Orkney is famous for its rich folklore and legends. From the mesmerising selkies to the fearsome stoor worm, Orkney’s folklore is etched into the landscape and history of the island.
In The Outrun, the film starring Saoirse Ronan (and some of our Historic Scotland sites), based on Amy Liptrot’s memoir, Orkney and its folktales aren’t just a backdrop.
In The Outrun, Rona struggles with addiction and leaves London to return home to Orkney on her journey of recovery.
The island’s wild and rugged beauty, the tough weather and the cold sea mirror the inner struggles of Rona, the main character played by Saoirse Ronan.
The Orcadian folktales she grew up with help her make sense of her experiences and emotions as she navigates her struggles.
With The Outrun coming to cinemas on 27 September, we’re unravelling some of the folktales woven into the story. Get ready for slithering sea serpents, shapeshifting spirits and a vanishing island, shrouded in mystery.
Mester Stoor Worm and the formation of Orkney
Have you ever wondered how Orkney’s islands formed? In the film, Rona recounts the legend of Mester Stoor Worm and Assipattle, which is said to be Orkney’s origin story.
As Rona returns to Orkney, she remembers the legend of Mester Stoor Worm and how Orkney formed.
Mester Stoor Worm, a gigantic sea serpent with a tail so long that it could wrap around the world, terrorised the people on land and at sea.
The creature lived in the depths of the water and caused rumbling tremors across the land when it moved. Every now and then, it would glide to the surface and devour anything alive that it could snatch.
In his growing desperation, the king turned to his citizens for help. Could no one stop this dangerous sea creature?
At last, a young farm boy named Assipattle steps up to the challenge. Equipped with a smouldering piece of peat from the farm, the young hero begins his journey to find the stoor worm.
When Assipattle reaches the shore, he sets off on a small boat, and sure enough, the stoor worm rises out of the sea. The creature opens its enormous mouth and Assipattle drifts into the depths of the beast’s stomach. As Assipattle reaches the stoor worm’s fat, oily liver, he plunges the burning piece of coal into it, setting the sea serpent alight from within.
The stoor worm screams in pain and as it dies, its teeth begin to fall out. It is said that they went on to become Orkney, Shetland and the Faroes. Its body turned into Iceland.
Oracadian folklore and dragons are intertwined and go way back. Norse visitors to the tomb carved the famous Maeshowe ‘dragon’ into the wall of the chambered cairn. It’s a fine example of late Viking Age northern art.
Preserving Orkney’s folklore
There are many different versions of this legend and it likely has its origins in Norse mythology.
The Orcadian farmer, folklorist and antiquarian, Walter Traill Dennison, preserved this and other folktales. He spent his life collecting and recording local traditions and folktales. Many dialect poems and stories would not exist anymore today if it wasn’t for this work.
Walter Traill Dennison died in 1894 and was buried at Cross Kirk, Sanday, Orkney. He spent his life collecting and preserving local Orcadian traditions and folklore which would otherwise have been lost for ever. © Richard Welsby. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
From slithering sea serpents, we’re moving to shapeshifting seals and the legend of the selkie.
Selkies and stolen skins on the shore
In The Outrun, Rona finds peace by braving the cold crashing waves on Orkney’s shores. In the water, she recounts the legends of the beautiful selkies. The shapeshifting seals would slip from their seal skin and dance on the beaches under the moonlight in their human form.
If their skin was stolen, they were forced to stay human. There are many stories of men who, captivated by the selkies’ beauty, stole the skins of selkies, and forced them to be their wives.
Walter Traill Dennison found that practically every island of Orkney had its own selkie wife tale to tell. One version is called the The Goodman o’ Wastness.
The Goodman o’ Wastness and The Selkie
Goodman was a farmer, who lived on the isle of Westray. He was handsome, his farm was going well and he caught the eye of many of the local unmarried girls. But he was never interested in any of them.
One day, Goodman wanders along the shore and spots the beautiful selkies lying near the shore, soaking up the sun. The selkies’ radiant skins lie strewn across the rocks.
He sneaks up closer to them and jumps at them from his hiding spot. The selkies scream, scrambling for their skins, rushing to get back into safe waters. But Goodman is quick enough to snatch one skin of a female selkie. The selkie starts pleading with Goodman to return her skin, but he refuses and carries the skin home with him.
Unable to return to her seal form, the selkie follows Goodman home. She sobs and cries, begging for her skin back to return to her people, but to no avail.
