Among the folk tales of sea folk and mer people are tales of the silkie or selkie. These are people who are seals while in the sea and humans on land.
This is a male Silkie half way through his transition from man to seal. He is hand sculpted from polmer clay and his hair is auburn mohair.
The rock base is hand made from maché to cut down on weight. The turtle and octopus are repainted plastic toys. The coral is a combination of real and synthetic. There are real shells and sea horse along with hand painted anemones.
An earthly nourris sits and sings
And aye she sings, "Ba lily wean!
Little ken I of my bairn's father,
Far less the land in where he be."
He arose one night at her bedside,
And a grumbly guest I'm sure was he,
Saying, "Here I am, thy bairn's faither,
E'en though I am not comely."
"I am a man upon the land,
I am a silkie on the sea,
And when I'm far and far frae land,
I make my home in Sule Skerry."
"It was nae weel," quoth the maiden fair,
"It was nae weel, indeed," quoth she,
"For the Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
Should have come and gi'en a bairn to me."
Now he has ta'en a purse of gold,
And he has placed it on her knee,
Saying, "Give to me my wee young son,
And take this gold as thy nourris fee."
"It shall come to pass, on a summer's day,
When the sun shines hot on every stone,
That I will take my wee young son
And teach him for to swim the foam."
"And thou shalt marry a proud gunner,
And a proud gunner I'm sure he'll be,
And the very first shot that e'er he shoots,
He'll kill both my young son and me."
