Shetland Folk Tales

Being separate from the Scottish mainland, the Shetland Isles have a rich and unique tradition of folklore, from selkies to invading giants and Vikings. This book brings together for the first time many tales of the Isles, including The Boy Who Came from the Ground, and Norway’s First Troll, among many others. This collection is sure to enthrall and entertain those from the region and anyone who picks up a copy.

As a child, Lawrence learned many folk tales from his father, Tom Tulloch, who was a tradition bearer whose folklore was collected by the School of Scottish Studies. As a storyteller, Lawrence has collected even more tales and this book contains many favorites - some you may recognize, but with a Shetland twist. After first coming to Shetland from France in 2006 to study, Alexa Fitzgibbon spent the best part of the next seven years studying Shetland culture. Lawrence was the first person she met there, and it was the beginning of a solid friendship. Drawing ink illustrations throughout high school, she has kept up the passion alongside her love of photography.

LAWRENCE TULLOCH was born in North Yell in 1942 and was introduced to storytelling by his aunt and his father. His interest in folklore led to him making several radio broadcasts, and he wrote for magazines and local papers. He had four books published and left two written but not published when he sadly passed away in February 2017. As a storyteller he travelled extensively, to Washington USA, the Faroe Islands, Sweden, Norway, Slovenia, Ireland and Orkney, and he participated in several Scottish festivals including the International Storytelling Festival in Edinburgh and Celtic Connections in Glasgow. He recorded two tapes of stories and had them remastered to CDs. He enjoyed telling stories and loved the audience reaction which always left a twinkle in his eye.