neptunesdolphins | OTHER BEINGS: THE SELKIE (Reply)

Selkie (Note 1)

My Highland Scots grandmother often said that we were descended from otters. In the folklore of Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, and the outer islands, there are some mentions of otters. However, there is a vast library on Selkies, the Seal People. From the Faroes to the Orkneys, to Iceland and Ireland, the local folk tell of the Seal People.

With their expressive eyes, ordinary seals do look human, therefore some of them could be Selkies. According to various lore, the Seal People will come ashore, take off their skins, and dance as humans. Then they put their skins back on and return back to the sea. In Iceland, they dance in caves instead of on the beach. In Ireland, the Selkies need only to shed their “fishtails.” In the Faroes, the Selkies only come ashore once a year on Thirteenth Night. In the Orkneys, it is the Seventh Tide.

The lore often tells of a fisherman finding a seal skin, and hiding it. He forces the female Selkie to marry him, and have his children. Longing for the ocean, the female Selkie is unhappy on land. One day, she finds her seal skin, and leaves for the sea. Sometimes, she will return as a seal to see her children. Other times, the Selkie will change her children into seals and take them with her. Once a Selkie returned to the sea, seven years will pass before they are seen again.

Meanwhile, human women who are dissatisfied with their husbands will seek out male Selkies. Going into the sea, a woman will cry seven tears. A male Selkie will come and take her away. Sometimes at a full moon, a male Selkie will enter a village, seduce and steal a woman. In the Orkneys and the Faroes, there are tales of human women bearing Selkie children. Some families trace their ancestry to Selkies such as the Clan MacColdrum of Uist.

Throughout the region, people warn do not kill a Selkie. Therefore, seal hunting becomes problematic since the person could be cursed if the seal is actually a Selkie. In some cases, the curse extends to their family and hometown. However, if a Selkie’s child is saved or the hunter refuses to kill seals, the Selkie will show their gratitude. Sometimes the Selkie will save human children or the hunter themselves. Other times the Selkie will herd fish to the human or show them treasure.

Note:

Note 1. The name comes from “selch,” the Orcadian word for “seal.”

Works Used.

Allan, Tony, “The Mythic Bestiary.” London: Duncan Baird Publishers. 2008.

American Museum of Natural History, “Mythic Creatures.” New York: Sterling. 2016.

Daimler, Morgan, “A New Dictionary of Fairies.” Hampshire (UK): Moon Books. 2020.

Kruse, John, “Beyond Fairy.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2020.

Maxim, Gabiann, “Monsters and Creatures.” Summer Hill (Australia): Rockpool. 2018.