What does selkie mean in Irish?
the seal people
The selkie – also called the seal people, the sea people or the mermaid – is a marine legend that tells of people who are half fish, and half human. In the water, they are seals, but on land, they shed their skin and take on human form.
What is the difference between a Kelpie and a selkie?
Some more familiar creatures are kelpies and selkies. Kelpies are supernatural water horses that haunt Scotlands lochs and rivers. Selkies meanwhile are creatures that can transform themselves from seal to human form and back again.
How long can a selkie stay on land?
Selkies take human form by shedding their seal skin. They can only willingly stay around humans for a short time. Once they’ve donned their seal skin again, they can’t return to shore for another seven years.
What happens when you give a selkie back their coat?
In some stories, it is a child that finds the coat, and returns it to the mother. Sometimes the selkie takes her children back into the ocean, and sometimes they are left behind. In that version of the story, the mother and children meet in the surf to play. Selkie men give children to barren women.
What is an Irish silky?
Grouping. Mythological. In Celtic and Norse mythology, selkies (also spelled silkies, sylkies, selchies) or selkie folk (Scots: selkie fowk) meaning ‘seal folk’ are mythological beings capable of therianthropy, changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin.
What is an Irish mermaid called?
Merrow (from Irish murúch, Middle Irish murdúchann or murdúchu) is a mermaid or merman in Irish folklore. The term is of Hiberno-English origin.
What is a Scottish mermaid called?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The ceasg is a mermaid in Scottish folklore with the upper body of a beautiful woman merging with the tail of a grilse (a young salmon). She is also known in Scottish Gaelic as maighdean na tuinne (“maid of the wave”) or maighdean mhara (“maid of the sea”).
What is a Selkie horse?
But what are ‘kelpies’? A kelpie is a shape-changing aquatic spirit of Scottish legend. Its name may derive from the Scottish Gaelic words ‘cailpeach’ or ‘colpach’, meaning heifer or colt. Kelpies are said to haunt rivers and streams, usually in the shape of a horse.
Are selkies Fae?
Selkies are a variety of aquatic Fae. Taking the form of seals, they are often seen in the seawaters of Tokavaig.
What is a silky Irish?
Grouping. Mythological. In Celtic and Norse mythology, selkies (also spelled silkies, sylkies, selchies) or selkie folk (Scots: selkie fowk) meaning “seal folk” are mythological beings capable of therianthropy, changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin.
Who is atargatis?
Atargatis, great goddess of northern Syria; her chief sanctuary was at Hierapolis (modern Manbij), northeast of Aleppo, where she was worshiped with her consort, Hadad.
How are the selkies related to Scottish mythology?
Perhaps one of the most notable mythical sea creatures in Irish and Scottish legends are the Selkies who are also called Seal Folk. They are mythological beings capable of changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin. Most of the myths involving selkies recount the tales of female selkies who were forced into relationships
Are there any selkies in the orphans Tales?
“Ellen” tries to hide her mythical heritage at school, but her superhuman swimming prowess and inability to read or write might attract unwanted attention… Cat Valente gives us a rare male selkie in her short story “The Tale of the Skin,” included in The Orphans Tales: In the Night Garden.
Who is the old woman in the selkie story?
In her human form, the selkie takes refuge with a kindly (and slightly senile) old woman who calls her Ellen, mistaking the girl for her own daughter. “Ellen” tries to hide her mythical heritage at school, but her superhuman swimming prowess and inability to read or write might attract unwanted attention…
What kind of movie is the legend of the selkies?
A 2000 Australian made-for-TV film titled Selkie also portrayed the story of a teenage boy who begins to notice changes in his body, such as growing scales and webbed fingers, that suggest he is somehow connected to a legendary line of Selkies. Perhaps our favourite adaptation is Ondine, a 2009 Irish romantic drama film starring Colin Farrell.