The Daughter of the Skies facts for kids

The Daughter of the Skies is a magical fairy tale from Scotland. It was collected by a man named John Francis Campbell in his book Popular Tales of the West Highlands. He heard the story from James MacLauchlan, who was a servant from a Scottish island called Islay.

This story is a type of fairy tale known as Aarne-Thompson type 425A. Other famous tales that are similar to it include The Black Bull of Norroway, The Brown Bear of Norway, and East of the Sun and West of the Moon. These stories often feature a hero or heroine who marries a magical creature and then goes on a quest to find them.

The Story of the Daughter of the Skies

A Mysterious Disappearance

Once upon a time, a man had many daughters and lots of cattle and sheep. One day, all his animals mysteriously disappeared. He searched everywhere but could not find them.

A Dog's Offer

Suddenly, a dog appeared and offered to help find the lost animals. The dog said he would find them if one of the man's daughters would agree to marry him. The father agreed, but only if his daughter said yes.

The Youngest Daughter's Choice

The father asked each of his daughters. His youngest daughter was the only one who agreed to marry the dog. So, they were married, and the dog took her to his home.

A Magical Transformation

Once they arrived at his home, the dog magically changed into a handsome man! They lived happily together for a while.

Visits Home and Lost Children

After some time, the young woman wanted to visit her father. Her husband agreed, but he gave her an important rule: she must return home before their baby, who was almost due, was born. She promised to do so.

However, she stayed too long at her father's house. In the middle of the night, music played, making everyone else fall asleep. A mysterious man came in and took her newborn child. This happened two more times. Each time, she stayed too long, had a baby at her father's, and watched it get taken away.

A Difficult Journey

The third time, her husband warned her that things would be much harder. Her father also became angry, threatening her if she did not explain what happened to her children. She tried to go back to her husband, but her magical horse would not appear. So, she had to start her journey on foot.

Seeking Help from Sisters

She eventually reached her husband's home, but his mother told her that he had left. The young woman then set out again. She found a house where the housewife told her that her husband was about to marry the daughter of the King of the Skies. The kind housewife let her stay the night and gave her special shears that could cut by themselves.

The housewife then sent her to her middle sister. The middle sister gave her a magical needle that could sew on its own. Finally, she was sent to the youngest sister. The youngest sister gave her magical thread that would thread the needle by itself and keep up with the needle and shears. She then sent the young woman to a town.

A Plan to Reclaim Her Husband

In the town, she found a place to stay with a henwife (a woman who takes care of chickens). The young woman asked for something to sew, even though everyone was busy preparing for the king's daughter's wedding the next day. Her magical shears, needle, and thread immediately began to work on their own.

A royal serving-maid saw the amazing tools and told the king's daughter. The king's daughter asked what the woman wanted for these magical items. The woman asked for permission to sleep in the same room where the king's daughter would sleep that night.

The Truth Revealed

The king's daughter agreed, but she gave her bridegroom a sleeping drink to make him sleep soundly. In the morning, she threw the woman out. The next night, the woman again traded her magical needle for a chance to sleep in the room. The sleeping drink worked again, but this time, the man's oldest son was sleeping beside his father. The son heard the woman tell the sleeping man that she was the mother of his children.

The next day, the woman traded her magical thread for another night in the room. This time, the man threw out the sleeping drink. He and the woman finally spoke. When the king's daughter came down to throw the woman out, the man told her to go back upstairs. He said, "This is my wife."