Seal-Skinned Mermaids Ameliorate the Seas!

 Author: Nessquickian

Imagine swimming along the coast of Scotland. While swimming you come across a beautiful woman. To the unsuspecting, she comes off as an average woman. However, in the blink of an eye, you see the maiden pull on a seal skin and dive into the sea. The beautiful woman before you has become a seal and disappeared without a trace. On the coast of Great Britain and The British Isles, these shape-shifting sea maidens called selkies supposedly ameliorate the seas. 

Selkies or Selchies are mythologically half fish, half human creatures. They are also types of fae that tend to have water elemental powers. When in the water with the help of seal skins they can shape-shift into seals. They can be found in Scotland, Ireland, and Iceland, and more often than not rural coastal areas. Mythology or History of Selkies

Historically the origins of selkies are unknown. However, their origins seem to be from contact made between the Scottish, the Irish, and the Sami and or Finnish people. Selkies aren’t known particularly for being dangerous, however, certain stories involve selkies luring their love into the sea as a way to be with them. In most cases, selkies are noted as helpful creatures. They’re often found helping sailors and drowning victims while also being kind to those around them.

Tales of these mysterious creatures are commonplace amongst natives and have endured for ages. One of the most well-known stories of selkies is known as The Selkie Wife. The story of the selkie wife follows a man who under the moonlight spots a group of dancing selkies. One Selkie catches his eye, and he takes her skin to stop her from leaving. Unable to return home the selkie maiden follows her manipulator home and eventually they be-wed and have kids. The maiden was forced to stay against her will and despite loving her kids and some semblance of her life she still craved the sea. One day her son came to her with her seal skin, and she was ecstatic. Now reunited with her seal skin the selkie didn't waste any time returning to the sea. As a result, she was never seen again.

On the opposite end of the Selkie spectrum are the forgotten Selkie men. Unlike Selkie women, Selkie men tend to have prosperous lives and aren’t usually forced to forgo their lives in the sea. One of the most well-known stories of Selkie men is called the Selkie and the Hunter. who takes pride in killing seals for profit. Early in the day, the hunter wounds an unsuspecting seal and heads in. Later, the seal catcher is commissioned by a rider and is taken to a grove of seals. Instead of being able to kill the seals, the hunter is pushed underwater and turned into a seal. Distraught after being turned into a seal, he’s met by the selkie relatives of the seal he harmed earlier. He’s brought to the seal he harmed earlier and is made to heal him in order to turn back into a human. As a reward for healing the seal or rather selkie he’s allowed to go home and is given gold as well.

Works cited:

1. Graeme “Traditional Scottish Selkie Stories” Scotland’s Stories. June 2022. https://scotlands-stories.com/traditional-scottish-selkie-stories/ Accessed 3 November 2024

2. lizzbythesea “Selkies – The Forgotten Seal-Men” staring-at-the-sea October 2020. https://staring-at-the-sea.com/2020/10/30/selkies-forgotten-seal-men/ Accessed 3 November 2024

3. Rainbolt, Dawn “Irish Folklore, Myth & Legend: Selkies of Ireland” Wilderness Ireland. March 2022. https://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/irish-myths-legends-part-4-selkies/. Accessed 3 November 2024.

4. todayinmagicalgirlhistory “The Magical Girl Guide to: Selkies” Tumblr. April 2022. https://todayinmagicalgirlhistory.tumblr.com/post/682970547205832704/the-magical-girl-guideto-selkies. Accessed 3 November 2024.

5. Peuffier, Aube “All the gifs about selkies” Tumblr. December 2014. https://64.media.tumblr.com/94db157235d0794b1bfd508467f6ad3d/tumblr_nhbhk2ahcx1rmiepwo4_1280.gifv. Accessed 3 November 2024.

6. “The Story Of The Selkie Wife | Shetland Folktales | BBC The Social ” Youtube. Uploaded by BBC The Social. July 2021. https://youtu.be/0fE11rw0s8w?feature=shared. Accessed 3 November 2024

7. “Scotland’s Stories: Story of a Selkie - Tom Muir“ Youtube. Uploaded by Scottish Storytelling Centre. May 2017. https://youtu.be/JugM395E0TE?feature=shared. Accessed 3 November 2024 

Links for further research

1. Celtic Myths - The Selkies: Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA3Mv-LIJ38 Youtuber Count Dankula goes into detail about selkies and talks about selkies. He talks about Female selkie stories and male selkie stories.

2. Living Liminally – Fairy facts |Selkies: Blog Spot https://lairbhan.blogspot.com/2024/04/fairyfacts-selkies.html This blog that seems to have lot’s of other articles about other types of fairiesgoes into detail about selkie misconceptions, folklore and other selkie facts.

