“In the beginning these islets were common wooded islands, such as one finds in plenty on Lake Maelar even to-day, and for ages they were entirely uninhabited.  They were well located between two bodies of water and two bodies of land; but this no one remarked.  Year after year passed; people settled along Lake Maelar and in the archipelago, but these river islands attracted no settlers.  Sometimes it happened that a seafarer put into port at one of them and pitched his tent for the night; but no one remained there long.

“One day a fisherman, who lived on Liding Island, out in Salt Fiord, steered his boat toward Lake Maelar, where he had such good luck with his fishing that he forgot to start for home in time.  He got no farther than the four islets, and the best he could do was to land on one and wait until later in the night, when there would be bright moonlight.

“It was late summer and warm.  The fisherman hauled his boat on land, lay down beside it, his head resting upon a stone, and fell asleep.  When he awoke the moon had been up a long while.  It hung right above him and shone with such splendour that it was like broad daylight.

“The man jumped to his feet and was about to push his boat into the water, when he saw a lot of black specks moving out in the stream.  A school of seals was heading full speed for the island.  When the fisherman saw that they intended to crawl up on land, he bent down for his spear, which he always took with him in the boat.  But when he straightened up, he saw no seals.  Instead, there stood on the strand the most beautiful young maidens, dressed in green, trailing satin robes, with pearl crowns upon their heads.  The fisherman understood that these were mermaids who lived on desolate rock islands far out at sea and had assumed seal disguises in order to come up on land and enjoy the moonlight on the green islets.

“He laid down the spear very cautiously, and when the young maidens came up on the island to play, he stole behind and surveyed them.  He had heard that sea-nymphs were so beautiful and fascinating that no one could see them and not be enchanted by their charms; and he had to admit that this was not too much to say of them.

“When he had stood for a while under the shadow of the trees and watched the dance, he went down to the strand, took one of the seal skins lying there, and hid it under a stone.  Then he went back to his boat, lay down beside it, and pretended to be asleep.

“Presently he saw the young maidens trip down to the strand to don their seal skins.  At first all was play and laughter, which was changed to weeping and wailing when one of the mermaids could not find her seal robe.  Her companions ran up and down the strand and helped her search for it, but no trace could they find.  While they were seeking they noticed that the sky was growing pale and the day was breaking, so they could tarry no longer, and they all swam away, leaving behind the one whose seal skin was missing.  She sat on the strand and wept.