Selkies are mythical creatures that can transform from seals to humans by removing their skin. They are associated with seafaring communities and have inspired many stories and ballads in Ireland and Scotland. Selkies are known for their romantic encounters with humans, but they always return to the sea. The origins of the myth are unclear, but some believe it may be inspired by real explorers or legends of humans trapped in animal form.
A selkie is a mythical creature that lives primarily as a seal, but can assume human form by removing its seal skin. Many stories and ballads about the creatures are found in Ireland and Scotland, and the myth seems to have originated in the Orkney Islands. Selkies are closely affiliated with seafaring communities, where many people see and interact with seals on a regular basis. They resurface in popular culture from time to time, with everything from songs to fiction books incorporating selkies into their storylines.
Depending on the region, selkies are also called silks or selkies. The word is a diminutive of the Scots word for seal, selk or selch, which comes from seolh, the Old English term for seal. According to many of the creature ballads, selkies may periodically emerge from the water to interact with humans, but do not form lasting relationships, returning to the sea after a short time. To prevent a selkie from escaping, the sealskin can be hidden or destroyed.
Many of the stories about selkies are romantic stories, both of fishermen who become enthralled by the beauty of female selkies, and of wives frustrated by their absent husbands and their encounters with male selkies. In many of these tales, the selkie’s skin is hidden, and the selkie may settle down with his or her spouse for years, fathering children and living in the rest of the village. Selkie spouses are said to be quite sad and sometimes lonely, however, as they pine for the sea.
If a captured selkie finds its skin, the creature will return to the sea, which is its natural home. According to myth, once a selkie has returned to the sea, it will be seven years before he is seen again. Like other half-human, half-animal creatures in mythology, selkies seem to struggle with their dual identities, and interestingly, given the opportunity, they will revert back to their animal forms.
The origins of the selkie myth are unclear. Some people have suggested that the selkies may have been inspired by real people such as explorers who wore heavy furs and stopped off at the Orkney Islands. Other mythologists believe that selkies really sprang from legend. Many of the beliefs around animals suggest that they are reincarnations of people lost at sea or that they are humans trapped in the form of seals.
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