Scottish folklorist and antiquarian, David MacRitchie believed that early settlers in Scotland probably encountered, and even married, Finnish and Sami women who were misidentified as selkies because of their sealskin kayaks and clothing.
Pencerita folklor dan kolektor barang kuno, David MacRitchie percaya bahwa pemukim awal di Skotlandia mungkin bertemu, dan bahkan menikah, dengan wanita finlandia dan Sami yang salah diidentifikasi sebagai selkies karena kayak kulit anjing laut dan pakaian.