Shapeshifters by Nick Redfern

Author:Nick Redfern
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: shape shifter, shape shifters, shapeshifter, nick redfern, cryptozoology, cryptid, crypids, mythical creature, monsters, shapeshifting, shape shifting, paranormal, parapsychology
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2017-07-24T04:00:00+00:00

Selkies, Shapeshifters of the Sea

Within the history of fairy lore, there exists a longstanding tradition of these magical—and sometimes manipulative, dangerous, and even deadly—entities having the ability to shapeshift into a nearly dizzying number of forms. We’ll begin with one of the lesser known creatures that falls into the fairy category. Its name is the selkie, a beast that is most associated with the people and the old folklore of northern Scotland, the Shetland and Orkney Islands, Ireland, and Iceland. It’s fair to say that the selkie is not too dissimilar to the legendary mermaid, although, as will become apparent, there are significant differences, too.

Like the mermaid—and its male equivalent, the merman—the selkie is an animal that dwells deep in ocean waters and has a longstanding connection to the human race. Also like the mermaid, the selkie is said to be a seducer supreme. Whereas, in times past, mermaids and mermen were perceived as being half human and half fish in appearance, they were not shapeshifters per se. Rather, they were a combination of creatures. The selkie, however, has the unique ability to take on two specific forms: that of a seal and that of a human, both male and female. Whereas mermaids are limited to living in the oceans, the selkie exists as a seal in the water and as a human on land. It achieves the latter by discarding its seal skin and taking on human form—that of a beautiful, alluring woman or a handsome, muscular man.

While the selkie is certainly a manipulative creature—as all fairies are said to be—it is not a malicious one, at least not for the most part. Not only do selkies have a deep affinity for the human race, they are also attracted to us—physically, emotionally, and sexually. A selkie may live in the seas of our world for an extraordinarily long period of time. Should, however, one of these magical things develop a lusting for or an attraction to a human, they will cast off and carefully hide their sealskin and take to the land in human guise. A twist on this aspect of the legend maintains that if the human in question can locate the hidden hide, then the selkie will remain with that same person, and the selkie’s love will last as long as their human companion lives.

Even when the selkie stays on the land with its lover, the time very often comes when the yearning to return to the sea becomes overpowering and, finally, irresistible. Generally speaking, the selkie—which, in typical fairy style, has an extremely long lifespan—will only do so when its human partner has passed on. When the grieving process is over, the selkie will then seek out the sealskin that it discarded and hid years earlier, take on its original seal form, and spend the rest of its life traveling the seas.

As for what the selkies really are, that is very much a matter of conjecture. Most people would likely relegate the entire matter to the world of folklore.

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