Tales of the Seal People

Tales of the Seal People

Author: Duncan Williamson

Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780940793996

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A collection of 14 selkie (half-seal half-human creatures) tales from the Orkney and Shetland islands off the northern tip of Scotland which embrace the fantasy, romance and unusual perspective of the Scottish travellers.


The Land of the Seal People

The Land of the Seal People

Author: Duncan Williamson

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Published: 2017-07-05

Total Pages: 197

ISBN-13: 0857909657

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No stories were more potent, more engaging, more subtle or profound than these half-animal, half-human tales of the sea. Time and time again listeners enthralled by Duncan Williamson's lore would ask him for the silkie tale. Duncan grew up with the seals, slept nights stranded by the tide in their colonies, heard countless stories from crofters, fishermen and travellers alike about the strange people who were related to the seal; the silkie stories magically link the two worlds, animal and human, sea and land. This new and expanded edition contains twenty-four stories, including thirteen that are previously unpublished, with a new introduction by Linda Williamson which examines the background of the West Highland belief in the seal people. The Land of the Seal People is a work of a master narrator, Scotland's greatest contemporary storyteller. The book is adult fiction of high intellectual and literary standards, and, as Scottish folk tales, suits children and adults alike. From the oral tradition of the West Coast, these stories are a vital part of Scotland's heritage.


The People of the Sea

The People of the Sea

Author: David Thomson

Publisher: Canongate Books

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1841951072

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David Thomson visited the remote sea coasts of the Scottish Isles and the West of Ireland on journeys in search of the legends of the selchies - mythological creatures who transform from seals into humans. A magical world emerged, in which men are rescued by seals in stormy seas, take seal-women for their wives and have their children suckled by seal-mothers. Mysterious and fascinating, these stories retain their spellbinding charm through Thomson's beautiful prose. The People of the Sea is a timeless and haunting book, rich in rewards and surprises.


The Seal Children

The Seal Children

Author: Jackie Morris

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Childrens Books

Published: 2009-03

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 1845071093

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A fisherman named Ewan falls in love with a selkie--half-woman, half-seal--who bears him two children before returning to her own people below the waves. Reprint.


Rónán and the Mermaid: A Tale of Old Ireland

Rónán and the Mermaid: A Tale of Old Ireland

Author: Marianne McShane

Publisher: Candlewick

Published: 2020-05-19

Total Pages: 33

ISBN-13: 1536200220

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An Irish storyteller revisits the little-known legend of the Mermaid Saint in a haunting, beautifully illustrated tale of kindness, music, and longing. Long ago, on the eastern coast of Ireland, a monk from the Abbey of Bangor was collecting driftwood along the wave-tossed shore when he found a boy washed up amid a circle of seals. At first the boy, wrapped in a shawl of woven seagrass, could barely move or speak. But when he regained his strength, he recalled being brought ashore by a lady with long golden hair who sang him to safety and gave him a silver ring. The monks knew the legend of a mermaid who had wandered the coast for three hundred years. Could it possibly have been her? Inspired by a story told in medieval chronicles of Irish history about a wondrous happening in the year 558, debut author Marianne McShane weaves a captivating tale, while Jordi Solano captures the legend’s spare but welcoming abbey on the rocky shore — a setting that makes you believe that if you listen hard enough, you too can hear the mermaid’s song.


The Lore of Scotland

The Lore of Scotland

Author: Sophia Kingshill

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2012-08-30

Total Pages: 596

ISBN-13: 140906171X

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Scotland's rich past and varied landscape have inspired an extraordinary array of legends and beliefs, and in The Lore of Scotland Jennifer Westwood and Sophia Kingshill bring together many of the finest and most intriguing: stories of heroes and bloody feuds, tales of giants, fairies, and witches, and accounts of local customs and traditions. Their range extends right across the country, from the Borders with their haunting ballads, via Glasgow, site of St Mungo's miracles, to the fateful battlefield of Culloden, and finally to the Shetlands, home of the seal-people. More than simply retelling these stories, The Lore of Scotland explores their origins, showing how and when they arose and investigating what basis - if any - they have in historical fact. In the process, it uncovers the events that inspired Shakespeare's Macbeth, probes the claim that Mary King's Close is the most haunted street in Edinburgh, and examines the surprising truth behind the fame of the MacCrimmons, Skye's unsurpassed bagpipers. Moreover, it reveals how generations of Picts, Vikings, Celtic saints and Presbyterian reformers shaped the myriad tales that still circulate, and, from across the country, it gathers together legends of such renowned figures as Sir William Wallace, St Columba, and the great warrior Fingal. The result is a thrilling journey through Scotland's legendary past and an endlessly fascinating account of the traditions and beliefs that play such an important role in its heritage.


