the selkie project

Mixed Norse and Scottish folklore

The folklore of Orkney and Shetland reflects the mixed origins of the Northern Islanders. In the 9th century, the Isles were settled by Norwegians, who either replaced the original Celtic inhabitants or blended with them (the jury is still out). These Norwegians created a Norse society which remained in the islands long after they were granted to the King of Scots in 1468 and 1469.  The insular Norse language, called Norn, survived until at least the mid-18thcentury. It was completely replaced by a heavily Scandinavianised form of the Scots language, which was brought to the Isles by Scottish settlers, who had already arrived in large numbers by the end of the 16th century. The mixed society developed a mixed folklore with both Norse and Scottish elements.

Alan Bruford an acknowledged expert on the folk tales of Shetland, has shown that, when it comes to fairy-legend types, the Scottish contribution to Shetland cultural heritage is greater than the Norse. For example, although the fairies are usually called trows, which comes from the Norse word troll, the stories about them are mainly Scottish legend types, often strikingly similar to stories from Gaelic tradition, despite the often heard refrain in Shetland that Gaelic culture is alien to the Isles.

On the other hand, when it comes to supernatural beings, there is a strong inheritance from Norse. Both land and sea were believed to be inhabited by such beings and these have mainly Norse names. For example, there are the aforementioned trows. There are also njuggles (water horses from the Norse nykkr) and grϋlies (ogresses who live in holes and bugbears who bide in coal bunkers from the Norse grýla).

Magical Finns in Scandinavian Tradition

We will see that the Finns, as an uncanny, supernatural people, are another survival of Norse cultural heritage, although they have been transformed somewhat in the island setting. However, before I delve into the stories about the Finns in Orkney and Shetland, I’d like to provide some background by looking at the traditions surrounding the Finns in Scandinavia.

It is important to point out that in the folklore of both Sweden and Norway, the aforementioned Finns are actually the Sámi or Lapps, the Finno-Ugric speaking indigenous population of Northern Scandinavia, rather than the inhabitants of modern Finland. The word Finni or Finnr in Old Norse glossed both Sámi and Finn, and Finn still means Sámi or Lapp in Norwegian dialects today.

It begins in late 17th century Scotland where mysterious reports were recorded of bizarre visitors appearing offshore in strange boats. Rev. James Wallace, Minister of Kirkwall, Orkney, wrote about it in 1688 in his description of the Isles of Orkney:

“Sometime about this country are seen these men which are called Finnmen; In the year 1682 one was seen sometime sailing, sometime Rowing up and down in his little boat at the south end of the Isle of Eda, most of the people of the Isle flocked to see him, and when they adventured to put out a boat with men to see if they could apprehend him, he presently fled away most swiftly: And in the year 1684, another was seen from Westray, and for a while after they got few or no fishes; for they have this remark here, that these Finnmen drive away the fishes from the place to which they come.”

On at least one occasion, one of these visitors made landfall. He was, “all over hairy, and spoke a language which no person there could interpret. He lived but three days, although all possible care was taken to recover him.”

To this day, nobody knows for sure where he or his fellow travellers came from. Different theories abound. Perhaps they were fishermen from Finland? Or maybe they were indigenous prisoners escaped from ships returning from the New World?