The Legend
The Islesman in whom goodness is stronger than love, finding the seal woman bathing in the creek, will let her go back to her own natural element: the Islesman in whom love is stronger than goodness cunningly hides her skin, and weds her on the third night after he has found her.
The sealwoman was hot and tired baking the bread and making the churn against her husband’s return from the hunting-hill. “Ochoa, the burning of me,” thought she, “what would I not give for a dive and dip into the beauteous coolness of the cool sea-water!” On the very heel of her words, who rushed in but her wee laddie, his two eyes aglo, “O Mother, mother,” cried he, “is not this the strange thing I have found in the barley-kist, a thing softer than mist to my touch!” And if she looked, and look she did, this strange thing, softer than mist, was it not her own skin! Quickly, deftly, the seal woman, tired and hot, put it on, and taking the straight track to the shore, it was nought for her than but a dip down and a keek up, all evening long, in the beautous coolness of the cool sea-water. “Wee laddie of my heart, “ said she, ere night came upon her, “when thou and thy father will be in want, thou wilt set thy net off this rock, and thy mother will throw into it choice fish that will make a laddie grow, and a man pleased with himself.”
And the sealwoman, with a dip down and a keek up, went on lilting her sea-joy in the cool sea-water.

KENNETH MACLEOD