Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Finders Keepers - Losers Weepers


Greetings, Gentle Reader!

This month W3 is all about Summer Vacation. Ah, summer, sun, and surf. There's nothing better than sitting on a blanket with a book, staring out at the waves, and hoping to see a dolphin or two. Grab a patch of sand and join me, won't you?

Wait! Look over there. Something's  bobbing on the waves, just beyond the farthest breaker. Do you see it? Is it just another swell? Or my imagination?

There! A little to the right. A dark shape that doesn't look like water, or a bird, or a dolphin even. Drats! Gone again! Was that a seal?

Selkies

Do not cry into the sea, lassie
Let not your tears meet the waves.
For should the water of your eyes
Meet the waters of the sea
A selkie man will be called to thee.

Selkies are seal shapeshifters, most commonly said to live off the coast of the Orkney Islands and Shetland in Scotland and Co. Donegal in Ireland. The word, "selkie," is old Scots meaning seal, the Irish name is "roan." Similar creatures appear in other coastal mythologies, but let's stay with this, shall we?

When Selkies shed their skins, they transform into beautiful men and women. Beautiful and seductive. And because they always return to the sea, any human who falls under their spell is left bereft. However, should someone find the Selkie's skin and hide it, the Selkie must remain on land with that person until the skin is returned, or they find it.

Stories tell of Selkie women whose skins are taken and hidden by fishermen. The captured Selkie women take the role of wives who live with their fishermen husbands quite docilely, bearing children and minding their homes. However, their hearts truly belong to their sea home and they will never be happy trapped on land. Inevitably in these stories, when the skin is returned or found (which it always is), the Selkie leaves never to be seen again.

The Selkie males were said to be quite handsome and seductive. They are also said to raise storms and overturn boats in retaliation for murdered seals. For some reason, there are fewer stories of captured males. Mostly, the males are blamed for unfaithful wives. The males often came from the sea in search of unsatisfied women and any human woman wishing to call one to her can do so by performing a simple ritual.

At high tide, she should make her way to the shore, where she had to shed seven tears into the sea. – Orkneyjar, The Heritage of the Orkney Islands

The sad and curious thought that someone would be so obsessed with their Selkie lover that they would resort to trapping them to keep them was the inspiration for "By Tears Bound," a short story I wrote and was published by Membra Disjecta in 2008. The short piece of verse above was the first stanza of a "song" I created for the story and I incorporated the "seven tears ritual" as a key part in the plot.

There is also a twist on the legends where some Selkies will lure humans into the sea, never to return.

So, my best advice, never accept a seal-skin coat without asking where it came from. Then again, if the selkie is as attractive as they claim, then you might want to keep it, for a little while. I just advise you not to become too attached to either of them. The Selkies always seem to regain their skin somehow.

Do not cry into the sea, lassie
Let not your tears meet the waves.
For should the water of your eyes
Meet the waters of the sea
A selkie man will steal your heart from thee.

Finders keepers, loser weepers. Until next month, Denise Golinowski

My sweet fantasy romance, The Festival of the Flowers: The Courtesan and The Scholar is available as an ebook from the Wild Rose Press. You can check it out here.

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for dropping in, Sofie! I'm currently fascinated with all the creatures who shapeshift, and there are quite a few. The selkie seem to be among the least dangerous. They actually are in more danger from us than us from them. Thanks again for stopping by.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post, Denise. They may be least dangerous, but the story potential is immense. Imagine the dark paranormal about the selkie woman and the man who hides her skin so she'll stay and what she'll do to get the skin back!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for dropping by Tracey! Yes, that's the main story line you see about Selkies. I chose to go the other way with the spell to draw a Selkie man from the sea and then succumbing to the temptation to steal his skin to keep him. I'm definitely thinking of doing the other as well.

      Delete
  3. Cool, Denise. I have been scrabbling my way through my own Selkie story. Doing the research was interesting and I loved the part about tears attracting the Slekie in an ocean full of salt water.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nara!

      I thought the "spell" was absolutely too wonderful not to use. And the fact that there are so many stories about unfortunate Selkie women captured by humans, but no men. I'm still pondering one about their ability to raise storms. Could be a lot of fun. What's your story about?

      Delete
  4. Hmmm...next time I see a woman crying at the shoreline, I'll wonder just what she's doing there, and who might come to meet her!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, I'd hate to see one of our sisters weeping by the sea, but, yes, it will give a more optimistic spin on the sight. Hopefully, you don't see many. Thanks for dropping by!

      Delete