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This week we have something different, evocative and romantic…
My students have a couple of days off due to the town festivities so I decided to give them some extra reading homework.
They have to read a short Scottish fairy tale about the famous seal folk, or selkies. Selkies are an important part of Scottish and Irisk folklore. I’ve always liked these legends about creatures who are part seal, part human, ever since I visited Scotland and had the chance to go on a boat trip to visit a colony of seals living at Loch Scavaig, off the shore near Dunvegan Castle, on the Isle of Skye.
It was the first and last time I’ve seen such beatiful animals living in the wild… The way they look at you reminded me of humans, in a way, so I can understand the legends!
There is also a beautiful film based on this legend. It was directed by John Sayles and called The Secret on Roan Inish. It tells the story of a young girl who moves to a small island in Ireland to discover that years earlier her baby brother was taken away in a cradle by the sea folk… Highly recommended!
After reading The Seal Woman, my students have to log in and answer the following questions:
1. Give a summary of the story, in about 50 words.
2. Do you believe in the existence of these creatures?
3. Why do you think the woman left her husband and children?
4. Do you think the man chose a good hiding place? Why?
5. Find out the origin of the word “selkies”
If you are interested in these legends, there is a tale in Scotland concerning people of the clan MacCodrum, who were seals in the daytime, but men and woman at night. No man of the MacCodrums, it is said, would ever kill a seal. I think the story we read in class is based on this clan.
You can read more about this here:
http://chestofbooks.com/fairy-tale/Fairy-Ghost/Tom-Moore-And-The-Seal-Woman.html#ixzz1vaZJCamO
Happy reading!
bookwormsbachillerato 
1. There was a farmer who wasn´t married. One day he was walking by the shore and saw a group of seal folk.
They taken off their skin and the farmer caught one of the sink, who belonged a seal woman, and their married and had got seven children.
The food of the little daughter was sore and her mum was looking for a fine skin, the daughter told her that her father look at a skin, the mum went at saw that this skin was that her and she had to returned at the sea again.
2. I don´t believe in that.
3. Because she found her skin and she must to return at the sea.
4. I think that no because if the man love her, he will hid in other place more difficult to guess.
1.The story is about a farmer who had never been with a woman and her friends laughed at him, but one day went to the beach and saw seals and went to took one of their skins. When he heard the sobs of a woman and saw a lovely woman he fell in love, the woman was turned into a seal woman is asked to give him back his skin. The farmer convinced her to live with him, they were married had 7 children, but one day the seal woman looking skin with the help of her young daughter and salted pulled it running to the sea and never saw the farmer’s more, he still watching the sea to see if he returns.
2.No, I think it’s a legend, this is impossible.
3.Because I needed to be at sea, be free and not be on the land.
4.Yes, because it was a place difficult to find , and the woman no would find here.
5. “Selkie” means seal in the dialect of the Orkneys. The people selkie were seen as elegant creatures by the hábilidad of transforming of seals in agile and beautiful human beings though only in certain occasions they could carry out this transformation. Some of them say that every nine nights, others that every seven tides. A common element in the stories of the selkies, and probably the most important, is that to execute the transformation they had to undress his skin of seal. These magic skins were sheltering the power to recover his condition of seal and to return to the sea. If they were losing this skin or if they were stealing it from him, they were remaining doomed to remain in his human form until they could recover the skin.In these legends the loving meetings abound, so much of men with beautiful women – seals as of women with beautiful men – seals.
1. There was a farmer who wasn´t married. One day he was walking by the shore and saw a group of seal folk.
They taken off their skin and the farmer caught one of the sink, who belonged a seal woman, and their married and had got seven children.
The food of the little daughter was sore and her mum was looking for a fine skin, the daughter told her that her father look at a skin, the mum went at saw that this skin was that her and she had to returned at the sea again.
2. I don´t believe in that.
3. Because she found her skin and she must to return at the sea.
4. I think that no because if the man love her, he will hid in other place more difficult to guess.
5.The word derives from earlier Scots selich, (from Old English seolh meaning seal). Selkies are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land. The legend apparently originated on the Orkney and Shetland Islands.
1. A farmer, that he wasn´t married , went to the beach and saw a group of seal. The man hid and but the seal saw him and they grabbed their skins to the sea .The man met to a seal-woman and they got married. They had seven children and they seemed happy, but really the seal woman would like to return to the sea with the male seal. So she catch her skins and went into the sea.
2. I think that this creature isn´t true, but if they were really ,they would be beautiful.
3. Because she would want to return with her seal family.
4. I think that not because the seals saw him.
5. Selkies were mythological creatures from the folklore Faroese, Icelandic, Irish and Scottish. The selkies were large seals.
