Most people learn about mermaids when they are very little. Mermaids are beautiful mythological creatures that live magical lives under the sea. Their mystical abilities make many children wish they could breathe underwater and live in palaces made of coral. The Little Mermaid is a classic example; Ariel lives a carefree life of adventure under the sea.
The selkies are a lesser known creature, though I believe they are just as beautiful as mermaids. Their bodies are slender, and their tails are as smooth as silk. You see, selkies are to seals what mermaids are to fish. Mermaids have tails that are covered in a multitude of different colored scales. Selkies do not have this kind of variety. The top half of a selkie is still a human, but the bottom half is that of a seal.
Selkies are lesser known because they are part of Scottish folklore, rather than European folklore. (The production of The Little Mermaid probably didn’t help the selkie’s potential popularity either.) They are very different from mermaids, since they are able to shed their seal skin and become humans whenever they want. They are also able to become fully seal, so it is not uncommon to see them playing in the water with their seal counterparts. It is believed that selkies often leave the sea and find human husbands or wives. They have great seductive powers, and they often target people who are dissatisfied with their lives.
Some selkies do not wish to marry humans. However, female selkies are under the control of a man if he steals her skin while she is on land. She is forced to marry him, since she cannot return to the sea without her skin. The trapped selkies have children with their husbands and serve them faithfully, but they miss the sea greatly. If a female selkie finds her skin, she disappears into the night and returns to the sea. She might visit her children, but she won’t return to the land until the husband dies. She couldn’t trust losing her skin to him again.
Selkies are solitary creatures, yet they are loyal to the rest of their kind. It is not uncommon for a father to protect his female children until they are fully grown. Selkies also have a close connection with seals, who they view as family. Male selkies can control the weather and create storms, which they use to drown ships that hunt seals. Occasionally, selkies are caught in the nets of fishermen. Females draw fish into these nets in order to barter with the fishermen and get them to set her free.
Selkies are immortal, but they can be killed by other creatures. They are generally killed by sharks when they are in seal form. They are significantly faster when fully seal, so they enjoy whipping through the water and tumbling around. Selkies can also be killed by humans on land. They can be murdered in the same way a human could be, though they will also die if their skins are burned or injured.