Talk:Finfolk

The finfolk were not Vikings. The inhabitants of the Orkneys and the Shetlands that told the finfolk stories were the Vikings. The 'fin' comes from 'Finnar', the non-norse inhabitants of Scandinavia now known as the Saami, though probably also including a related group of people who still use the name - the Finns. The Norse settlers of Orkney brought over their legends about the Finnar, with whom they had frequently interacted and intermarried in Scandinavia, and who were already known and employed as both sorcerors and boat builders. The Finnar were known to build light and fast boats that could literally not be caught, and were reputed to have magical control of wind and wave. In fact they built, and often manned many Viking boats, crossing into many Viking colonies as sailors or slaves. Their spiritual practitioners were also rumored to be shape shifters. This cultural contact informed the stories of the finfolk, who were more memory than fairytale, and laid the foundation for the post-Norse shift away from Scandinavian lore. Exposure to English in the Orkneys led to the understandable confusion about these magic boatmen having actual 'fins', increasing their association with the aquatic. This in turn smoothed the transition into a more homegrown aquatic shapeshifting form - the seal. Orkneyjar.com - The Root of the Finfolk Myth 184.100.187.250 06:22, February 21, 2011 (UTC)