1. A farmer, he was alone because everyone laughed at him and one day, just a lot of people at sea dressed in seal.
I removed the suit to a woman and forces her to marry her.
They have seven children and one day one of his daughters began to hurt a foot whilst walking with her mother on the beach. Then go home and seal the suit seeking that the farmer had escondico under the bed and run away from him.
2. No, it’s impossible that there are people seals.
3. Because she want to return whith her family.
4. No, because its a easy hiding place.
5. Selkies comes from Ireland.
1.The story is about a farmer who did not like women.
One day he meets a town of selkies and steals the skin of one of the women, all fleeing from him but the woman becomes, fall in love and has seven children.
Were walking one day his wife and daughter who hurt his foot. They went home and looking for something to cure her mother found her sealskin under the bed of her husband and abandoning her family and returned to his people.
2.No,there aren’t this criatures.
3.Because she want to return whit her village.
4.No,because its a easy hiding place.
5.Selkies comes from Scotland and Ireland.
1.There once was a farmer who was not married and that nothing else mattered to him was his granjauna time on the coast and a sealskin lifted and carried.
walking along the coast saw a distraught woman crying because without that skin she could not return to his family.
The man then fell in love with her and showed her his feelings, but said nothing that had the skin.
married and had three boys and 2 girls.
uun day the woman carefully seal skin found under the bed folded skin and realized many things, including his desire to return to sea with his family.
and he did it ddespidió family and children and went to sea quickly.
her husband and her children were very saddened by his departure.
2.I do not believe in these creatures are very fantastic.
3.Because he loved the sea more than his family, the sea was what really fascinated her.
4.No, because it at any time could have found, how it happened.
5.Selkies (also known as silkies or selchies) are mythological creatures found in Faroese, Icelandic, Irish , and Scottish folklore. The word derives from earlier Scots selich, (from Old English seolh meaning seal). Selkies are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land. The legend apparently originated on the Orkney and Shetland Islands.
1 – A farmer lives in the sea and hasn´t esposa. A day at sea is a woman and falls for her, then tells him to come live with him.
The sea woman marries him and have seven children. A day out with three of ellospara to search skin for make a dressing for your sore foot.
Her husband is at sea with her children and she says she has to return home and his true love.
2 – No.
3 – For your home and love really was at sea, not land.
4 – No, because to get married there, he knew that sooner or later the woman was going.
5- Selkies comes from Scotland and Ireland.
1 – A farmer who was not married lived near the sea, one day I hear the song of a woman, that sound came from the sea, came up to see who was the one signin, and saw that the sea was a group of Mujers. He fell in love with her and asked her to marry him, had seven children. When she wanted to spent some time returning to the sea and stay there for a long time because there had at his verdaddero love.
2-No, because there are people who can live in the sea all his life.
3 – Because she wanted to go home as usual, where he had his true love.
4 – No, because he knew that if she was married there to return to the sea.
5-The Selkies are creatures living in the Faroe Islands are also in the mythologies of Iceland, Ireland, and Scotland. They have the ability to transform from seal to human form. The Selkies are able to change shape shedding their seal skin, a risky undertaking, as it must re-use the same skin to return to seal form.
1. There was a farmer who wasn´t married. He walked by the shore one day and saw a group of seal folk.
They took off their skin and the farmer caught one, who belonged a seal woman, and their married and had got seven children.
The food of the little daughter was sore and her mum was looking for a fine skin, the daughter told her that her father look at a skin, the mum went at saw that this skin was that her and she had to returned at the sea again.
2. No,there aren’t this criatures.
3. Because she wanted to return to her family.
4. I think not because the seals saw him.
5. Selkies were mythological creatures from the folklore Faroese, Icelandic, Irish and Scottish. The selkies were large seals.
1.The story is about a farmer who didn’t like women.
One day he goes to a town of selkies and steals the skin of one of the women, all fled from him but the woman begins to fall in love and has seven children.
He was walking one day his wife and daughter who hurt her foot. They went home and looking for something to cure her mother found her sealskin under the bed of her husband and abandoning her family and returned to his people.
2. No, it’s impossible that the creature “peopleseals” exist.
3. Because she would want to return to her seal family.
4. I think not because he was seen by the seals.
5. Selkies were mythological creatures from the folklore Faroese, Icelandic, Irish and Scottish. The selkies were large seals.
1.the story is about a farmer that he did’t like the women. He wasn’t married. One day he went to the see with his friends and saw how they swing and jump happily so, he took her skin and went into the see. Here, he saw a seal woman very sad, and he helped her. The farmer married with the seal woman and they have seven childrens. one day the farmer went to the sea withe his childrens,exept the youngest, that she has a male the food, so she stay in house with her mother. The women searched the skin of her husbang, and the girl helped her to find the skin. The women took the skin and ran to the sea. She need to go sea, swin, in her house she didn’t happy yet. The farmer go often to walk to shore, hoping to see seal woman
2.We think that it is imposibol, don’t exist this animals.
