In which the Gift of Stories continues with Scottish fairy tale

The Stolen Bairn and the Sidh (Scotland)

A young woman set her bairn beneath a bush one morning, while she went off to milk the cow.  She was away only a moment, but when she returned, the child was gone!

She ran about and called frantically for her baby, but did not hear or see where he had gone.

Finally, she went to the fire of a wise old woman, and begged for help.  “Your child has been taken by the Sidh, the fair folk,” said the woman.  “And what the Sidh take away, they rarely give back.”

But the young woman would not give up.  “Tell me how to rescue my child,” she insisted. 

The old woman said, “There is one hope for you.  The Sidh have a great love of beautiful things, yet for all their cleverness they cannot create anything new themselves.  They must either steal or bargain for what they want. You must make something beautiful to trade for your child.”

“But how shall I get inside their Sidhean, the magical mountain where the fair folk live?” the young mother asked.

“Ah,” said the wise woman. “You shall need a second thing of great beauty to bargain your way inside.”  She gave the young mother directions to find the Sidhean, blessing her with a protection against harm.  Then they both went to sleep.  

When she awakened, the young mother was alone, but she knew what she must do.

She climbed among the rocks at the shore, gathering the fine small white feathers left by seabirds among the stones.  Then, using strands of her own hair, she wove the downy feathers into a fine cloak that sparkled and shone in the moonlight.  And that was the first beautiful thing.

Next, she walked the shoreline until she found a great fish bone.  This she shaped into a harp, and strung the instrument with strands of her hair, and tightened and tuned them.  And that was the second beautiful thing.

She placed the cloak around her shoulders, and, playing the harp, set out for the Sidhean.

A Sidh woman, arriving late, rushing towards the opening in the mountain, saw her with her beautiful cloak and harp. Mouth agape, eyes burning with greed, the fairy gazed at the cloak. A bargain was struck. The fairy woman allowed her to enter in exchange for the cloak. The other Sidh folk were so enthralled by the cloak the fairy woman wore that they did not notice the young woman walking into the throne room until she began to play her harp before the Queen.

The Queen’s eyes grew wide in amazement, then burned with greed. “I have many harps,” said the Fairy Queen, pretending disinterest, “but I have a mind to add that to my collection. What will you take in exchange for it? ”

The young woman said “Give me the human child you have here.”

The Queen whispered to servants who brought a great cauldron of jewels, which they poured at her feet. But the young mother would not look. “Only the child,” she said. 

The servants came a second time with a cauldron of gold pieces. Again she did not look, but played on her harp a tune of such love and longing that the Queen was overcome.

The servants were sent out and returned carrying the child. 

When he saw his mother, he gurgled with delight, and stretched out his arms to her. Letting the harp be taken from her, she lifted her arms to receive him.  Then she walked with him out of the Sidhean and went home again.