the silken selkie...

Of all the Scottish folklore tales, stories about Selkies have always been my favourite.

A selkie is a seal in the water but a man or woman on land. At the full of the moon the selkie rises from the water in foam and spray, takes off its seal skin, throws it aside on the rocks, and dances around mystic fires on the shore. Selkie woman are very beautiful and the men very handsome. That is why when humans in legends happen upon the shore at full moon and see the selkie-people, often they want the selkies to be their mate and steal the sealskins that are lying on the rocks. If their seal skin has been stolen a selkie can never return back to the ocean and becomes a prisoner...

Scottish scarf designer, Helen Ruth, returns this season with her A/W collection “Lore of the Land.”  Ruth takes her inspiration from highland folklore and legends; drawing influence from pictish maidens, selkies, stone circles and deals with the devil.  Steering clear of Chirstmas cheer, “Lore of the Land” has a more sombre tone towards Scottish fairy tales, with the fantastical and the bittersweet woven into the very threads of the designs...

“Lore of the Land” is a deliciously dark collection of some of Scotland’s little known local legends. Talking about the collection, Ruth says -

''These are stories that come from the land and I want to invite the wearer of my scarves to create their own tales from my illustrations.''

Helen has enjoyed her success in all shapes and forms over the last six years of running her brand, from securing international stockists, to seeing customers delight in her whimsical illustrations, to winning awards - most recently the Trend Magazine Life With Style Award in the Creative Minds category, and being selected for the Scotland Re:Designed 2014 Showcase. 

These scarves are stunning but a little bit costly with prices starting at £115.

You can see them all here.

I would ask Santa to bring me one for Christmas but but I suspect he will tell me to sod off and buy my own scarf, so I had better start saving...

Queen Marie