Over time, Goodman convinces the selkie to become his wife and they even have children together. But the selkie would still stare out of the window, longing to return to the sea where she belonged.
One day, Goodman goes fishing taking all their children with him, except for their youngest daughter. The selkie begins to search the house for her skin. Eventually, her daughter finds the selkie’s beautiful coat and shows it to her mother.
Our photographer Santiago caught this seal bopping its head out of the water overlooking Eynhallow Sound.
Overjoyed, the Selkie runs out of the house. She throws on her skin and jumps back into the water. Goodman never sees the selkie again. But it is said that he could be seen walking along the shores at night hoping to find the selkie again.
Going underground with the corncrake
Among the many different species that are native to Orkney, like the seal, the corncrake holds a special place in Orkney’s history and folklore.
Corncrakes are known for their elusive nature and their distinctive raspy call. Their “Krek! Krek!” used to be quite common across Orkney’s summer meadows and other hayfields across Europe and Asia. However, due to agricultural changes and farming, the corncrake’s habitats were increasingly destroyed. The species declined so much that they are now threatened to become extinct.
The RSPB and other conservation groups have played a vital role in conserving the species and corncrake numbers are on the rise again in Orkney.
In The Outrun, Rona starts working for the RSPB and is trying to spot the rare corncrake.
Because of its fickle nature, there are different legends about the corncrake.
According to some beliefs, corncrakes go underground which is why you rarely see them. It might not come as a surprise that spotting a corncrake during the day is considered a sign of good luck!
Another legend suggests that the hard-to-find birds turn into moorhens over winter. (How else would you be able to explain the corncrake’s disappearance over the cold months?) Although corncrakes are closely related to the moorhen, they migrate to Africa over the winter.
From the elusive bird, we’re moving to the tale of an elusive island!
Hether Blether – The legend of Orkney’s vanishing island
In The Outrun memoir, Amy Liptrot mentions the legend of Hether Blether. The legend says the mysterious island that appears and disappears in the mist is just off the island of Rousey. Many claim to have seen it, but no one has actually been there.
According to the story, a young woman from Rousay is in the hills cutting peat when she encounters a mysterious man. The two begin to talk and after a while, the man persuades her to come home with him. The woman feels intrigued by the man and feels an inexplicable sense of trust. She agrees to follow him and the man leads her to a mysterious large house, unlike any of the ones she had seen before. As they enter, the man introduces the woman to his family. She immediately feels a sense of belonging and she decides to stay and live with them.
Years pass during which the woman’s father is searching tirelessly for his daughter after she had vanished. One day, the house appears in front of his eyes from the mist.
As the woman and her father meet again, they fall into each other’s arms. Her father is overjoyed to have found his missing daughter and she reassures him that she is well and happy in this house. When he sets off, the woman gives her father a knife. It would bring him luck for his fishing and help him find his way back to her. However, as he leaves the island, he accidentally drops the knife into the sea. The island vanishes before his eyes and he was never able to return again.
There are many different versions of this Orcadian legend and of different islands that appear and disappear in the mist.
The fierce battle of the Sea Mither and Teran
The legend of the Sea Mither and Teran is a folktale that is as old as the seasons and the weather.
The Sea Mither is a friendly spirit that lives in the sea. The spirit would watch over the seas during the summer months, keeping turbulent waters calm and warm. You can notice the sea mither’s presence through the gentle breeze other the calm water.
Stormy weather at Skara Brae
The spirit of winter, Teran, is the nemesis of the Sea Mither. Teran is responsible for the heavy storms during winter, and the harsh, rough conditions of the sea. According to legend, the Sea Mither and Teran go to battle with each other around the spring equinox. This fierce battle, that can go on for weeks, is known as the “Vore Tullye” or the spring struggle.
The battle explains the gales and strong winds that captured the lands and the sea around this time. It always ends the same way, with the Sea Mither banishing Teran to the depths of the water and restoring calm and serenity to the sea over the summer months. Around autumn, Teran will break free again and the cycle of the battle repeats.
Although technically not part of The Outrun, the ancient legend is a fitting metaphor for Rona who tries to break free from her inner demons while she is swimming in the sea.
Time for more tales?
If you enjoyed reading about these five legends from the Orcadian Isles, you might also like our Five-minute Folklore blog with myths and legends form around Scotland. Or check out Theresa Breslin’s beautiful Illustrated Treasury books around Scottish myths and folklore on Stòr.
If you’re planning to visit Orkney, make sure to plan in some of our sites on your trip or find out what other Historic Scotland sites have been film stars before.
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