3. Selkies, Sex, and the Supernatural: Thebottleimp https://www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2016/12/selkies-sex-and-the-supernatural/ This article is about the sexuality and other aspects of selkie culture.

“Nessie” the Loch Ness Monster

Author:  Lawren Black

Original art by Fireberd904

“Nessie” the Loch Ness Monster? The Abominable Snowman?  Bigfoot?  Many don’t believe these exist but for those that do believe are known as Cryptozoologists. Cryptozoologists study these types of creatures because their existence is yet to be proven scientifically.  One of the more famous Cryptids that has been around a long time and is known around the world is “Nessie”, the Loch Ness Monster.  Pictures of Nessie have surfaced and some evidence has been collected, but no real scientific evidence has brought Nessie justice of being real.

 Living under the 24 mile long, one mile wide, 974 feet deep fresh water lake, Loch Ness, in Scotland is the famous “Nessie.”  Nessie has been around since the sixth century, but it wasn’t until 1933 when Mr. and Mrs. John Mackay reported a sighting that swept through the media internationally. Their sighting was published in the local newspaper, Inverness Courier.

Loch Ness in Highland, Scotland (NationalGeographic)

According to two articles, Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained, the appearance of Nessie is said to be a cross between a long-necked prehistoric time creature, Plesiosaur, and a seal.  Nessie real identity is yet to be discovered.  Many pictures only show Nessie as a hump or a “trunk-like” feature sticking out of the water.  Paleontologist Neil Clark even believes that “the monster was perhaps a padding pachyderm.” (National Geographic)  Clark saw many similarities between the two that made him come to believe that they are similar.

Painting by Neil Clark

While on a six-day monster hunt in 1960, Tim Dinsdale shot a four minute long film of what appeared to be a huge creature in the loch.  Dinsdale, who wanted to know more about the unknown creature, sent his film to be analyzed by JARIC, Royal Air Force Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre.  JARIC analyzed the film and concluded that the hump was 12-16 feet long and had a cross section that was at least five feet high and six feet wide.  JARIC also came to the conclusion that the unknown creature moved at a speed of seven to ten miles per hour and that “…it probably is an animate object” and a part of a living creature instead of a surface craft or submarine. (Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained)

In the summer of 1972, Dr. Robert Rines and his team traveled to Urquhart Bay and used sonar and under-water cameras to try and catch evidence of a lake monster.  Their trip turned successful when the sonar equipment and cameras caught a “thing”, 20-30 feet long and 400 pounds, moving through the water. This “thing” had a diamond shaped flippers, roughly six feet long that were attached to its body.

In December of 1975, Ornithologist Sir Peter Scott unofficially named the monster Nessiteras Rhombopteryx.  The name was taken to mean “Ness monster with the diamond shaped fin,” but later was proven to be an anagram that meant ‘monster hoax by Sir Peter Scott.’ (Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable)

The legend of Nessie has been around for many years and will stay around for many more years.  Until factual evidence of the existence of Nessie comes into play Nessie will forever remain a legend.  So what do you believe? Is Nessie real or not? 

Works cited:

Fireberd904. The Loch Ness Monster. 2010. Digital Art. Deviantart.com. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Kristof, Emory. Scotland Photos. n.d. Photo. nationalgeographic.com. Highland, Scotland. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Clark, Neil. Loch Ness Monster an Elephant? n.d. Painting. Nationalgeographic.com. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

"Loch Ness Monster." Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. London: Chambers Harrap, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 11 October 2013. 

"The Loch Ness Monster." Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained. London: Chambers Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 11 October 2013.

Lyons, Stephen. “The Legend of Loch Ness.” Pbs.org. NOVA, 12 Jan. 1999. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

Links for further research :

PBS NOVA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/legend-loch-ness.html
The article gives us history of the Loch Ness Monster legend, along with some searches for the monster in the past.

LEGEND OF NESSIE http://www.nessie.co.uk/htm/about_loch_ness/nessgeo.html

This article gives a geological view of the Loch Ness in Highland, Scotland along with surrounding areas.

Rodrigues, Joao. “National Geographic- The Truth Behind The Loch Ness Monster [FULL].” youtube.com. YouTube. 18 Nov. 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

This video is providing us with the truth behind the Loch Ness Monster.

Edinburgh Vaults

Author: Aaron Wilson

Edinburgh Vaults
from Wikimedia Commons

Edinburgh is the capital city in Scotland. Edinburgh Vaults also know as South Bridge Vaults were made in the late 1700’s.  The Vaults contained cobblers and other tradesmen, and as storage space for illicit material, reportedly including the bodies of people killed by serial killers. According to the article Underground Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh Vaults is a bridge over a huge valley, which has nineteen enormous arches with underground chambers. Bodies of  people killed by serial killers were brought down to the vaults to be examined. The vaults were created in the late 1800^th century and abandoned in the 18030’s. They were opened again for the public to tour was 1996. According to Craig Moncrieff’s video The Edinburgh Vaults.