3.Because she want return her town.
4.This is a easy hideout, but if not have been for the girl, she wouldn’t had found the skin.
5. Selkies comes from Scotlan and Ireland
1.This tells the story of a farmer who was walking along the beach and one day a seal woman was found seal. The skin stole to proposed to her live with him at his. farm.She hid the left with the, tube children, but over time she found her skin and the sea was his true home.
2.No, I think that it isn`t impossible that there are people seals.
3.Because he’s true love was at the sea.
4.No, because this place was very easy to find.
5.Selkies comes fromScotland and Ireland. Selkies are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land. The legend apparently originated on the Orkney and Shetland Islands
1.The story is about a man who is a farmer. He lives alone and he will not marry. One day walking on the beach he saw a group of seals at sea. The farmer stole the skin of one of them and he loved her. They married and had seven children. The woman was not happy, she wanted to get your skin and return to sea. She got to know where was the skin that hid her husband so she could return to sea.
2.I believe that these creatures do not exist.
3.I think she left her husband and her children because she wanted to return to its true home: the sea.
4.No, because it is an easy hiding place.
5.Selkie (also called silkie or selchie) is a mythological creature from the folklore Faroese, Icelandic, Irish and Scottish. The selkies were large seals.
1.-It´s about a man who was alone. He went to a town of selkies and steals the skin of one women who was there, the women felt in love him and they had seven children. finally the woman went return with her family.
2.-They doesn´t exist.
3.-Because she wanted to return with her family.
4.-No, because the seals would seen him.
5.-Selkie lore is not confined to Orkney but is also found in the Western Isles, Ireland and down the north and western coasts of Scotland.
1.the story is about a man who was not married, one day while he was walking along the beach saw a group of sea folks and he steal the skin of one of the women. he forces her to marry him ,they have seven children .one day ,one of her daughters injury her foot while walking with his mother on the beach , when the daughter came home found the skin hidden from his mother and they deciding to leave and leave his father and husband.
2.no, because we do not believe in legends as told in the story.
3.because she wanted to return to their place of origin.
4.no, because it is a place very easy to find.
5.the myth of the selkies comes from countries in northern Europe in particular the north of great Britain
1.A farmer meets a woman half human half seal on the shore and fall in love, they move tothe farm and have four sons and three daughters. Eventually the seal woman wants to change his life and return to sea with his true love and leave her husband and children on the ground.
2. No, I think this story is impossible and never will exist seal woman.
3. Because she was not right on the ground, his life was at sea and his love too.
4. Yes, because in that place is hard to find the skin.
5. Selkie is a mythological creature from the folklore Faroese, Icelandic, Irish and Scottish.The selkies were large seals.
Legend: These creatures had the rare gift of being able to get rid of sealskin and become women of matchless beauty. Once a selkie became a woman, hid her sealskinnear the sea, the rocks, so that no human could find it.
Legend has it that if a man finds the sealskin, you can ask the selkie to become his wife.If that’s the case, the husband is now very well who must hide the skin. If the selkie were to find it, must leave his family and return to the sea, yet still remain on the ground with their loved ones.
1. Give a summary of the story, in about 50 words.
its about one farmer who never was married he found a woman not a normal woman she was a seal woman he get married wit her and they had 5 childrens she one day found her skin and she returned into the sea and no one see her in the live
2. Do you believe in the existence of these creatures?
No i think its only a story
3. Why do you think the woman left her husband and children?
Because her place was the sea she cant life like a human
4. Do you think the man chose a good hiding place? Why?
No because she found it
5. Find out the origin of the word “selkies”
Selkies (also known as silkies or selchies) are mythological creatures found in Faroese, Icelandic, Irish[1], and Scottish folklore. The word derives from earlier Scots selich, (from Old English seolh meaning seal).[2] Selkies are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land.
1. There was a farmer who wasn´t married. One day he was walking by the shore and saw a group of seal folk.
They taken off their skin and the farmer caught one of the sink, who belonged a seal woman, and their married and had got seven children, one day ,one of her daughters injury her foot while walking with his mother on the beach , when the daughter came home found the skin hidden from his mother and they deciding to leave and leave his father and husband.
2. I think that these are fictional creatures and legends.
3. I think that is because she would want to return to her seal family.
4.No, because it is an easy hiding place to find.
5.Selkies are mythological creatures found in Faroese, Icelandic, Irish[1], and Scottish folklore. The word derives from earlier Scots selich, (from Old English seolh meaning seal). Selkies are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land. The legend apparently originated on the Orkney and Shetland Islands.