Stories about selkies and the amazing mythical seal people
Such an unusual sea people are called selkies and “live” in Scotland on the Orkney and Shetland Islands. However, the “habitat” of the seal people is not limited to these territories.
Similar myths exist in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, as well as known analogues in Irish tales and in the folklore of many other cultures.
There are many versions of the origin of unusual sea inhabitants, and they are all diverse. According to some legends, these creatures include the souls of those who died in the sea. According to others, they are the descendants of people banished to the sea for their sins.
The male selkies are great peace-loving folk who live in the sea abyss in the form of seals. However, they can also take revenge on humans if they anger them.
Some Scottish islanders killed seals only if it was absolutely necessary. There was a belief that killing a seal could bring bad luck.
From time to time, seals would shed their skins and come as humans on land. But if they hide the skin, then the sea inhabitant can’t come back home.
By the way, there are a lot of fairy tales about it, wherein this way (by hiding the seal’s skin) people married beautiful girls-selkie.
