A Stranger Came Ashore

"A Stranger Came Ashore" is a 1975 young adult novel written by Scottish author Mollie Hunter. The plot revolves around a boy called Robbie Henderson, a resident on the island of Black Ness, where there are legends of creatures called Selkies, which are seals that can take on human form. It also concerns his family, and the villain of the book, Finn Learson.

Plot summary

One night on Black Ness, the Hendersons are sitting at home in their but-and-ben house. There is a heavy storm outside. Then a figure bursts through the door, soaking wet. He calls himself Finn Learson, and he claims to be the only survivor of a sinking ship. The Hendersons trust and help him, except Robbie, his Old Da, and his dog Tam, who are suspicious of Finn. Old Da mysteriously dies, but before he does he warns Robbie not to trust Finn. Robbie remembers stories about the Great Selkie, his sea-palace, and how he tempts girls away with him to his home under the sea, and begins to wonder.

Robbie becomes convinced that Finn is the Great Selkie, but his family doesn't believe him. Elspeth states that she will choose one man, Finn or Nicol, to marry her on the celebration night of Up Helly Aa. Robbie goes to the schoolmaster, Yarl Corbie, for help. Yarl has been accused of being a wizard. Yarl reveals that Finn is indeed the Great Selkie, that he knew all along, and that Finn will try to tempt Elspeth to join him under the sea. They trap Finn and fight. Yarl uses his magic to morph into a raven, pulling out one of Finn's eyes. Finn, revealed as the Great Selkie, flees back into the sea in his seal form. He can still hunt fish with his remaining eye, but he can no longer return ashore to tempt girls away with him, as without an eye, he is no longer handsome.

See also

* Selkie