The Scottish, Irish, and even Icelandic legends of the selkies are those of an amazing level. In these legends, there is a sense of mysticism of a person whose existence is the bidding of the sea, where these people shed their seal skin and are forever bound to their captors until they are able to take their skin and return to the sea. The interest points are the overall respect the natives have to the sea, since they make the sea an overall driving force within these lores. The power of nature itself cannot be overturned, nor could they be overrun. This can be personified in the allure the selkies have towards the sea.
Another aspect of the selkies that brought intruige is how forlorn and tragic the tale seems. These people are supposedly magnificent in beauty and grace, practically irresistable to any human. This attraction causes the person to entrap the selkie, making them forever bound to the human. Even when the love for the human is strong, there will always be the sense of emptiness found within the selkie's heart, for they can never be one with the sea.
(Image courtesy of
selkiesound)
