The Legend of the Selkie
The land was calling
He could hear it
beckoning to his soul
Come, come it cried
Over and over
Echoing through the shoal
He followed the sounds
through the waters deep
until the beach he found
Where he shed his sealskin
taking on human form
and laid there on the ground
Breathless, resting on the sand
Looking skyward to the sun
Feeling the warmth of the glow
A shadow crossed his eyes
and he did see an outline
of a beautiful female torso
As he struggled to get up
the girl held out her hand
“Come with me”, she said
Mesmerized he complied
“You and I belong together
and we will surely wed”
He hid away his Selkie skin
in a place so secret
no one would ever look
He lived happily in human form
with his beautiful bride but
curiosity is all it took
She found his sealskin
one fateful day
in its hiding place
The legend came true
He did leave her there, alone
with her own good grace
The sea called him back
to where he did belong
leaving her broken-hearted
The Selkie returned
from whence he came
to the ocean uncharted
Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing ©
Whimsy Gizmo is hosting D'Verse Poets tonight
and has prompted us with Legends of Mermaids,
Sirens and Selkies. I had prepviously written a poem
about the Legend of the Selkie and wanted to share
it again with you tonight.
You can learn more about The Legend
of the Selkie here
Like this: Like Loading...
…and had his wife not been so curious they’d still be happy! Another sad sea tale …. well written!
There is a moral to that story! Thanks so much Beverly 🥰
I think we can never ever hide or shed away our real “skin” or “self”. I enjoyed this share, thanks.
Thank you Grace. I live those old legends and superstitions 🙂
Oh the curious mind… how often it leads to disaster.
Yes! It always kills the cat!
Christine, I love this. I cannot imagine leaving the ocean if I lived there, so I feel this deepest from his perspective.
Thank you so much De. I was fascinated by the stories shared and beliefs that are held even to this day☺️
It is not a good idea to fall in love with a selkie… lovely poem
Lol that’s for sure Debi 😊 thank you for reading 💕
A truly sweet and sad story! The sea seems always to be calling…
Yes it’s as if it has a language of its own. Thanks Dwight 😊
wow! I love when stories are told through poetry.
Thanks Jay. I used to write that way quite a lot but I try and change it up.
I actually started my blog writing fake life stories. 🤣
So sombre😥
That’s a true selkie ballad, Christine! I like the mournful sound of the rhymes and the way the story unfolds, with the girl seducing the selkie and eventually sending him back to the sea.
Thanks Kim. It’s amazing how these legends live on and are still believed to this day by some 🙂
What comes to mind is “Better to have loved and lost, than not to have loved at all.” At least she had some time with him.
Yes, that’s a great observation Darnell. ☺️ Thanks for reading
Beautifully crafted, Christine! 💞🙂
Aww thanks Punam 🙂💕
You are welcome, dear.🙂
So sad that the two lovers had to part.
I apologize for not replying sooner. Your message was in the spam box 😕 Thank you for reading. Yes, so sad she had to look and then lost her love.
What intrigue! I love this piece.
Thank you so much for reading it 🙂💕
Of course!😊
A tragic end!
Too much curiosity is never good
Yes, so true Sadje 🙂💕
👍
Well-done, Christine!
I really enjoyed this!
Thank you! I really appreciate it ☺️