of the giant Finn.

I hope you've enjoyed this story.

And can imagine what it would be like in the merpeople's palace under the sea.

Looking at all the sparkling precious stones and the corals.

And all the fish that swim by.

Sweet dreams and good night from Scotland.