As she headed north along the sandy shoreline, the rocky ledge beside her steadily sloped upward in increasing height, forming an elevated cliff which curved protectively around a sheltered inlet. Standing on the soft white sand at the base of the bluff, she peered up to the promontory high above her head. A vibrant thrum pulsed in her veins, singing to her dormant magic.Like iron drawn to a lodestone,Elfi was inexorably pulled toward the open mouth of an astonishing sea cave tucked inside the curve of the crystalline cove.
A sandy path extended from the shore into a vast, open cavern. Along the left wall, a flat rocky ledge burrowed into the cliff, permitting Elfi to walk along the side of the cave. Below her, beneath the elevated ledge, the turquoise waters of the sea entered from the sheltered inlet. Foamy waves flowed along the right side of the cave, forming a deep ocean pool in the center just beyond where she now stood.
Morning sunlight broke through the clouds, entering the east-facing cave from behind her. Brilliant rays reflected off the lush limestone walls like lustrous pearls, illuminating the emerald, jade, and sapphire hues of the sea like the gems which glittered and pulsed with power around Elfi’s parched throat.
Basking in the exquisite natural beauty of the opalescent cave, Elfi peered from the elevated granite shelf, her awestruck gaze finally resting upon three large rocks which protruded from the deep ocean pool.
“Bonjour, Elfi of Étretat. Welcome tola Grotte des Sirènes,the Mermaid Cave of theÎle de Sein.At long last, we meet the daughter of Dúva.The siren with the sea goddess eyes.” A stunning sea creature with long, pale aqua hair arose from the ocean pool to recline upon one of the trio of jutting stones. Her sparkling eyes were a deep bluish green, like the shimmering scales on the lower half of her mermaid body, where a long fishtail divided into two softly flowing fins which fluttered in the jade ocean below the rock. The alabaster skin of her bare human torso glowed like a moonstone or rare, precious pearl. The lilting voice of theGallizenaewashed over Elfi like gentle waves of the sea, summoning thesjóvættirspirit from the depths of her mermaid soul.
Two othersirènesemerged from the pool to stretch upon the adjacent stones.One mermaid had long waves of midnight blue hair, shimmerysilver scales and dark sapphire eyes, the other with cascading curls of fiery red, with emerald eyes and a mint green tail.
“You have come to theÎle de Sein,seeking the divine knowledge of theGallizenae.” As the mermaid with pale turquoise hair and a liquid, lyrical voice spoke to Elfi, six other sea creatures swam from the hidden recesses of the cave toward the trio of rocks in the center. Ephemeral, ethereal, and evanescent, they radiated otherworldly oceanic beauty as they lingered in the crystal clear water, their slender arms draped across the rocks, tail fins floating in the brilliant aqua pool. Each mermaid had long, wavy hair and scales of different colors, ranging from light aquamarine blue to lavender grey, amethyst purple, and dark emerald green.
Stunned by the dazzling display of aquatic colors in the luscious, wavy locks and shimmering tailfins of the mermaids, Elfi’s legs shook under her long blue gown.
The exquisite sea creatures drew themselves up out of the water and onto the enormous stones, tailfins floating in the deep ocean pool. Nine mermaids now faced Elfi as she stood on the rocky ledge above, a rippling current of energy surging through her like the cresting waves which crashed against her beloved white chalk cliffs.
The siren with midnight blue hair and silver scales spoke in a melodious, limpid tone which flowed over Elfi like the cool waters of the Mermaid Cove. “You are the daughter of Dúva, one of the nine billow maiden mermaids who control the sea. Now that you have come to theÎle de Sein—and into the divine realm of the Sea Goddess Rán—we shall awaken your dormant, inherited power.”
Golden sunlight gilded the coppery hair of the mermaid with the pale green tail. “Like us, Elfi of Étretat, you possess the innate ability to shift into a mermaid. Or summon the strength of the sea.” Eyes ablaze with verdant fire, the mermaid’s virid gaze sizzled into Elfi’s very soul. “Your mother was one of us. A sea spiritsjóvættir. For we—the nine mermaids of theGallizenae—are the billow maiden daughters of the Sea Goddess Rán.”
As Elfi processed this startling revelation, a mermaid with dark purple hair and light pearlescent scales—the same colors as the oyster shells Elfi had glimpsed along the shore— swam over, floating in the water just beneath her. “Remove yourLjósálfardagger anddragonscalesheath. Place them inside your leather satchel. Take off your clothing, and wrap your trollkorstalisman and necklace inside your gown. Leave everything upon the rocky shelf where you now stand, and slip into the water with me.”
