Selkies are beautiful, mythical creatures from Scottish and Irish folklore. They can shed their sealskin on land to reveal a beautiful or handsome human form beneath, then change back into seal form in the water. They may remain on land and marry their human captor. They are powerful and mysterious, controlling the sea, its creatures, tides, floods, and the weather. Greenland and Canada have legends of qalupaliit who are shapeshifting creatures that can take the form of seals, and Iceland also has stories of women who could transform into seals.