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The Mermaid Wife The Goodman of Wastness was a well-to-do young fellow. Handsome and strong, well-liked and with a profitable farm, it was not at all surprising that many of the unmarried local girls set their sights on him. However, despite their ample attentions, the Goodman was quite simply not interested in marriage. Their advances spurned, the local girls soon began to treat the Goodman with contempt, describing him as "an old young man" and "old before his time". As far as they were concerned he was committing the unpardonable sin of celibacy. The Goodman however paid these malicious creatures little heed and as is more often the case the gossips soon turned their attentions elsewhere.When questioned by his friends as to the reason he would not take a wife, the Goodman would smile and simply explain: "Weemin are like minny ither things in this weary wurld, only sent fur a trial tae man an' I hae trials enough withoot bein' tried be a wife. If yin owld fool Adam hiddno been bewitched be his wife, he might still be in the Gerdeen o' Eden tae this day.." (Women are like many other things in this weary world, only sent as a trial to men and I have enough trials without being tried by a wife. If that old fool Adam had not been bewitched by his wife, he might still be in the Garden of Eden to this day)One old woman who heard this oft-repeated speech, remarked; "Tak thou heed thee sell, thou'll mibbe be yursel' bewitched some day."(Heed well what you say, you will maybe be bewitched yourself one day) "Aye," said the Goodman, laughing. "That'll be when thou waaks dry-shod fae the Alters o' Seenie tae the Boar o' Papa"(That will be when you walk from the Alters o' Seenie to the Boar o' Papa [placenames] without wetting your feet)
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooSo it came to pass that one fine day, the Goodman was down on the ebb when he saw, a short distance away, a number of selkie-folk lying on a flat rock. Some were lying sunning themselves while others jumped and played in the clear Orkney waters. All were naked with skins as white as snow, their seal-skins strewn carelessly on the sand and rocks around them.The Gooman crept closer to their basking rock and when he neared the place the selkie-folk played, leapt to his feet and ran towards them. The alarmed selkie-folk snatched up their seal skins and ran to the safety of the sea. However, as quick as they were, the Goodman was quicker for he managed to seize a skin belong to one beautiful seal-maiden who in the hasty rush to safety had forgotten to retrieve her skin.By this time the selkie-folk had swum out a little distance and now gazed mournfully at the Goodman. He stared back and realised that all, save one, had resumed the shape of seals. Grinning, he put the captured skin under his arm and whistling a merry tune set out for home. No sooner had he left the ebb than he heard the most sorrowful wailing and weeping coming from behind him. He turned and saw a fair woman following him. She was a most pitiful sight. sobbing and howling in grief with her arms held out in a plea to have her skin returned. Huge tears ran from her large dark eyes and down her fair cheeks. Falling to her knees, she cried: "O bonnie man! If thur's inny mercy in thee human breest, gae me back me ain selkie skin! I cinno live in the sea withoot it. I cinno bide amung me ain folk withoot me selkie-skin."
(Oh handsome man, if there is any mercy in your human breast give me back my seal-skin. I can not live in the sea without it. I cannot live among my own people without my seal-skin) The Goodman was not a soft-hearted man but nevertheless he could not help but pity the poor creature. Pity, however, was not the only emotion he felt for with the pity came the softer and sweeter passion of love. The icy heart that had yet to love a mortal woman had been melted by this seal-maiden's resplendent beauty.Eventually the Goodman managed to wring from the Selkie-wife a reluctant consent to remain with him as his wife. She had little choice in the matter for as we have heard, she could not return to the sea without her skin. So the sea-maiden went with the Goodman and stayed with him for many days, turning out to be a thrifty, frugal and kindly wife. Although she was a creature of the sea, the Goodman had a happy life with her.The selkie-wife bore the Goodman seven children - four boys and three girls and it was said that there were no children as beautiful as them in all the isles. And all the while the sea-wife seemed content and merry. But all was not as it seemed - there was a weight in the selkie-wife's heart and many a time she was seen to gaze longingly out to the sea. The sea that was her true home.
So to all the islanders and to the Goodman himself all seemed well with the Goodman and his family - but as is always the same in these tales. The bliss was not to last.One fine day, the Goodman and his three sons were out in their boat fishing. With the menfolk out of the house, the selkie-wife sent three of the girls to the ebb to gather limpets and whelks. The youngest girl had to remain at home as some days earlier, she had hurt her foot climbing on the sharp rocks by the shore. As usual, as soon as the house emptied, the selkie-wife set to looking for her long-lost seal-skin. She searched high and she searched low. She searched "but" and she searched "ben". She searched out and she search in but to no avail. She could not find the skin.As the time passed, the sun swung to the west and the shadows grew, the peedie lass seated in a straw-backed chair with her sore feet on the creepie watched her mother carry out the frantic hunt. "Mam, whit are thoo luckin' fur?" she asked (Mam, what are you looking for?). "O' bairn, dinna tell bit I'm luckin' fur a bonnie skin tae mak a rivlin that wid sort thee sore fit" replied the selkie-wife.(Oh child, don't tell but I'm looking for a pretty skin to make a shoe/sandal that would cure your sore feet)
"Bit Mam, " said the bairn. "I ken fine whar hid is. Wan day when ye war oot and me Fither thowt I wis sleepin' i' the bed, he teen a bonnie skin doon, gloured at hid for cheust a peedie meenit, then foldit hid an' laid hid up under dae aisins abeun da bed"(But Mam, I know well where it is. One day when you were out and my Father thought I was asleep in bed, he took a pretty skin down, glowered at it for a short time, then folded it and put it away in the aisins over the hill)When the selkie-wife heard this she clapped for joy and rushed to the place where her long-concealed skin lay. "Fare thee well, peedie buddo" she said to her child and ran out of the house.(Peedie Buddo - little friend. A term of endearment)Rushing to the shore she threw on her skin and with a wild cry of joy, plunged into the sea. A male selkie was waiting for her there and greeted her with great delight.All the while, the Goodman was rowing home and happened to see these two selkies from his little boat. His wife uncovered her beautiful face and cried out to him. "Fare thee well. Goodman o' Wastness. Farewell tae thee. I liked thee well enough fur thoo war geud tae me bit I love better me man o' the sea." (Fare you well Goodman of Wastness. Farewell to thee. I liked you well enough because you were good to me but I love my husband from the sea better.)And that was the last the Goodman ever saw of his sea-wife. Often though, in the twilight of his years, he could be seen wandering on the empty sea-shore, hoping once again to meet his lost love, but never again did he look upon her fair face.
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