In Scottish folklore, a selkie transforms from a seal into a human.
Selkies are mythological beings able to shift between seal and human forms, usually by removing or putting on their seal skin. They are especially associated with the Northern Isles of Scotland, including Orkney and Shetland, where traditional stories place them in the sea as seals and on shore as people.
A recurring selkie tale involves a human who hides a female selkie’s skin and compels her to remain as a wife. She may live in the human world but continues to long for the ocean; if she eventually finds her skin, she returns to the sea. Other stories portray selkies as helpful, romantic, dangerous, or capable of revenge.
The word selkie derives from a Scots term meaning “seal.” Selkies are sometimes confused with mermaids, but mermaids are generally described as human-and-fish hybrids, whereas selkies retain a seal form. Their traditions also have Norse connections alongside their strong Scottish and broader Celtic associations.