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In mythology living around Scotland and Ireland and apparently originating around the Orkney Islands in Scotland around or before the early nineteen hundreds, a selkie (also Silkie and Selchie) is a mythological creature that lives as a seal and can become human by shedding its skin. Selkies are usually said to be gentle souls, but become restless in their human form after a while and wish to return to the sea; this can be prevented if the skin is hidden from the selkie as it is needed for the selkie to return to its seal form.
Some stories, for example that in the movie The Secret of Roan Inish, have the lover of the selkie in human form prevent this return. In other stories, such as the ballad called The Great Selkie o' Suleskerry, (also The Grey Selkie of Suleskerry) the myth is unknown to the protagonist and the lover disappears mysteriously; the realisation he was a selkie comes too late.
The Selkie Folk (http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/selkiefolk/index.html), a page from Orkneyjar, described by itself as a website dedicated to the preserving, exploring and documenting the ancient history, folklore and traditions of Orkney, is a great source of further information.
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