The Mermaid Bride and Other Orkney Folk Tales

by Tom Muir, Bryce Wilson (Illustrator)

Genres: Scotland, Short Stories, Mermaids, Fantasy

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the Orkney Islands (situated just off the northern tip of Scotland), their crossroads between Celtic and Scandinavian culture is of course also strongly reflected in Orcadian folk tales, so that Orkney lore generally shows an interesting mixture of Scottish, Irish, Cornish and Welsh thematics blended with Shetlandish, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic and Faroese topics (and not to mention that the folktales of the Orkney Islands also tend to mirror and to contain many aspects of general Indo-European mythology, including heroic quests, dragons, magical swords and horses, deities of the sky and of the ocean to name a few examples). And with his published in 1998 The Mermaid Bride and Other Orkney Folk Tales, Tom Muir presents a diverse (and also for the most part very nicely readable as well as enjoyable) collection of Orcadian folk tales (and where we as readers textually encounter an intriguing legend about how the Mermaid acquired a tail and which actually links mermaids to the Biblical Eve and to certain Germanic and Norse goddesses, the story of Ursilla and her male Selkie lover, the strange fate of Janet, the Storm Witch, the quest of Jessie and the Book of the Black Arts, the haunting, tragic account of Scotta Bess and a man who loved not wisely, but too well, and of course and indeed many many more).

Now I have found all of the stories in The Mermaid Bride and Other Orkney Folk Tales entertaining, but yes indeed, my favourites have definitely been the stories which explain how specific places and landscapes were created (the so-called pourquoi tales). But for me, the most delightful of said pourquoi tales (and also my hands-down favourite story of The Mermaid Bride and Other Orkney Folk Tales) is Assipattle and and the Stoor Worm, a story that combines the common in much of Europe Cinderella figure (but yes, a male Cinderella, and with Assipattle's name also closely linguistically resembling the German word for Cinderella, namely Aschenputtel) with Viking hero quests (and a monster to be vanquished that is akin to the Midgard serpent Jörmungandr of Norse and Germanic mythology) and also providing an explanation of how the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands, the Faroe Islands and Iceland as well as the Baltic Sea were created when Assipattle killed the Stoor Worm and rescued everyone, and yes, with another favourite tale of being the seasonal pourquoi tale (winter versus spring) of The Mermaid Bride and Other Orkney Folk Tales being Mother of the Sea (where the two ancient deities doing battle pretty strongly reminds me of the ancient Greek myth of Demeter, Hades and Demeter's daughter Persephone).

And yes, and finally, Tom Muir, he uses a nicely flowing, readily assimilated style in the telling of The Mermaid Bride and Other Orkney Folk Tales and makes this collection a pure pleasure to read (and indeed, many of these stories also feel like one is not reading the tales but having them orally related, having them verbally told). Five stars for The Mermaid Bride and Other Orkney Folk Tales, and that yes, I do very much appreciate that unlike with his Orkney Folk Tales, in The Mermaid Bride and Other Orkney Folk Tales Muir provides excellent and also nicely research friendly bibliographic sources as well as a glossary showcasing and describing Orkney magical creatures of both land and sea (from fairies to water horses). Highly recommended, and while I have massively enjoyed both Tom Muir's more recent (2014) Orkney Folk Tales, the better and more useable secondary sources as well as that delightful glossary makes me certainly prefer The Mermaid Bride and Other Orkney Folk Tales.

[Rhian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible and charming look into the Folklore of Orkney. A good first step, and now I'm going to be looking for things that capture more of the dialect and style of traditional Orcadian storytelling and takes a slightly more academic look at the history of the oral tradition.

[Zac Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful wee collection of folk tales famous and obscure, but you bet your fuckin arse the best one is the Nuckelavee and the sea hags.

[Reem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: In accordance with FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements: The book reviewed has been purchased by me and the opinions I have expressed are my own. All quotes from “The Mermaid Bride” are the property of Tom Muir©.


Short summary:This is a well-researched, varied collection of folk tales retold by the author and is as entertaining as it is informative. It’s a hidden gem among the many books about Scottish folklore that line the mythology section of bookstore shelves. I highly recommend it to serious students of UK folklore who wish to learn more about Orkney's stories and traditions as well as children who love fairy tales. The pages are filled with fantastic tales of magic, Selkies, Giants, ghosts, Fin Folk, Mermaids, Trows (fairies) that will leave you completely enthralled. If you are familiar with Norse mythology, you will notice its influence on some of the legends. Vikings had invaded the Isles and lived there for a time among the natives long ago. You will even find that Christianity plays a role in some tales. I fell in love with the illustrations or Bryce Wilson. They are all done with a black pen using the stippling technique. They are incredibly detailed and give his artwork a nice texture as well as a three-dimensional impression due to his excellent shading method.


Book Contents: The book begins with the “Acknowledgements” page, followed by an introduction by the author, Tom Muir. He explains that his purpose of writing this book was to preserve Orkney's heritage and compile as many folk stories as he could find into one place for fear that all the ancient tales would be lost in time. I believe that he has not only achieved his goal, but also composed a classic that will lay on the bedside tables of many Orkney children for their mothers to read to them for years to come. Following the introductions is “The Creatures of Orkney Folklore” section which provides short descriptions of the mythical characters featured in the tales. I recommend you read this section if you are not familiar with Orkney folklore. Otherwise, it will be difficult to understand who or what the author is portraying in the tales, which follow right after this section. After the main text, the collection of folk tales, there is a small segment titled “Short Stories from Old Lore Miscellaneous” and one labelled “Ernest Marwick Papers, Orkney Archives of the Orkney Library, D31” and finally the “BBC Radio Orkney Archives” before the bibliography which is designated “Notes and Sources.” As you can see, the author has provided an abundance of resources as well as explanations at the beginning and end of the book for readers to make the concepts of the folk tales easier to grasp and for those who wish to further their study of Orkney traditions and folklore.