Edinburgh was still growing during the late 1700’s. So Scotland was somewhat a poor struggling country at the time. Scotland had few natural resources. That’s why many people were left homeless and hungry. According to Jim Tates’s article The Transformation of An Early Post-Medieval Town Into a major Modern city.

After the Vaults were abandoned of there cobblers and tradesmen refuges moved in for a home. This has been found true by deceased bodies in the vaults. Adam Fox says this in 

Little Story Books’ And Small Pamphlets’ In Edinburgh.

Map of Vaults

Edinburgh Vaults

Craig Moncrieff

Edinburgh Vaults

Author: Jennevieve Sevilla

Mr. Boots’s Stomping Grounds

When one mentions Edinburgh, visions of haggis and treacherously cold weather usually come to mind. However, this fair capital of Scotland boasts more than just culinary delicacies and chilly nights. Particularly speaking, the city is a Mecca of paranormal activity, showcasing the existence of ghosts at almost every corner. From palaces to pubs, there are stories behind all of them—tales that spoke of the dead who continue to linger in the world of the living. Some of these beings are sinister, while some merely seek attention. Such a varied spectrum can be seen in the Edinburgh Vaults, also known as the South Bridge Vaults.

            Built in the late eighteenth century, the South Bridge was meant to help with the city’s widespread transportation problems that emerged in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. Supported by a wide road lined with multiple three-story buildings, the Bridge itself consists of nineteen stone arches; it was these arches that the ‘vaults’—chambers—were built into for the sake of housing Edinburgh’s downtrodden and destitute (Wiseman et al. 196). It was not long until the Vaults turned into a dangerous slum, traipsed by prostitutes, criminals and just about every other degenerate looking to make a kill—literally.

            Such is true for the infamous Burke and Hare, a pair of serial killers known for murdering their victims in the name of science. Their exploits were so horrible memory that they have been prey, the duo reportedly murdered seventeen people and offered up the bodies for sale to an all-too-eager Dr. Robert Knox. Today, all that remains of the sick business arrangement is a small bottle containing a cube of brain tissue from the one and only William Burke—a souvenir from the public dissection that came with the punishment befitting his crime (Hogg 1).

            With the grisly history in mind, it is no wonder that souls still clamor for attention from within the Vaults. Featuring at least nine of these restless entities, some are harmless apparitions such as the young boy called “Jack” who has a penchant for tugging on people’s clothing. Others are more malevolent in their intents, particularly the Black Lady of Vault Five who has been known to make prey out of expectant women. However, the most famous one of these ghosts—and perhaps the most seemingly mobile—is a specter by the name of “Mr. Boots.” Those who claim to have seen him describe the sight of a man decked out in a long blue frock coat, a tri-corner hat and large boots. Those who claim to have been recipient to his presence describe the scent of whisky on his breath as he blows upon visitor’s faces, all the while blocking doorways. However, what is interesting is that the very same blue frocked-figure is also rumored to be found in the cellar of a Whistle Binkies Bar in Niddry Street, just a few blocks away from his regular haunt in the vaults underneath Blair Street (Green 3).

            It is a curious fascination, indeed—the belief in the existence of ghosts. As humans, it is only natural that we would want to know more of those things that lie beyond our comprehension. However, just as a child pulls its hand away from a burning stove when it gets hurt, we somehow do the opposite. For some odd reason, a great number of humans tend to go towards the object of nightmares instead of away from it, hence of existence of ghost tours and everything else that capitalizes on paranormal activity. And for what? Boredom? A rush of adrenaline? Either way, something about those things that go bump in the night entices us and makes us want to know more about them. Perhaps it is simply the insatiable thirst humans have for knowledge of the unknown. Whether we actually uncover the secrets of their world—if such a world even exists—only time will tell. 

Works Cited:

"Edinburgh’s vaults." Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained. London: Chambers Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 16 October 2012.

Green, Derek. "Edinburgh, The Haunted Capital." Ghostclub.org.uk. The Ghost Club, 2007. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.

"Hampton Court Palace." Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained. London: Chambers Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference. Web.16 October 2012.

Hogg, Colin. "Delving into the Shadows of Edinburgh's Grisly past." New Zealand Herald. APN Holdings NZ Limited, 7 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.

"Mr. Boots" Famous Stomping Grounds. N.d. Photograph. Paranormal Explorers.com. Paranormalexplorers.com, 2004. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.

Wiseman, Richard, Caroline Watt, Paul Stevens, Emma Greening, and Ciaran O'Keefe. "An Investigation into Alleged 'hauntings'" British Journal of Psychology 94.2 (May 2003): 195-211. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.

Links for further research:

Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures. “Edinburgh Vaults”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFbY2GXZGDA