Booking is open for Sea Changes: The fairytale Gothic of mermaids, selkies and enchanted hybrids of ocean and river

We’re beyond excited to announce that booking has opened for our 3-day international conference: Sea Changes: The fairytale Gothic of mermaids, selkies, and enchanted hybrids of ocean and river. Venue: The British Library, London, UK (and online), Date: 6–8 September 2025 (6th online).

The conference engages with cultural representations of mermaids, selkies and kindred beings: fabulous, enchanted creatures from oceans, rivers, and lakes all over the world. We look at narratives of merfolk and their kin in the light of their Gothic aspects and their connection with folklore, dwelling on the enchantment of their strange fluidity.

You can view the full programme on our conference pages (click through to get the papers in each panel). Places for the British Library in-person days are limited as they are reserved for delegates, but we invite new attendees to join us online on Saturday 6^th

Online attendees will experience a unique day of international research, creativity and enchantment. Panels include: Hybridity, monstrosity and taxonomy;  Aquatic romance;  Mermaids and otherness;  Romanticism and sirens; Myth and storytelling; Traumas, threats, and transformations: Traditional and contemporary selkie stories from Scotland to the Arctic; ‘The Little Mermaid’ and adaptation; Mermaids and the aquatic environment.    

Betsy Cornwell, author of acclaimed selkie novel Tides will be joining us to introduce her memoir Ring of Salt, which again draws on the Selkie myth.  And there will be an opportunity to win some book prizes in our Mermaid Flash Fiction competition. There is also an unmissable chance to learn more about research funding in the area of mythology and the blue humanities with Dr Katie Garner of St Andrews University. She will be leading a bespoke workshop for ECRs and Doctoral Students on her ‘Forging the mermaid in Romantic Scotland’ project.

Tickets are 35.00 for the day or 25.00 concessions (unwaged or students). You’ll need to book quickly to avoid disappointment via our online booking site. We can’t wait to see you for a day of enchanting merfolk and gothic fairy tales!