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Selkie

Folklore
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Seal-people in Scottish and Irish folklore who shed skins to become human

Detailed Definition
Selkies often marry humans but return to the sea if they find their skin. In poetry, they embody longing, loss of identity, and the tension between freedom and love, often used in diasporic or feminist verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Selkie, seal-people of Scottish lore, inspire transformation poetry: "She shed her skin to walk on land—left it hidden, lost her sea"; Poets use selkies to explore love and loss: "He stole her pelt, she bore his child—selkie’s heart was never his"; In feminist verse, they symbolize stolen autonomy: "No wife, but prisoner—selkie wept for waves she couldn’t reach"; Their duality inspires longing: "Half in home, half in ocean—selkie’s song is split in two"
Additional Notes
Selkie: Seal-people in Scottish and Irish folklore who shed their skins to become human; if their skin is hidden, they’re trapped on land. Often central to tragic love stories. In poetry, selkies symbolize longing, captivity, ecological belonging, and the cost of assimilation. Avoid romanticizing—many tales involve coercion or loss; useful in diasporic, feminist, or marine conservation verse. Compare to swan maidens for cross-cultural shape-shifter motifs.
Other Meanings of “Selkie”
Also Known As
Seal folk Silkies
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