Oral tradition Siberian folktale
A shape-shifting folktale about a gull girl who leaves the kingdom of the birds to marry a man.
Story
Every year the gulls come to the lake and shed their feathers. A young man and a gull girl fall in love. She leaves the gulls to marry the man and they have two children but the girl’s mother-in-law finds fault with her constantly and in the end the girl takes the children and leaves. The man must follow her to the kingdom of the birds and with the help of the eagle try to win her back.
Why we chose it
Gull Girl was one of the stories chosen by Geraldine McCaughrean for our World Stories project with St Ebbes School in 2016. The stories were represented on fabric hangings made by artist Ally Baker which can still be found hanging in the museum.
Where it came from
The Gull Girl is a Chukchi story from Siberia.
Where it went next
Geraldine McCaughrean’s own version of the story can be found in her 100 World Myths and Legends.
Associated stories
Traditional stories about shapeshifting creatures who can shed their skins and become human, can be found all over the world. Some like Gull Girl and the seals in the Selkie stories from Scotland and Ireland can simply transform by shedding their skin.
Oral tradition Siberian folktale