When you visit Scotland and find yourself wandering along its rugged coastlines, gazing out at the crashing waves, you might just imagine something magical swimming beneath the surface. That’s where the tale of the Selkies begins—creatures of myth and sea, with one fin in folklore and one foot on land. Unlike the better-known mermaids or kelpies, selkies belong to a softer, more sorrowful tradition. Their stories are some of the most haunting and romantic in Scottish mythology.
You might see references to selkies in gift shops, pubs, and even local legends told by islanders in places like Orkney and Shetland as you weave the landscape in a motorhome hire. But what’s the real story behind these seal-people who could transform into humans and back again?
Read on to learn about the mystical selkies—Scotland’s most bittersweet mythical beings.
What Are Selkies?
In Scottish folklore, selkies (sometimes spelled “silkies” or “selchie folk”) are seals who can shed their skin and take on human form. The word “selkie” literally means “seal” in the Scots language, and their stories are mostly tied to the coastal communities of Orkney, Shetland, and the Outer Hebrides. While similar tales appear in Irish, Faroese, and even Icelandic traditions, the Scottish version has a uniquely emotional tone.
Selkies were said to live most of their lives in the sea as seals, but could come ashore and remove their seal skin, becoming human for a short time. This transformation usually took place under the light of the full moon or on specific days when the veil between worlds was said to be thin—Beltane, Samhain, or Midsummer.
But here’s the catch: a selkie could only return to the sea if they had their seal skin. Without it, they were trapped on land, bound to the human world.
The Common Themes of Love, Longing, and Loss
Most selkie stories are tales of tragic love, and they’re almost always tinged with longing, betrayal, or impossible choices. In many myths, a fisherman or lonely islander sees a selkie dancing on the beach and becomes enchanted. If he manages to steal her seal skin, he can force her to stay on land and become his wife. She’ll often live with him for years, even bear his children—but she’ll always gaze longingly out to sea, singing quiet songs of sorrow.
Eventually, she finds the hidden skin and returns to the ocean without looking back, even if it means leaving her children behind.
There are male selkie stories too. In these rarer versions, a handsome selkie man comes ashore and seduces women—often unhappy wives or young maidens drawn to his mysterious charm. Some even say you can summon a male selkie by shedding seven tears into the sea.
Whether male or female, the selkie is never fully part of the human world, and the love they bring is always fleeting.
The Orkney Connection
The Orkney Islands are the heartland of selkie folklore. Here, stories have been passed down for generations—some romantic, some cautionary. In one well-known tale from the island of Deerness, a selkie woman is taken by a farmer who hides her seal skin in a locked chest. She bears him seven children before one day discovering the key and escaping, never to return.
In another darker Orkney tale, a man kills a seal, only to be cursed by a selkie man seeking revenge. The idea that seals might be more than they appear is deeply rooted in island culture—so much so that harming a seal was once believed to bring bad luck or even a watery death.
Modern Orcadians still reference selkies in stories, art, and even tourism. The landscape—windswept beaches, sea caves, and grey Atlantic skies—feels like it was made for these melancholy myths.
And What Does It All Mean?
At their core, selkies symbolize a connection to nature and the wild emotional pull of the sea. They represent freedom, femininity, mystery, and the idea that some spirits aren’t meant to be tamed.
In many ways, the selkie myth speaks to the lives of people in Scotland’s far-flung coastal communities—where the sea gives life but can also take it away. The selkie is not just a creature; it’s a metaphor for the loved ones lost to the ocean, or the people who can never quite feel at home on land.
There’s also a feminist reading of the myth. In many versions, the selkie woman is held against her will, her skin hidden or stolen—an eerie reflection of how women’s freedom was historically controlled or constrained. Her eventual escape becomes a quiet act of rebellion and self-restoration.
Selkies in the 2020s
Selkies haven’t disappeared—they’ve simply evolved. They appear in films, books, and music, often portrayed as symbols of longing, duality, and independence.
The 1994 film The Secret of Roan Inish brought the selkie myth to a wider audience, while more recently, the animated Irish film Song of the Sea reimagined the tale through a child’s eyes. In literature, authors like Margo Lanagan (The Brides of Rollrock Island) and Susan Cooper have woven selkies into fantasy narratives.
You’ll even find selkie-themed jewellery, children’s books, and local legends brought to life on coastal walking tours. They’re woven into the fabric of Scotland’s storytelling tradition—whispered about by the waves and remembered in the silence after they crash.
Do You Believe What You Hear or What You See?
Of course, there’s no scientific proof that selkies ever existed—but in a land where history and myth blend seamlessly, that doesn’t really matter. To the people who grew up with these stories, and the visitors who feel something stir when they look out to sea, selkies are as real as the tide.
So, next time you’re wandering a quiet Scottish beach and hear a splash in the distance, take a closer look. It might just be a seal. Or… it might be a selkie, waiting for the moon to rise.