The history of the Fey: Selkies

Hello! Fey, Fay, or Fae. Whichever way you spell it, the Fey have an interesting and diverse history. So, if you want to share any information you have about my post, feel free to comment. I'd love to hear from you!

Selkies (or Seal Folk) are an interesting part of the Fey. They take the form of seals and live in the waters around the Scottish isles of Orkney and Shetland, though stories about them are found in Ireland and other countries as well.

When they remove their seal skin, they change into human form. If the selkie loses their sealskin, they cannot return to their home at sea until they find it.

Human males have tricked female selkies into marrying them by stealing their pelts. On the other hand, male selkies have tricked human women into becoming their lovers.

The selkie will always have a longing to return to the sea and eventually will, not matter how much they care for their human lover. In the cases of the female selkies tricked by human men, they will constantly search for the sealskin so they can go home.

There is one story (though there are probably countless others just like it) where a man stole a selkies pelt and forced her to marry him. They had seven children and eventually the youngest helped the selkie find her sealskin. She returned to the sea and her selkie husband. As she was swimming off with her selkie mate, the man was returning from fishing, and she called out to him to say goodbye. Mourning his loss, the man walked the shores searching for her for the rest of his life.

There are those that believe selkies are fallen angels who were not good enough to stay in heaven but were not bad enough for hell. So, being a selkie is a kind of eternal limbo for them.

If a woman wants to entice a selkie to come to shore, they need to shed seven tears into the sea. And it is assumed women lost at sea, were taken by their selkie lovers.

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