Selkies

sleepytisi:

The selkie comes from Scottish, Irish, and Faroese lore.

Unlike a mermaid, the selkie transforms fully into a human or into a seal, casting its seal skin and walking the land. When in human form, they can converse and mate with humans.

It’s said that a selkie male will seek out women (married or not) to mate with, and can be summoned when a woman sheds seven tears into the ocean during high tide.

There are many legends surrounding the selkie. Most of them are tragic, involving humans stealing away a selkie’s skin, leaving the selkie no choice but to marry their captor. Children with one selkie parent typically have webbing between their fingers and toes, and can hear the selkies singing from the ocean.

“But unlike sirens, selkies don’t mean any harm with their songs. They don’t sing to seduce or to kill. Their songs have nothing to do with anyone but themselves. They sing for the simple joy of it, and because of that, I imagine their songs are more beautiful than those of any siren” -Betsy Cornwell