Information AboutSelkie |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SELKIE | |
| scottish folklore | |
| shapeshifting | |
| celtic legendary creatures | |
| legendary mammals | |
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Selkies are able to Transform to human form by shedding their seal skins and can revert to seal form by putting their selkie skin back on. Stories concerning selkies are generally romantic tragedies. Sometimes the human will not know that their lover is a selkie, and wakes to find them gone. Other times the human will hide the selkie's skin, thus preventing them from returning to seal form. A selkie can only make contact with one particular human for a short amount of time before they must return to the sea. They are not able to make contact with that human again for seven years, unless the human is to steal their selkie's skin and hide it or burn it. ''The Grey Selkie of Suleskerry'' is a ballad typical of the former, while '' The Secret Of Roan Inish '' is a movie telling the latter tale. ''Seal Child'' is a children's novel by Sylvia Peck which details a modern telling of this myth. ''The Folk Keeper'', a "young readers" novel by Franny Billingsley also uses the selkie myth powerfully. The recent album "Honeycomb" by Pixies front-man Frank Black includes a tune called "Selkie Bride", which alludes to the Selkie legend. Male selkies are very handsome in their human form, and have great seduction powers over human women. They typically seek those who are dissatisfied with their romantic life. This includes married women waiting for their fishermen husbands. If a woman wishes to make contact with a selkie male, she has to go to a beach and shed seven tears into the sea. If a man steals a female selkie's skin, she is in his power, to an extent, and she is forced to become his wife. Female selkies are said to make excellent wives, but because their true home is the sea, they will often be seen gazing longingly to the ocean. If her skin is found she will immediately return to her home - sometimes, her selkie husband - in the sea. For other aquatic mythological creatures of Celtic origin see:
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