Mystery of dead otter near ‘selkie grave’ at Olrig Cemetery – most haunted place in Caithness
The mystery of why a young dead otter was laid out on a grave at Olrig Cemetery adds to the ominous feel of Caithness’ most haunted site and the legend of the selkie grave.
The juvenile otter, measuring just under two feet, was positioned straight out at the graveyard near Castletown and had no obvious signs of injury.
A team of council workers were working in the area on Monday afternoon and removed the unfortunate creature. One mentioned that a “selkie grave” was close by.
“It’s definitely a real thing, the selkie,” he added. “I totally believe that a selkie is buried there. If you stick your foot in the grave it’ll start raining.”
Another rumour is that the same action will bring great fortune and yet another talks of bad luck if you dip your foot in it. The selkie grave lies at the back of the ancient cemetery and is around two feet long by a foot wide with a barley twist sculptural feature surrounding it.
The most unusual aspect of the grave, apart from its small size, is that it is purposely made with a tapered hollow section that reaches down around 18 inches. Could it once have held a headstone or wooden cross long since gone?
Looking deep within, there was a small pool of water at the bottom which is reputed to never dry out due to the presence of its unusual occupant – a hybrid of woman and seal known as a selkie.
Legend says that a fisherman found a baby girl, swaddled in sealskin on the beach at Castletown. Along with his wife, he raised the girl but when she grew older she caused upset locally when she claimed to see the devil high up in the church rafters. This led to her banishment from the kirk at Olrig.
She was said to have died in childbirth and subsequently buried at the strange site behind the ruined Olrig Parish Church which dates to 1633 and is also known as St Trothan's.
A redundant thread on the Caithness.org message board mentions the selkie grave with one user commenting: “My friend’s mother also stepped in the hole in the grave and on the way home fell and broke her ankle.” Another person on the thread claimed that she is a distant relative of the selkie woman.
Ghost hunters have visited the cemetery on numerous occasions, kitted up with all the usual devices that paranormal investigators use. The old church certainly fits the bill of being a spooky location with its gables and walls overgrown with masses of ivy.
A ghost investigating site says it has a tour of the graveyard and the selkie grave this Saturday at 10pm. It posted a video of a previous visit but never responded to queries if the event is still going ahead.
The International Otter Survival Fund was quizzed as to why a young otter would have died at that spot. They thought it likely that the otter had come from Stannergill Burn which runs by the site. “It could have been separated from its mother and may have died from not being able to fend for itself, or possibly a dog attack,” said a spokesperson.
When shown the image on social media, one person wondered if the otter had been placed there intentionally by a “deranged person” to feed the into the myths surrounding the site.
It seems that will remain a mystery as the animal has now been removed.
