Blue men of the Minch

Lore & Background

The blue men are said to have the power to create severe storms, but when the weather is fine they float sleeping on or just below the surface of the water. They swim with their torsos raised out of the sea, twisting and diving like porpoises. They are able to speak, and when a group approaches a ship its chief may shout two lines of poetry to the master of the vessel and challenge him to complete the verse. If the skipper fails, the blue men attempt to capsize his ship. One recorded exchange between a skipper and the blue chief shows the skipper completing the verse, causing the blue men to return to their underwater caves and allow the vessel free passage.

In some tales, the blue men may board a vessel and demand tribute, threatening to raise a storm if it is not given. A story by John Gregorson Campbell tells of sailors capturing a blue man sleeping on the waters; two fellow blue men give chase, calling out to each other by name. The captured spirit breaks free and jumps overboard upon hearing his companions' voices, leading sailors to believe all blue men have names by which they address each other. The creatures are also said to play shinty when the skies are clear at night.

Reader's Guide

The blue men of the Minch are notable for their highly localized range—confined to a specific stretch of water—which folklorist Donald A. Mackenzie states has no counterparts elsewhere in the world or even in other parts of Scotland. This limited distribution is rare for beliefs in spirits and demons. The legend has been explained in several ways: as a personification of the sea (the blue colour taken from the hue of the sea), as originating with the Picts (whose painted bodies might have given the impression of men rising out of the water when seen in boats resembling kayaks), or as arising from North African slaves brought by Vikings to Scotland, who spent winter months near the Shiant Isles. Historian Malcolm Archibald speculates the myth may derive from the Tuareg people, known as the 'blue men of the desert.' The blue men are also styled as storm kelpies, a name applied to various water spirits in Scottish folklore, though kelpies are usually described as powerful horses.

Did You Know?

• The Scottish Gaelic term 'na fir ghorma' literally means 'the blue men.'
• The stretch of water near the Shiant Isles where the blue men are said to dwell is called the Current of Destruction due to the number of ships wrecked there.
• One explanation for the legend is that the blue men originated with North African slaves the Vikings took to Scotland.
• The blue men are said to play shinty at night when the skies are clear.