Three Ravens Bestiary #6: Selkies

In this week's Bonus Episode, Martin and Eleanor dive into the murky history of Selkies.Part of the "Three Ravens Bestiary" bonus series, they start by talking through the modern view of these mystical half-human, half-seal sea creatures, and chat about the most popular selkie myth of recent times - one of kidnap, stolen seal skins, and forced marriage. But then they wheel back to the origins of selkies, as found in Norse sagas, the Celtic 'Lore of Places' and elsewhere, too. After a brief chat about the history of seal hunting, seal-skin products like Sporrans, and the Inuit goddess Sedna, they then explore the hidden depths behind selkie symbolism, from webbed feet and the number 7 to ideas of liminality and the surprising connections between selkies and swans in folklore...The Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...With Bonus Episodes released on Thursdays (Magic and Medicines about folk remedies and arcane spells, Three Ravens Bestiary about cryptids and mythical creatures, Dying Arts about endangered heritage crafts, and Something Wicked about folkloric true crime from across history) plus a range of exclusive content on Patreon, audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.