The Seal Catcher and the Merman

Long ago, on the far northern coast of Scotland, there lived a man who caught seals. He sold their soft gray skins at the market. One day, he saw a very big seal lying on a rock by the sea. He tried to catch it with his long hook, but the hook scratched the seal’s side. The seal cried out, slid into the waves, and swam away, with the hook still caught in its fur. The seal catcher went home feeling a little bit sorry.

That evening, a tall stranger on a black horse knocked at his door. “I want to buy many seal skins,” said the stranger. “Come with me, and I will show you where.” So the seal catcher climbed up behind the stranger, and away they galloped.

They rode until they came to the top of a high cliff above the sea. Then, all of a sudden, the stranger jumped off the horse, took hold of the seal catcher, and dove right into the water! Down, down, down they went, deeper and deeper. And when the seal catcher looked at himself, he had turned into a seal! The stranger had turned into a seal too.

At the bottom of the sea was a great hall full of seals. In the middle lay an old seal with a scratch on his side. The stranger held up a long hook. “Is this your hook?” he asked. The seal catcher shook with fear. “Yes, it is mine,” he said. “This old seal is my father,” said the stranger. “Only the one who made the hurt can make it better. Please help him.”

So the seal catcher gently laid his flipper on the old seal’s side. And at once, the scratch was gone, and the old seal sat up, well and happy. All the seals barked and clapped their flippers for joy.

“Now you may go home,” said the stranger, “but you must make a promise.” “Promise that you will never hunt a seal again.” “I promise,” said the seal catcher. “I will never hunt a seal again, as long as I live.”

Up, up, up they swam, and on the shore they were men again. The black horse carried them back to the seal catcher’s little house. The stranger gave him a little bag of gold, so he would never be poor. Then he waved goodbye and disappeared into the sea. The seal catcher kept his promise. And whenever he walked by the shore, the seals popped up their heads to say hello.