The Selkie Story sketch

" Out walking on the beach to clear his head, Thady Rua O’Dowd, a clan chieftain, stumbled upon a beautiful maiden combing her hair. Though unclothed, she had a magical coat laying next to her. Of course all in Ireland knew of the sea people, the selkies, and Thady was no different. He quickly snatched up her selkie coat to hide away, professing his love at first sight for her. Without her fishtail, the selkie maiden had no choice but to return his love and marry him. Together, they ruled the lands and raised their seven children but Selkie maiden always longed for the sea.
Legend has it that though the selkie coat was well hidden, one of their children spotted Thady checking on it, and told his mother of the “bag of gold.” When Thady was away from home, mother checked the spot her child told her about – and lo and behold, her Selkie coat ! With the return of it, she could not resist the call of the sea.
And so she left to go back to the ocean with her children. But she could not take them all, and instead turned five of them into rocks, swimming off into the waves with the remaining children under each arm. "

This is just one version of many legends and tales of Selkie maidens.

"the Selkie Story"

Acrylic sketch
from my Celtic sketchbook
With this sketch I`m opening my new, fifth sketchbook journey.