The Finfolk and the Vanishing Island
Orkney folklore tells of a race of sorcerers from beneath the sea who had a summer home on an island that only appeared when they wished.
What was reported
In the folklore of Orkney and Shetland, the Finfolk were dark, shape-shifting sorcerers of the sea. They rowed to shore in boats without sails and carried off men and women to be their husbands and wives. In winter they lived in Finfolkaheem, a glittering city under the sea, and in summer on Hildaland, an island that could make itself invisible.
Legend says the small island of Eynhallow, between Mainland and Rousay, was once Hildaland. A farmer whose wife had been taken by the Finfolk won the island from them by sailing to it with salt and marking it with crosses, so that it could never disappear again.
Explanations offered
Folklorists think the Finfolk may reflect memories of Sámi or other peoples from across the North Sea, called 'Finns' by the Norse, who were thought to have magical powers. Vanishing islands in Orkney may be linked to mirages over the sea in summer. Eynhallow is uninhabited today, with the ruins of an old church.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Eynhallow, Orkney, Scotland, UK
- Witnesses
- Orkney folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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