Selkies are transformed • Orkney Crofts - The best self-catering accommodation in Orkney.

The myth of the Selkie, long thought to be Scottish in origin, in fact originates on the Farne Islands, a nature reserve off the coast of Northumberland — according to a North East solicitor, Colette Stroud.

The Selkie is a mythical creature said to be a woman with the ability to transform itself into a seal. Selkie's are able to transform to human form by shedding their seal skins and can revert to seal form by putting their Selkie skin back on. The myth has long been thought to be Scottish in origin, and is widely attributed to the Orkney Islands.

She said: "The Selkie myth can be found along the North East coast, throughout Scotland and Scandinavia. The origins of the myth are lost in time so I assume Scotland has simply claimed it for its own on the basis of no known facts. Since the Farne Islands have always been home to one of Europe's largest seal colonies, I feel it is perfectly possible that the myth originated here, and then migrated North".

The idea that Northumbrian myths have been hijacked and re-written is not new. Many experts believe Joyous Guard or Broomlee Lough in Northumberland to be the original site of the King Arthur legend.