Selkie Girl

Selkie Girl

Author: Laurie Brooks

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Published: 2008-10-14

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 0375891447

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ELIN JEAN HAS always known she was different from the others on their remote island home. She is a gentle soul, and can’t stand the annual tradition of killing seal babies to thin the population. Even Tam McCodron, the gypsy boy to whom she is strangely drawn, seems to belong more than she does. It’s just a matter of time until Elin Jean discovers the secret of her past: her mother, Margaret, is a selkie, held captive by her smitten father, who has kept Margaret’s precious seal pelt hostage for 16 years. Soon Elin Jean faces a choice about whether to free her mother from her island prison. And, as the child of this unusual union, she must make another decision. Part land, part sea, she must explore both worlds and dig deep inside herself to figure out where she belongs, and where her future lies. Poignant, meaningful, and romantic, Selkie Girl is a lyrical debut about a mesmerizing legend.


Land of the Seal People

Land of the Seal People

Author: Duncan Williamson

Publisher: Birlinn

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9781841588803

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No stories were more potent, more engaging, more subtle or profound than these half-animal, half-human tales of the sea. Time and time again listeners enthralled by Duncan Williamson's lore would ask him for the silkie tale. Duncan grew up with the seals, slept nights stranded by the tide in their colonies, heard countless stories from crofters, fishermen and travellers alike about the strange people who were related to the seal; the silkie stories magically link the two worlds, animal and human, sea and land. This new and expanded edition contains twenty-four stories, including thirteen that are previously unpublished, with a new introduction by Linda Williamson which examines the background of the West Highland belief in the seal people. "The Land of the Seal People" is a work of a master narrator, Scotland's greatest contemporary storyteller. The book is adult fiction of high intellectual and literary standards, and, as Scottish folk tales, suits children and adults alike. From the oral tradition of the West Coast, these stories are a vital part of Scotland's heritage.


Finn and the Fianna

Finn and the Fianna

Author: Daniel Allison

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2021-02-19

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 0750995858

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The stories of Finn MacCoull and his warriors were once told at every fireside in Scotland and Ireland. After centuries in obscurity, this collection brings the tales soaring to life again. Here you will find Diarmuid, whom no woman can help but fall in love with, and Ossian, a warrior-poet raised in the woods by a wild deer. There is Grainne, ancient ancestor of Iseult and Guinevere, and Finn himself, whose name was once a byword for wisdom, generosity and beauty. Enter a world of feasting and fighting, battles and poetry, riddles and omens; join Finn and the Fianna on their never-ending quest to drink deeper and deeper of the cup of life.


Scottish Myths & Legends

Scottish Myths & Legends

Author: Daniel Allison

Publisher: Nielsen ISBN Store

Published: 2020-05

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9781838040314

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The blue-skinned old woman who made the mountains. Finfolk, seal-people and the Makers of Dreams. Within these pages are the little-known stories of Scotland, collected and retold by an oral storyteller who performs them throughout the world. From folk-tales and local legends to ancient epics, these stories will astonish and delight readers everywhere. Daniel Allison is an acclaimed oral storyteller who performs everywhere from schools and prisons to global festivals. He hosts the House of Legends Podcast and is the author of The Bone Flute, Silverborn, Scottish Myths & Legends and Finn & The Fianna. 'A masterpiece... Celtic myths and legends at their fantastic best. Mythical, flirty, thumpingly violent and divinely nasty!' Jess Smith reviewing Finn & The Fianna 'A tremendous read... no end of dramas, surprises and reversals of fortune... wonderful stuff' Fay Sampson reviewing The Bone Flute 'The best mythology podcast I've heard' House of Legends listener review