Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings.   This week’s Femme Fatale Friday post is about Feminine Shapeshifters and the power they hold to the Divine Feminine!   In each section below a type of Feminine Shapeshifter will be explored.   Without further ado, let’s look at Feminine Shapeshifters!

SWAN MAIDENS

~The Swan Maiden is a Faery Woman with the ability to change into the form of a Swan via her feathered cloak!   In the tales of the Swan Maidens, the story often revolves around a Swan Maiden who has her cloak stolen and is forced into marrying the man holding her cloak.    The cloak is then hidden away, and if she finds her cloak, she will flee.   In more romantic versions of the tale, where the Swan Maiden has fallen in love with her husband, she insists that he earn back her love by proving himself worthy, so an epic quest ensues to bring the tale to its conclusion!   The Swan Maiden serves as a reminder to have self-respect and to ask for what you need in relationships.

SELKIES 

~The Selkie is a Faery Woman with the ability to change into the form of a Seal via her enchanted seal skin!   Similarly to Swan Maidens discussed above, Selkies also often get their seal skins stolen in folklore, being forced to marry the man that holds the skin.   However, when the Selkie finds her skin, she most commonly flees back into the water never seeing her husband again!    The Selkie serves as a reminder to find comfort in your own skin and take the opportunities to live your most authentic life.     

MERMAIDS

~Mermaids are sometimes able to shapeshift from their Mermaid form into a human form depending on the tale!   When a Mermaid can shapeshift, we see some of the most interesting tales of Mermaid lore.   It also plays into those famous fairytale and pop culture accounts, with The Little Mermaid, Splash, H20: Just Add Water, and the film version of Aquamarine!   I will note that in both The Little Mermaid and Splash the Mermaid only acquires legs by enchantment, making this not a case of the Mermaid simply having the ability to shape-shift inherently in the tale.   But we still see the lengths these powerful Faery Women will go to in order to gain what they most desire.   In H2O and Aquamarine, the ability to shapeshift is something that the Mermaids possess throughout their own magick, with the caveat that if they get wet they have their tail appear.   Shapeshifting Mermaids serve to teach us to go with the flow, embrace life’s challenges, and take risks to achieve our dreams even if we do not succeed in the end!    

WEREWOLVES

~Werewolves have the ability to shift from human into wolf or half-wolf form.   In some folklore, they change on the full moon, and in others, they can change at will anytime they desire.   The ability to change into a wolf imbues the female Werewolf with much of the power of the animal.   This can mean advanced sexual allure, charisma, and enhanced senses, amongst other things!   This can lead to very interesting explorations of how the Werewolf can be used as a metaphor, with Ginger Snaps using the female Werewolf as an exploration of a young woman going through puberty and discovering her sexuality!   

FAERY QUEEN GODDESSES

~Morgana, Blodeuwedd, & Melusine~

~Morgana has the ability to change form into a Crow or Raven, Blodeuwedd has an Owl form, and Melusine is famous for having to spend her Saturdays in her Mermaid form!   The ability of these Faery Queen Goddess to alter their forms adds to their power and gives devotees a better understanding of what each Goddess represents.   Morgana’s connection to corvids shows the power of her Death Goddess aspect, the ability to midwife death and be a psychopomp to ferry Arthur to Avalon.   Blodeuwedd’s Owl form shows her fierce side and her unwillingness to have her Sovereignty taken from her.   Melusine’s Mermaid form is a physical representation of her multifaceted and multitalented nature.   The shapeshifting of Faery Goddesses in general adds to their Fae nature, as shapeshifting can be seen as a very liminal thing, existing in multiple forms is very much akin to existing in a time outside of time or a place outside of place, and the liminal and the energy of the Fae are inextricably linked in folklore!

~I hope you have enjoyed this look at Feminine Shapeshifters, as they have so much to teach us.    What is your favorite type of Feminine Shapeshifting energy?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a gorgeous Selkie artwork.   I found the artwork on https://www.deviantart.com/kitty-grimm/art/The-Selkie-434132255.

Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/   

Further Reading/Watching

• The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
• The Little Mermaid (1989)
• Splash (1984)
• H2O: Just Add Water (2006)
• Aquamarine (2006)
• Ginger Snaps (2000)
• The Fairy Bible by Teresa Moorey
• The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies
• Vita Merlini by Geoffrey of Monmouth