Once upon a time, in the rugged hills of the Scottish Highlands, there lived a wise and powerful king who had three daughters, each fairer than the other. Yet, of all his children, the youngest was the gentlest and most beloved. Her beauty was matched only by her kindness, and she was known throughout the land as the joy of her father’s heart.
One spring evening, as twilight painted the glens in shades of gold and blue, a stranger arrived at the king’s gate. He was tall, graceful, and clad in garments that shimmered like the morning sky. None knew from where he came, but his presence felt both noble and otherworldly. He bowed before the king and asked for the youngest princess’s hand in marriage.
The king hesitated, for he knew nothing of this man. Yet the stranger’s voice was calm and kind, and his eyes were filled with truth. The youngest daughter, feeling an unspoken bond, consented to be his bride. Without delay, they were wed, and soon they departed to his distant castle, a place said to lie beyond the hills where clouds touched the earth.
The Mystery of the Sky Husband
In her new home, the princess lived happily, though she noticed her husband often vanished at dawn and returned only at dusk. She never asked where he went, for he treated her with tenderness and honor. But a veil of mystery hung between them, she did not know his true name, nor the full nature of his being.
After a time, she bore him a child, and her heart longed to share this joy with her father. Her husband agreed to let her visit the king’s castle, but with one warning:
“Speak to no one about who I am, nor try to name me, or you shall lose what is dearest to you.”
She promised and returned home joyfully. But on the night of her child’s birth, as laughter filled the castle, a cold wind stirred through the room. From the darkness, a shadowed hand reached out, took the newborn child, and vanished. The mother screamed, but the infant was gone.
Her husband comforted her, yet when their second and third children were born, the same fate befell them. Each time, a mysterious hand carried the babe away into the night. On the third loss, the king’s daughter could bear it no longer. She wept and begged her husband to reveal his secret, to tell her who he truly was.
Reluctantly, he whispered his name. No sooner had the words left his lips than a great wind swept through the hall. Her husband’s form shimmered like light through mist, and he vanished before her eyes.
The Long Search
Grief-stricken, the princess resolved to find him. She roamed from village to village, through heather-clad moors and over rocky hills. Her shoes wore thin, and her golden hair grew tangled in the wind. At last, she came to a small cottage where an old woman sat spinning at her hearth.
“Good day, my lass,” said the old woman kindly. “What brings you so far from home?”
The princess told her tale, and the woman, touched by her sorrow, gave her a gift: a pair of magical scissors that could cut cloth without end. “These may help you when kindness alone will not,” the old woman said, “and perhaps you will find your husband to the east.”
The princess journeyed on and found another cottage. There sat a second old woman, gray as winter frost. She listened and handed the princess a thimble that could never be lost. “Use it wisely,” she said, “and you will sew your way to truth.”
At the third cottage, an ancient woman awaited her, older than the mountains. She gave the princess a needle that stitched without thread. “When your path is darkest,” she whispered, “this will mend what has been torn apart.”
The Reunion
Following the third woman’s counsel, the princess traveled eastward until she came to a grand castle of silver and blue stone. Through a window, she saw her husband seated beside another woman, his eyes dazed as if under a spell. Her heart trembled, but she did not lose courage.
That night, she used her magical scissors to make a gown of wonder, more beautiful than any seen before. She offered it to the woman who ruled the castle, asking in return to spend one night near her husband’s chamber. The woman, greedy for beauty, agreed, but through sorcery, she cast the prince into a deep sleep, and he did not wake.
The next night, the princess used her thimble to craft a cloak fit for kings and asked again. Once more, the woman agreed, and again, the prince slept.
On the third night, the princess used her needle to mend the torn fabric of her heart, sewing a tiny garment that shone with love’s light. This time, as she wept by her husband’s side, her tears fell upon his hand. The spell broke, and he awoke, remembering everything.
He embraced her, and the castle trembled as the enchantress vanished in smoke. Together they fled to the land of her father, where joy and peace were restored. Soon after, their three lost children were returned to them, brought by gentle winds that carried laughter through the glen.
Moral Lesson
The tale of The Daughter of the Skies teaches that love’s patience and courage can break even the strongest enchantment. Faith and perseverance light the path through the darkest trials.
Knowledge Check
1. Who is the mysterious husband in “The Daughter of the Skies”?
A supernatural being from another realm who marries the youngest princess.
2. What happens to the princess’s children?
They are taken by a magical hand each time she gives birth.
3. What magical gifts help the princess on her journey?
A pair of scissors, a thimble, and a needle, each with enchanted powers.
4. What breaks the spell on her husband?
Her tears of love, which awaken him from magical sleep.
5. What lesson does the folktale teach?
Love, courage, and persistence can overcome loss and separation.
6. Where does this folktale originate?
Scotland, part of the Scottish Gaelic oral tradition.
Source: Scottish Gaelic folktale, Scotland.
Adapted from “The Daughter of the Skies,” collected by J. F. Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands (1860s).
