A Retelling of Scottish Folklore
Under the light of the Full Moon, a young man was walking along the beach, hopping from rock to rock as he made his way toward home. The shoreline was craggy with large rocks jutting out of the sand all along the beach. Up ahead was the cliffside where, after rounding the corner, he would find the road that led him home. However, when he rounded the corner, he spotted something strange in the distance. His curiosity got the best of him and, instead of turning to find the road in the sand, he continued on, walking further down the shore than he should have.
The closer he got, the more he realized what he was watching - or rather, who he was watching! In the distance was a circle of naked women, frolicking around in the sand and water. They were laughing, singing, and dancing around with one another, unaware of the man watching them. Thankful for the craggy shore, the young man inched closer and closer, taking shelter behind the large rocks so he wouldn’t be spotted. As he moved toward the women, he noticed several lumps of brown cloth-like material lying on the rocks between him and the women. Puzzled, he made his way closer, careful not to disturb the women as they danced.
He was just a few feet away from the material on the stones when he figured out what it was - seal skin. He realized with enthusiasm that he wasn’t just looking at women. He was watching the Seal Folk in their dance! It was a rare sight to see them out of the water on two legs let alone see their skin up close. The young man was debating with himself - what was he to do next? - when the laughter of the women grew louder in the night air. They were finished with their dance and headed right toward him! Quickly, the man hid behind a rock so as not to be caught as the women gathered around the stone where their Seal Skins were laid out.
One woman, he noticed, was not with the others. She was taking her time, entranced by the lights of the town in the distance. The other women had already made their way to the sea, donning their seal skins and heading into the water. The young man took advantage of the woman’s lack of attention and darted out from behind the rocks. The woman’s attention snapped toward him and her eyes grew wide with fear. He was clutching her seal skin in his hands and staring directly at her. She had no choice but to follow him as he made his way home.
Eventually, the two married and had children. No one knew if the woman ever really loved him, but she resigned herself to a life on land with two legs rather than her seal skin. It didn’t matter how hard she tried, she never found the skin that the man hid from her. That is until one day, the woman’s son came to her with a strange piece of fabric, asking about where it came from and why it felt so odd. After all, the man had hidden the seal skin in a place no one would think to look - well, no one but a bored and curious little boy!
The last the man saw of his Selkie wife was her naked back as she ran from the home toward the sea. She loved her children, of course, but the call of the sea after all those years, the call to come back home, was too strong for her to resist. The children missed her, of course, as any child would, but on days when they would play by the shoreline, they were always in the company of a curious seal watching them from the sea.
– my take on a Scottish Selkie folktale
Selkies are fascinating creatures in Scottish folklore. The word “selkie” derives from the Scots word for “seal”, selich, which makes sense given the nature of these creatures. A Selkie is dual-natured: she lives her life as a seal yet walks on land as a human when she removes her seal skin. Selkies are said to be beautiful women, hence the reason their seal skins are prized amongst suitors. If you capture a selkie’s seal skin, she is trapped on land and can’t return to the sea.
Some say that Selkies are born of the doomed spirits who drowned at sea. They spend their time luring humans out to dangerous waters so they may meet the same fate. Others say Selkies are born as they are, not created, and that the tense relationship between Selkies and humans is due to the theft of their seal skin and the deceptive nature of human intentions.
I’ve always been fascinated with selkies and the way they shed one skin in favor of another. As someone who doesn’t feel a sense of belonging anywhere on Earth, I can’t imagine why a Selkie would remove her skin in favor of being a human woman. Give me the ocean and sea any day.
Anyway, I’m lamenting about my own sense of belonging rather than that of a Selkie.
I hope you enjoyed my retelling of the Scottish folktale!
This is my challenge entry for 
Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Magickal Creatures
I have been thinking about Selkies for the last few days… very interesting!!! 
always
. My little country with plenty of creatures roaming the land (and water).
Thank you for sharing it!
That’s where I’d love to visit next 