Folklore of the Orkney Islands

An exploration into how folklore has shaped Orkney’s culture and the rhythms of island life for centuries.

Orkney’s folklore reflects centuries of storytelling shaped by landscape, livelihood, and long-standing ties to the wider North Atlantic world. This book explores the islanders’ accounts of fairies, hogboons, giants, mermaids, selkies, Finfolk, and other characters that helped people make sense of their surroundings on land and at sea. It also looks at the customs that guided everyday life — from birth and courtship to marriage, death, farming, and fishing — and how these practices offered protection, structure, and meaning. Witchcraft beliefs, trial records, and tales of the Devil reveal how fear, morality, and community pressures intertwined, while annual festivals show how older traditions adapted over time. This is an exploration into how folklore shaped Orkney’s culture and the rhythms of island life.