Sister Eithne's Account

The following is a translation of the account of Eithne, sister of holy houses on Inis Mór, Ireland. Eithne is believed to have lived AD500-545, give or take a decade, and this account written around AD535.

Following dawn prayers, I descended the hill from the chapel towards the sea, hoping – as I often do – to find a good supply of mussels exposed by the low tide. The summer sun was already rising behind me, casting the beach in a dim orange light. It was by this light I could make out a dark mass, around the size of a man, lying in the surf.

Thinking it was one of my fellow brothers and sisters, or perhaps a local fisherman, I ran over the rocks, careful not to slip on seaweed that glistened in the morning light. I was met with the most unusual sight as I drew closer. It was not a man but a creature. A creature with the face and feet or a seabird, but the body of a seal. My family have lived on these coasts for generations and never seen such a peculiar mixed-up animal.

It did not stir when I approached and so I reached out to touch it. Regrettably, it was dead, but the warmth of its flesh told me it had not long been so.

The poor creature was badly battered and bruised, it’s fur – or should that be feathers? – stained with blood. Despite this, I will do my best to describe it as I believe it to be in life, and shall sketch it as faithfully as my hand allows.

The animal was six feet long and well built with a large heard and barrel chest which tapered thinner towards its feet and stubby tail. The legs looked too short and close together to support its weight, but the long, webbed toes would have served it well in the water.

The head was the most birdlike part of it and resembled in some ways a puffin. The tall yet narrow bill was black at the tip, but halfway to the face gave way to a ridged red and yellow section. Around the eye was a red stripe, the cheek was grey and the throat bright red.

As for the rest of the body, it was black on the animal’s back and white on the belly and face. Were it a bird, the wings bore no obvious feathers and instead brought to mind the broad flippers of a seal, or a boat’s oar.

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As for what it was, I cannot say. The great auk is a bird that lives in the manner of a seal, perhaps his magnificent beast was similar. Either way, it had been badly injured – likely in a storm far out to sea – then tossed onto the hard rocks of Inis Mór and left by the tide to die.

I shall pray for it.