We are no strangers to these magnificent forces of nature, and many of us have hurricane prep down pat. I looked up at our gorgeous blue skies this morning and wondered what it must have been like before NOAA and the complex monitoring, spaghetti models, 24-hour television, and other warnings we have. Our coastal ancestors must have been caught off guard countless times, lulled by the beauty and fresh air that is a pre-hurricane day in the fall—very literally the calm before the storm.

For some, though, they had the spirit of a young lover, now known as The Gray Man, to serve as warning of impending storms. And sure enough, The Gray Man was spotted in Pawley’s Island, SC, on Sunday, just as our modern systems were awakening to the realization that Florence was headed this way.  South Carolinians familiar with the stories know that The Gray Man means business. And as we can see, Florence is sure to make good on his word.

Residents of Pawley’s Island and neighboring towns have seen The Gray Man as a harbinger of terrible storms since the 1820s. They describe seeing him walking on the beach, looking every bit like a man in gray clothes until they approach, and he simply disappears.

The legend says that spotting him is a good thing – he is here in warning, and often, once spotted, people report their houses are spared the devastating effects of the storm. One Gray Man spotter in 1954 said even the towels hanging on her porch remained intact, in spite of widespread destruction from a storm.

An internet search will turn up several versions of who the Gray Man is, but my favorite is the love story of a young man trying to get home to his fiancé. He had been abroad for two years, and hurried to her be by her side, taking a shortcut home as a storm swept through the area. In his rush, he became mired in quicksand and never made it to her.

His love for his betrothed was so great, though, that he visited her after crossing over. She saw him walking on the beach, and then later he came to her in her dreams. But his visits left her quite heart-broken, and she became ill. Her father, the story goes, took her back to their main homestead, away from the reminders of their coastal tragedy.

The legend of their great love was born the very next day, when a devastating hurricane swept across Pawley’s Island, causing loss of life and significant destruction. The young lover’s life was spared by her heartache and her father’s concern.

Lucky for us, The Gray Man does not limit his warnings to Pawley’s Island or to the family of his beloved. He has been seen at Cape Hetaeras and along other beaches of the Carolinas, always before a major storm hits.

We can’t genuinely know his story, but I do know I would heed his warnings. And once Florence has gone and clean-up has begun, we shall toast our gray-clad friend and his great love.

Special thanks to APS Core Member KayWright for her research assistance on this piece.

The post The Legend of Gray Man appeared first on Association of Paranormal Study.

That’s exactly what happened to me in 2013. I was researching the banshee for a paranormal class I was helping with when I ran into the concept of selkies. I immediately fell in love. I’ve always been into the idea that mermaids exist, even though it’s far-fetched. I’m also fascinated by the fact that manatees may have been mistaken for mermaids, which really make you wonder about the hallucinations of sailors.

I’m hesitant to call selkies “mermaids”, while they are often grouped with them. The origin of selkies seem to come from Scotland, mainly from the Orkney and Shetland area. Selkie legends can also be found in Scandinavia and Ireland, which is rather fascinating. Selkie means “Seal Folk”, and they are seals who are able to shed their skin and be human. You’ll often hear stories of selkie women being coerced into marriage because a male suitor found their skin and essentially holds them captive into marriage. Even if consent was a thing in these legends, the selkie woman will always long for the sea and look at the ocean. Once the selkie bride finds her skin, she will abandon her husband and children and return to the sea. There is also lore that indicates that the children of humans and selkies will always long for the ocean…and they become sailors.

Male selkies are incredibly handsome, and they are considered to be more predator than prey. They lure unhappy wives, usually of fisherman. They can summon selkies by crying seven tears into the sea. Time with a selkie is often short, and they are not supposed to come back for seven years. However, if they’re skin is stolen, they are forced to stay.

Selkies can be men or women, and some say that instead of shedding their skin, they are shapeshifters. When they are in the water, they are seals. On land, they are humans. You could say that the selkie is an unknown and hidden gem when it comes to legends and lore. When it comes to looking into the actual origin of where the selkie came from, it seems to be that these legends emerged about the same time that the Scottish and Spaniards were marrying the native women in the area (who wore fur) after being shipwrecked.

The key is their seal skin. They are able to literally shed their seal form and walk amongst humans. They carry their skin with them like a costume. You can find some truly beautiful art of selkies…including beautiful men and women who look out to the sea while clutching their seal skin.

In comparison to mermaids and sirens, selkies are far more demure and tamer. The deadly repercussions from interacting with a selkie is almost non-existent. In fact, you would rather run into a selkie instead of a mermaid or siren.

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