Writing and Analysis of Tales: The language is simple, but combined with the author’s unique style, a natural a story-telling voice which captures the essence of the settings in which the stories take place and forms authentic dialogues between the characters, gives a certain kind of charm to these tales as well as a faithful ambiance to the originals. They invoke emotions of love, loss, wonder, caution and even a bit of humour. Some tales are short, less than a page long, while others exceed three pages. I found that the narration is similar to that of fairy tales. Most stories have a theme or lesson which is conveyed either directly or subtly. My favorite sayings are: "A close tongue keeps a safe head" and "She shaped her own cloth, now let her wear her ill-fitting dress!" The tales are more plot-driven and the protagonists generally do not play a large part and are not particularly well-rounded. The choices these characters make, external supernatural forces and/or entities are what move the story forward. Supporting characters are not mentioned much and rarely influence the events which occur. If you keep in mind that you are reading a book of folktales, not a collection of short fiction, you will enjoy the book regardless. There is plenty of adventure to be found: discoveries of hidden islands and an underwater kingdom, the exploration of the wild, rich and untamed Orkney landscape, which is depicted in Mr. Muir's brilliant execution of story-telling.

I would have given the book five stars, had it not been for some minor details:

Toward the end of the book, there was an increase in common grammatical errors (misuse of punctuation, not capitalizing the first words of sentences, etc.). Also, the language in the tales also did not seem to flow as smoothly as they did earlier in the book. Everything felt somewhat rushed. Also, some factors in the tales were difficult to comprehend and made no sense at all to me. I understand and appreciate that they were told this way years ago, but one wonders if the original storytellers at the time had not been experiencing some drug-induced episode similar to a bad acid trip. A good example to support my opinion is the story "Good Neighbours of Greenie Hill." When a stampede of pigs suddenly appears out of nowhere in your house and starts squealing next to your feet, then one carries you off to see fairies, you know something is out of whack. I will say no more on the matter


Verdict: I genuinely enjoyed every moment I spent reading this book. I also learned a lot about the folklore of Orkney and a little about the customs of the people who lived there in the past. I loved the stories toward the beginning of the book most of all, which are creation myths that portray how Orkney came to be, as well as stories of Mermaids, Selkies and Fin Folk. But my absolute favorite tale was by far "Lady Odivre;" it was one of the most epic folk tales I had ever read. A oath made by Odin, a heartbroken lady, a brave knight in a faraway land, a Selkie King, a scandal... I will not spoil it for you. You have to read it.


Recommended for: anyone interested in foklore, particularly the folklore of Scotland and Ireland. The stories of the Orkney Isles are not as well-known as those from the rest of the UK, but they should be. If not for the sake of scholarly research, then for the pure joy that they will no doubt bring you. In the future, I may edit my review, adding and omitting material to elaborate on my views more thoroughly as well as provide recommendations for further reading. But for now, I believe this will suffice.


Quick note: if you decide to purchase this book, you should know it is printed by The Orcadian Limited (Kirkwall Press), and Orkney is an outlying group of Islands to the North of Scotland, it is a bit difficult to obtain a new copy in the US unless you order it online directly through the Orcadian Bookshop or special-order it through Waterstones or Blackwells. Otherwise, you can find used copies on amazon but they are more expensive.

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very comprehensive collection of Orcadian folk-lore. I agree with another reviewer that the tales at the beginning of the book - the Creation myths - are the best. Further on in the book some of the stories are mere fragments, recalled from people's childhood hearings. Tom has done a fantastic amount of research for this collection, and tells the tales simply, using a minimum of words that need explanation for non-Orcadians.
I have just completed my own collection of stories about Orkney and Orcadians, and held off from reading this until I had finished writing my own stories. Some owe a debt to Orkney heritage, others are original.
It was interesting to read Tom's collection at this point. He kindly acted as a beta reader for the first couple of my own stories and had some useful suggestions to make.

Re-reading. April-May 2025
This is quite an exhaustive collection of Orcadian folk stories gathered over many years, and from many sources. The library and radio station archives hold some treasures in eext, film and audio tapes, ehich Tom researched. Some tales like the City at the bottom of the Sea are rounded stories with beginning, middle and end; others are fragments which don't always make a lot of sense in their found form. It certainly bears re-reading.

[George Prew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mermaids, trows, selkies - This is a lovely collection of folklore from Orkney, together with some really interesting snippets of information about their sources. Muir has brought together these wonderful stories in an engaging package, though be warned that, as with a lot of folklore, there are a fair few repetitions and variations on a theme.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed dipping in & out of this book. It is very easily readable, a gentle read of different types & versions of folk tales. It is not a catalogue or attempt at documenting the history of the tales (if known) although there is archival information should readers want to go searching.

[Dinnl · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a book for dipping into, not so much for reading right through as the stories can be a bit samey.
Enjoyable though.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Ronald Schoedel III · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does what it says on the tin. Well polished and enjoyable.

[Bailey Tolentino · Rating 2 out of 5]

on what feels like my tenth book of water tales for this comparative literature class and i am losing the will to live