The hollow is a real feature on the grave. A John o' Groat Journal article treats it as a local legend of a grave that never goes dry, and a later item reports a dead otter found near it. The tale is told as a selkie legend: a seal woman who walks among people and sees what they cannot. Whether the child ever existed is unknowable.
Folklore & legend
The Selkie Grave at Olrig
Also known as: The Selkie of St Trothan's
Olrig Cemetery, Castletown
Legend undated; kirk dates from 1633
- Evidence
- Long-standing local tradition
- Access
- Open ground
- Location
- 58.571, -3.420 (Sited to the building or field)
Sources: John O'Groat Journal, A sealskin legend and a grave that never goes dry [other]; RobbieMac Tours, Legend of the Selkie [other]; Caithness.Org Forums, Myths and Legends Castletown [other]
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