Via iStockphoto / @helendali TikTok
Most of us go to Scotland to drink whiskey, wear kilts, and imagine life in a castle. But for one TikToker, her trip to the Isle of Skye was in search of a real-life Scottish fairy tale. @Helendali traveled to the Highlands in search of the ultimate beauty routine. One that any evil stepmother would kill for: one with real magic.
On a recent 53-degree day (Fahrenheit), TikToker Helen, (@helendali), army-crawled across a flat slab of rock to dunk her head in the frigid water running beneath the Sligachan Old Bridge. In the video, which has been watched almost 4 million times, Hannah Montana’s “Ordinary Girl” is playing in the background (because of course). She holds her face in the water for just a few moments. But Helen isn’t striking a deal with a Scotsman. She’s appealing to the island’s older, more mystical inhabitants. She’s searching for her own fairy tale ending.
The text overlay on her video reads:
“Friend 1: I’m buying a house.
Friend 2: I’m getting married.”
“Me: I’m going to Scotland to dip my face in the river for 7 seconds so the faeries will grant me eternal beauty.”
Why This Water?
“This felt like seven long seconds,” Helen exclaims in the caption.
Then for context, she explains, “According to Scottish folklore, if you dip your face in the river under the Sligachen Old Bridge for 7 seconds and let it dry naturally, faeries will grant you eternal beauty.”
Old legends say water allows a gateway between the fairy world and ours. Local traditions say that long ago this is where the daughter of Scáthach, once wept with worry. Scáthach, a mighty warrior woman, was battling Cúchulainn, Ireland’s greatest hero. Her daughter’s tears moved the fairies. In response they revealed to her how to end the fight (before either warrior was killed). Since then, if you dip your face just so, you too may receive a fairy gift.
It seems like harmless, maybe even eco-friendly fun: Take a walk, cool your face, and maybe commune with an ancient sprite. It’s certainly worth the trip; the view is in a lovely part of Skye.
Still, some people truly believe. The Reddit thread u/pagan is full of people seriously discussing the existence of fairies.
Can We Trust Fairy Gifts?
Dig a little deeper, and many myths and legends describe fairies (the fae) as ancient and amoral tricksters. These are beings who sometimes grant gifts, but almost always extract a price for them. “Often feared as dangerous and powerful beings,” notes an article in Encyclopedia Britannica, they can be friendly to humans but just as often cruel or malicious.
And while that might sound like obscure folklore, more than one person offered a warning.
“Y’all are just making deals with the fae, consequences be damned? still better than the American healthcare system,” one viewer of Helen’s TikTok said.
Another predicted a dire future: “You will most likely have to go through a fae war but still more interesting than a house and a marriage right?”
Still, wicked fairies don’t scare everyone.
“Me derailing the entire family vacation last year to suggest we go to Scotland so I could do this. Eternal beauty achieved,” another said.
BroBible reached out to @Helendali for more about her Scottish skincare routine. We’ll update this if she responds to her TikTok direct message or to the comment we left.