The Sealskin

Early one morning before people had gotten up, a man from Myrdal in the east was walking past some cliffs when he came to the entrance to a cave. He could hear that there was merrymaking and dancing going on inside the hill, and outside he saw a large number of sealskins. He picked up one of them, took it home, and locked it in his trunk.

Some time later, in the course of the day, he went back to the cave's entrance. A beautiful young girl was sitting there. She was entirely naked and crying bitterly. She was the seal to whom the skin belonged that the man had taken. The man gave the girl some clothing, comforted her, and took her home with him. Later she came to accept him, but never got along very well with other people. She would often just sit there and look out to sea.

After some time the man took her as his wife. They lived well together and had many children. The peasant hid the skin, locking it securely in his trunk, and he carried the key with him everywhere he went.

Many years later he rowed out fishing and forgot the key at home under his pillow. However, others say that the peasant went to a Christmas service with his people, but that his wife had been sick and was unable to go with them. They say that he forgot to take the key out of the pocket of his everyday clothes when he changed. When he arrived home that evening the trunk was open, and his wife had disappeared with the skin.

She had found the key, out of curiosity looked through the trunk, and found the skin. She could not resist the temptation. She said farewell to her children, put on the skin, and threw herself into the sea. Before the woman jumped into the sea, it is reported that she said:

This I want, and yet I want it not, -- Seven children have I at the bottom of the sea, Seven children have I as well here above.

It is said that this touched the peasant's heart. After this, when he rowed out fishing, a seal often swam around his boat, and it seemed that tears were running from its eyes. From this time on he was always successful catching fish, and luck often came to his beach.

People frequently saw this couple's children walking on the beach while a seal swam along out in the sea accompanying them. It would throw colorful fish and pretty shells to them. But the mother never again returned to land.