"The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry", also known as "The Great Selkie" is a traditional ballad about a mythological creature that can shapeshift between seal and human forms by removing or putting on his seal skin. Selkies are either male or female. They feature prominently in the oral traditions and mythology of various cultures, especially those of Celtic and Norse origin. Stories are especially known in the islands to the north of Scotland - the Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland and the Faroes. There are also some instances in Ireland, Iceland and the Isle of Man. This ballad is one of numerous tales of these seafolk. Most of these stories, like this ballad, involve pairings of selkies and humans. In more complete versions of the ballad, the Silkie's forecast of the death of himself and his son eventually come to pass. The ballad was collected from a lady in Snarra Voe, Shetland in the 1850's. Sule Skerry is a small island near the Orkney archipelago. The tune is by Dr. James Waters of Columbia University. The text was printed in F. J. Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads, number 113. It was recorded by Joan Baez on Joan Baez, Vol. 2 (1961), Judy Collins on Golden Apples of the Sun (1962), Maddy Prior on Ravenchild (1999), The Highwaymen on Standing Room Only (1962) and The Water of Life (2005), Solas on The Words That Remain (1998) and others.