The silkie be a creature strange
He rises from the sea to change
Into a man, a weird one he,
When home it is in Skule Skerrie.
When he be man, he takes a wife,
When he be beast, he takes her life.
Ladies, beware of him who be -
A silkie come from Skule Skerrie.
His love they willingly accept,
But after they have loved and slept,
Who is the monster that they see?
'Tis "Silkie" come from Skule Skerrie.
A maiden from the Orkney Isles,
A target for his charm, his smiles,
Eager for love, no fool was she,
She knew the secret of Skule Skerrie.
And so, while Silkie kissed the lass,
She rubbed his neck with Orkney grass,
This had the magic power, you see -
To slay the beast from Skule Skerrie.
Source : Ballad written or recorded by Francis J. Child; Child Ballad #113.
Notes : This ballad originated in the Orkney Islands and there are many versions
found in Orkney, Shetland and beyond. A "silkie" or "selkie" is a seal-like
supernatural being, much like a form of mermaid or merman. When in water they
take the form of seals, when on land they shed their seal-skins and take on
human shape. Another version of this song tells how the Selkie is made vulnerable
by a girl who hides his seal-skin and is thus able to slay him.