The Kelpie part two.
Another story concerning
The Kelpie comes to us from Donegal.
Once upon a time,
not that long ago, there lived a poor fisherman in the village of Buncranna in
County Donegal who went by the name of Seamus O’Doherty. His family had fallen
on hard times and he was now the sole provider for his seven brothers and
sisters. One day when Seamus was down amidst the rocks at low tide hunting for
crabs he stopped for a smoke, it was a fine summer day and finding a sheltered
spot behind two large boulders he sat on the warm sand and he let the warm sun warm his body. He
lay back and fell into a deep sleep.
Seamus woke with a
start, the sun was now low in the sky and the tide was almost full in. “Ah
Jesus” he thought ” the tide has cut me off , I’m Stuck!” and indeed he was, it
was either swim for it or climb the cliffs, neither was an option he felt
inclined to take. He slumped down in his little spot between the boulders and
lit another cigarette while he considered his options. Just then he heard
the sound of voices, he rose and peered over the rock. Seamus wasn’t very
popular in the village as he was prone to bouts of extreme drunkenness so he
didn’t expect it to be a rescue party. He was amazed by what he saw coming out
of the water. There were a group of people, fair of face and lithe of body,
these were no mortal folk, these were Kelpies. Seamus knew the old stories and
like most villagers half believed them half not, and yet here in front of him
was proof.
When the fairy’s
were driven from the land by Patrick and his fellow priests most went to Tir na
Og, the land of the forever young but some elected to stay, the Banshee stayed
to summon the dying, the shining ones stayed to guard the holy places and the
Kelpies took the form of grey seals and lived almost their whole lives in the
sea only taking on their human forms to mate or die.
The group of kelpies
7 men and 6 women formed a circle on the beach; they were dressed only in
shifts of a light material, covered with a thick cloak of fur. Their leader, if
such he was, stood in the centre of the circle and started to sing One by one
the others joined in. Such music Seamus had never heard the like of before, it
drifted over the beach and mingled with the sound of the waves on the pebbles
and the breeze swirling up and down in rhythm with the beat of a heart.
Seamus slid down
into his hollow again, this was something no mortal man had seen or heard for
thousands of years. The singing got quieter and eventually died away, Seamus
rose again and peered over the rock. The group was standing silent, their
leader raised his arms and said ‘Go now and make us strong again’ He turned and
walked into the sea merging with the surf and was gone. The rest of the group
quickly paired off and went to find a place where they could be alone, one
couple came towards Seamus,
‘Oh Mother Mary protect me’ prayed Seamus for
he had been told of the fate that befell those caught by the fairy’s.
The couple stopped
not far from Seamus’s hiding place and throwing their cloaks and shifts to one
side began kissing and canoodling on the sand. Seamus could hear the amorous
activity increase in intensity and frantically looked round for a means of
escape. He then noticed that the girl had thrown her cloak down carelessly and
it was just within reach. Seamus edged himself closer and quietly slipped the
cloak into his bag, before creeping back to the shelter of the stones.
The couples ended their hanky panky and one by
one returned to the sea, the girl whose cloak Seamus had lifted searched the
beach for her garment but couldn’t find it. Soon she was alone on the beach.
Seamus rose from his hiding place, ‘Is this
what you are looking for?’ he asked taking the cloak from his bag. The girl
gasped. “Well have you no tongue in your head?” he
asked,
“Seamus O’Doherty”
The girl whispered in a strange sing song voice, that seemed to come not from
her mouth but from inside Seamus’s Head.
“How in god’s name
do you know who I am” asked Seamus,
“All the creatures of the shore and fish in
the sea know who you are Seamus’ the girl said “Now give me my cloak so that I
can return to the sea”
“Now what would I be
doing that for” replied Seamus. ‘Sure you would just be swimming off and
leaving me like the poor soul I am. No I want some treasure, gold or silver
before you get this back”
“Ha” the girl shook
her long blond hair “and how would I do that, isn’t all our treasure deep down in
the sea, and you have my cloak so how can I get it?”
Seamus thought about
this, the girl smiled and edged towards him hand outstretched, “Please now Seamus
give me my cloak”
Seamus looked deep
into the girls deep blue eyes, they swirled and sparkled like the pebbles
caught in the waves. Seamus reached the cloak out to the girl, then shook
himself and said, “None of your auld fairy tricks now”
“Och Seamus” said
the girl “sure you’ll give me my cloak now wont you”,
She was close to
Seamus now and he could smell the salt in her hair. She reached out and touched
him; he felt a tremor run up his arm. She led him down to the water’s edge and
reached up and kissed him full on the lips. Stars exploded in his head, his
lips tingled and passion flared in every nerve of his body. He pulled her close
and returned the kiss. They fell backwards into the shallow water and embraced.
She started to sing in his ear in the strange language of the kelpies, Seamus
shivered with delight.
He felt a tugging at
his waist and in a flash the girl had her cloak and was gone. Seamus was alone
and no longer at the water’s edge, he had been pulled out to sea and not
noticed. Seamus like many fisher folk then as now couldn’t swim; he floundered
for a full minute before at last his head sank beneath the waves. Water rushed
into his lungs and slowly he felt life leave his body, as it did he opened his
eyes and saw the kelpies male and female surround him and watch in silence as
he died.
In the village that evening the Banshee
howled and the villagers wondered who had offended the fairy’s, the next
morning they had their answer as Seamus’s body was washed into the harbour.
Thanks for these two posts. It does no harm to remind us that displeasing the Good Folk is not a lucky thing to do.
ReplyDeleteMay the upcoming autumn bless you with rich harvests and a full storehouse.
Regards,
Mak
Thank you Makarios,
DeleteMay your harvest be a rich one and your larder overflow. I wish you and yours a glorious autumn and a gentle winter. Glad you enjoyed the posts.
Keep smiling,
SilentOwl.