Jordan Clark works as a collections assistant at Shetland Museum and Archives, where he completed a Modern Apprenticeship and studied for a degree. It's a role that feeds his passion for Shetland heritage, folklore, and archaeology.
Jordan Clark's face lights up, illuminated by his passion for folklore. “Like most Shetland bairns,” he says, “I grew up with stories of trows and sea monsters”.
Now, as a collections assistant at the Shetland Museum and Archives, he channels that childhood wonder into work that safeguards the islands’ heritage.
Originally from Brae, Jordan now lives in Lerwick, where the museum is located. He completed a Modern Apprenticeship with the museum, which inspired him to pursue a degree.
It was the apprenticeship that unlocked things. “I did a couple of NCs”, he says, “but I don’t think I thought I was capable of more than that”. Encouraged by supportive colleagues, Jordan soon found himself thriving in a setting where curiosity was a strength. “Studying something I loved was incredible. It really inspired me to try a part-time degree in archaeology, culture and heritage”.
When folk renovate their houses, they sometimes find Neolithic axe heads in the walls.
Jordan’s days at the museum are varied. He registers objects ranging from Neolithic pottery sherds to modern items. “I do humidity checks, gallery inventories, and answer enquiries. And I get a lot of the folklore ones, which I love.” The museum’s collection is vast – 98% of it is in storage – but thanks to Jordan and the museum team, it remains accessible to researchers and the public.
Some of the artefacts that come in have stories as strange and beautiful as any folktale. “When folk renovate their houses, they sometimes find Neolithic axe heads in the walls”, Jordan explains. “We call them thunderbolts. They were thought to be apotropaic – objects that protected you from evil”. According to tradition, the Norse believed that Thor had struck down giants with these tools, which made them lucky. “They buried them into their houses to protect from the evil eye,” he adds. “And we still get them handed in today”.
A highlight of Jordan’s Museum and Galleries Technician apprenticeship was curating his own display case in the museum’s folklore section. He chose to focus on Shetland’s sea language and the folklore surrounding maritime life.
“With the coming of the Scottish lords and pressure from the Church, they [Shetlanders] stopped speaking Norn on land”, he explains. “But at sea, they kept using the Norn words. They believed the new language would offend the old gods and sea monsters”.
This linguistic superstition means that many Norn words survive in Shetland dialect today. “You wouldn’t say ‘seal’ at sea,” Jordan adds. “You’d say ‘hurin’, which means hairy fish. Or ‘half fisk’ and ‘tang fisk’.”
"Even growing up, he recalls his uncle using these words while fishing. “We still don’t say ‘seal’. It’s the same for otters. We say ‘draatsi’."
His connection to Shetland’s cultural landscape runs deep. “I grew up with stories from my granny and grandad in Yell,” he says. “Stories about the Windhouse, haunted places, hidey-holes from the press-ganging days. It gives you a deeper connection to your place when you can walk through the land and know its stories.”
Working at the museum has deepened that connection. “We’ve got incredible galleries and a wonderful archive team,” Jordan says.
“I’ve gone down so many rabbit holes reading folklore books I’d never seen before.”
He also had the chance to attend a national museums conference in Edinburgh, broadening his understanding of heritage work beyond Shetland.
Our natural world is incredible, our built world too, but it’s the intangible that breathes life into it all. And Shetland is full of 'breath'.
He believes strongly in the museum’s role in community life and "allowing people to have access to their own culture". That commitment goes beyond his job. Inspired by his work, Jordan now volunteers with Archaeology Shetland and has even taken part in digs.
He also feels strongly about the need to nurture the connection between land and language. “If you don’t know where you’re from, you don’t know where you’re going,” he says. For Jordan, heritage isn’t static: it’s a living, breathing relationship between people and place. When asked what advice he’d give young people considering a career in heritage, Jordan is thoughtful. “If you’re passionate about your culture, you should try to get a job within it. Culture is for sharing.”
Finding a career that he loves wasn't straightforward for Jordan, but his story proves that you can follow a passion.
“I didn’t enjoy school”, he says. “It was like trying to put a circle peg into a square hole. It didn’t feel right”.
Diagnosed with dyslexia in school and later ADHD, Jordan found the conventional classroom didn’t work for how his mind processed information. “But coming into a workplace [like the museum] – that was life-changing.”
He also emphasises patience.
“Don’t be afraid to not know all the answers or to not be good at something straight away. Like a garden, it takes time for things to grow. And then at the end you get your fruits.”
For Jordan, the heart of Shetland’s richness lies in what he calls its intangible cultural heritage. “That’s the stuff you can’t touch,” he says. “It’s the skills, knowledge, stories and traditions passed down through generations. Our natural world is incredible, our built world too, but it’s the intangible that breathes life into it all. And Shetland is full of 'breath'.”
In sharing those breaths – those stories, words, and beliefs – Jordan is not just preserving a culture, but reanimating it for the next generation. His journey is proof that there are many paths to knowledge, and each can lead to a deeper sense of place and purpose.