Emanuele Camerini

The Twelfth Night

It is believed that once a year, on the twelfth night after Christmas, something special happens in Mikladalur, a small village on the Faroe Islands.

On that night, seals come ashore, shed off their animal skins and transform into beautiful human beings, who gather on the beach to dance the night away.

Before the sun rises, they have to put their seal skins back on to be able to return to the sea and rejoin their families.

A popular legend says that one night, a farmer came across the seal women dancing and fell immediately in love with one of them; he stole her seal skin so she could not return to the sea, and brought her to his home. He locked the skin in a chest and would always carry the key at a chain around his neck. They had children and led the life of a married couple; but one day, while out fishing, the man realized he had forgotten the chain and the key.

When he went back home, the seal woman was gone.

Legends and myths have always played a crucial role in the our history. They have been used to discern phenomenons which reason couldn’t explain.

The Twelfth Night is a visual exploration of one of the most famous legends in the Nordic countries: the seal woman.

The first record of the story in the Faroese language is from 1841 by V. U. Hammershaimb, a Lutheran minister and a passionate folklorist. Since then, it became one of the popular kvæðir - a traditional ballad - sung during the Faroese chain dance.

Everyone in the country knows the Seal Woman story. It’s one of the most famous tales in the country and even today some people are considered related to the legend because of their physical peculiarities and distinctive skills.

If you are born with webbed toes, then you’ll be immediately identified as a descendant of the Seal Woman’s family. The same goes if you have very short hands or if you are a good swimmer.

It can be taken either as a joke or as a serious matter, but still, there is a strong connection between the legend and the real world, and it’s something which keeps the story alive.

As many other legends, the Seal Woman has, within itself, many different layers. It is a story about desire, love and fear; about being allowed to create a new identity away from the native land and longing to return home.

Emotions are a decisive factor in people’s lives and the supernatural element gives them form and expression.

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