Selkie
/ˈsɛlki/noun
A mythical seal-like being in Scottish and Irish folklore that can shed its skin and take human form.
Did you know?The word comes from Scots, ultimately from Old Norse *selr* meaning “seal,” tying this “magical” creature to a very real animal before folklore gave it a human soul.
Etymological Timeline
Old Norse
ON
selr
“seal”
Middle Scots
Scots
selkie
“seal; later a seal-person in folklore”
18th–19th Century
English
selkie
“a legendary seal-people creature in Scottish and Irish folklore”
Modern English
English
selkie
“a mythological being that can transform between seal and human forms”