Elfi’s limbs quivered as she quickly shed her garments, white wolf weapons, and enchanted jewels, securing them safely inside her leather satchel, which she laid against the wall of the cave atop the rocky ledge. The salty spray of the sea kissed her bare skin, sending shivers of exhilaration and anticipation into her trembling body. When she sat at the edge of the granite shelf, dipping her feet into the surface of the ocean pool below, the oyster-hued mermaid looked up at her with expectant eyes revealing the amethyst light of dawn. “When you were a little girl, you imagined that you were a mermaid when you swam in the sheltered cove near the waterfall cave.” Her radiant smile was a luminous as Lugh’s. “Recapture that feeling. But this time, instead ofpretendingto be a mermaid…reach into every recess of yoursjóvættirspirit. Call forth the sea from your soul. Andbecomeone.”
Elfi’s pulse pounded in her parched throat. Energy surged thought her, like a violent storm churning the tumultuous sea. She thought of Njörd, meeting the lupine brothers of hisÚlfhéðnarpack and learning to shift into a wolf at will.Like my mate, I am a shapeshifter. A mermaid who can summon the sea!
Succumbing to the overwhelming wave which inundated her withsjóvættirmagic, Elfi slid from the elevated limestone ledge of the cave.
Into the aquatic realm of Rán.
As she plunged into the icy water, every pore in her body leapt to life, as if revived from a sluggish slumber. She swirled and twirled in the frosty, foamy waves, rejuvenated and revitalized as thestrong current carried her down to the depths below. Envisioning her lower body as a powerful fin, Elfi was delighted to see that her legs had transformed into a mermaid tail, with shimmery scales in the same trio of colors as the necklace Njörd had given her for a bridal gift.
Light turquoise, like the gentle waters of the Mermaid Cove.
Deep emerald green, like the aquatic plants of the Narrow Sea.
Dark lapis lazuli blue, like the dangerous depths ofla Mer de l’ Ouest.
Elfi panicked at the realization that she desperately needed to breathe. Whipping her tail frantically to propel herself upward, she rose to the surface, gasping for air.
“As a mermaid, you may breathe water. Try it and see.” The soothing voice of asirènewith hair the color of a summer sky and scales like soft grey clouds slowed Elfi’s racing heart.
Elfi dove under the water, swishing her tail as she swam. To her utter astonishment and sheer delight, she discovered that she could indeed breathe like a fish. But since she couldn’t talk underwater, and there were many questions she was anxious to ask, she rose to the surface again, heartened by the smiling faces of the mermaids who watched her with wise, otherworldly eyes.
“Now, rise up onto this rock. Recall your human legs. And walk once again.” The mermaid with pale aqua hair and emerald green scales—who had first welcomed Elfi tola Grotte des Sirènes —flashed her an encouraging grin.
Elfi swam to the protruding rock, hauled herself up out of the sea, and envisioned the long, strong legs of her shieldmaiden self. With her virile Viking Njörd firmly embedded between them. As a wave of desire flooded her with warmth and pooled in her loins, she stretched to her full height, flexed her feet, and stood proudly on her two human legs.
“Bien fait! Well done, Elfi. Now do it again. Several times in succession. Until shifting becomes as natural as breathing.” Sapphire eyes dark as lapis lazuli, theGallizenaewith silver scales and midnight blue hair watched as Elfi complied.
“You have inherited your mother’s ability to shift into a mermaid. But you needed to come here—into the realm of Rán—for it to be awakened.” A mermaid with lavender hair and cerulean scales smiled warmly at Elfi. “And now that your power has emerged, you can shift at will for the rest of your life.” The mermaid raised her otherworldly gaze to the opening of the cave behind Elfi.
Treading water in the ocean pool, Elfi turned around to see what had caught theGallizenae’seye. To her astonishment, one of the mermaids—who had assumed human form and was now dressed in a long blue dress with billowy, diaphanous sleeves—had entered the cave and had walked up onto the rocky ledge above them. “Come up here to don your gown,” she said, offering a swath of soft linen as a drying cloth when Elfi arose from the icy water. “Fetch your belongings and follow me. The rest of mysjóvættirsisters will join us at the cottage.”
While Elfi quickly dried off, pulled on her clothes, and fastened the necklace andtrollkorstalisman around her neck, she observed the mermaid in human form from the corner of her eye.
Pale blonde hair cascaded to her hips like a frosty waterfall. Tall, lean, and lithe, her slender limbs floated like waves within the fluid sleeves of her gossamer gown.. “I am Himinglæva,the oldest of the nine daughters of Rán.”
