Song Of The Selkie:
The
Selkie Legends
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The
Selkie legends belong to the islands and coasts
of Scotland and Ireland. They tell of seals
who can become human and humans who can become
seals. At certain times the Selkie are drawn
to land, when they take off their skins to
become human. If their skins are stolen from
them, they can never return to the sea ....
A
female can shed her skin and come ashore as
a beautiful woman. When a man finds the skin,
he can force the Selkie to be a good, if somewhat
sad, wife. Should she ever recover the skin,
she will immediately return to sea, leaving
her husband behind.
For more Selkie lore visit: The
Selkie Folk
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Orchards
& Vines
"Song of the Selkie" lyrics:
This
is the story of the Selkie
They were a race of men and seals
Their mystery enfolds the countryside
The one that lies along the sea
Their story unfolds gently
There were but one or two children
Missing from shore you see
It was said they were taken by the Selkie
The Selkie shed its skin
They could become women or men
But our fear was the greatest
We avoided them
Oh my brother he's taken by the waves
I have not seen him for many a day
And though it's cold outside and raining so
hard
I worry for him now, he's just a tiny bard
The island stories go on, many I have heard
The one of where my cousin found a girl
The seal had shed its skin
He had found her upon the bend
He stole up quietly and stole her hide behind
her
When she set sight on him she knew she was
in love
She forsook the seas for he had taken hold
of her
It was told then the hide was where her power
lie
She bore him children, they lived their lives
in harmony
On shores of happiness they rose their family
sturdily
Their love grew on you know, she was a good
wife to him
He loved her dearly and they sired many kin
She's gone, her daughter mentioned something
It had been twenty years since she had been
found by him
She mentioned, "Mommy dear, he's got a hide
beneath the bed"
She went and found it, now she's gone away
from them
Lyrics © Cindy Tomlinson/Orchards & Vines.
All Rights Reserved.
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