Mythical Creatures [EDITING]

Finfolk

In Orkney folklore, Finfolk (or sometimes Finnfolk) are a dark, mysterious, and sometimes even sorcerous race of shape shifters from Finfolkaheem, who regularly make the journey from the depths of their ocean home to the Orkney Islands (an archipelago off the coast of northern Scotland). According to the legend, they will wade, swim and sometimes even row a stolen boat onto the shore, all the while searching for human captives. Finfolk will kidnap unsuspecting fishermen, carousing children close to the beach, and force them into a life long servitude as a husband or wife.

According to the folklore, Finfolkaheem (which literally means "Finfolk's home") is a beautiful under water castle, with gigantic crystal hallways, and completely surrounding it are multi-colored seaweed gardens. It is never dark in Finfolkaheem because little tiny sea creatures give off a phosphorescent glow that lights the whole place. Its massive halls and large rooms are decorated with underwater drapery whose colors move and change with the currents.

Unlike the "Selkie", the Finfolk are neither romantic nor friendly. Instead of courting the spouse of their choice, they will simply abduct them. They are often described as territorial and greedy, and in addition to their lust for humans, they have a weakness for silver and things made of silver, like jewelry. In order to escape from abduction is to throw silver coins away from oneself. Finfolk motif for abducting human spouses, is in part due to the fact that marriage to a human is preferred over other Finfolk.

Some methods used for abducting their prey is to disguise themselves as other sea animals, plants, or even floating clothes. However Finwives mostly prefer to show themselves as women with flowing golden hair, ivory skin, and incredible beauty, and even sometimes show their tails. Also sometimes they have enchanting voices, like those of the Greek Siren. Finmen usually appear as a fisherman in a row boat, or just a boat propelled by oars.

After the abduction, the victim is swept away to the mystical disappearing island of Hildaland, where you spend the rest of your life performing difficult tasks for the Finwife, or Finman. Yet another compelling reason for Finfolk intermarriage with humans: should a Finwife marry a Finman, she loses both her beauty and mystical charm. As she ages (without a human husband), her ugliness increases in increments of seven years until she becomes the Finwife hag. 

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Information from mythicalcreaturesguide.com

Image from scienceheathen.com