Song of the Sea: Selkie love!
photo credit: Wikipedia Carniolus
If you want to see an amazing animated film, borrow Song of the Sea! For the past few days, I have not been able to get the title track of Song of the Sea out of my head. It is beautifully sung by Lisa Hannigan, with music by Bruno Coulais and Kila.
The movie itself is based on Irish and Scottish legends of Selkies: magical creatures who take a human form on land, and change to seals in the water. Ben's mother Bronagh disappears soon after giving birth to his sister Saoirse – they live with their father, Conor, on a remote island housing not much more than a lighthouse, off the coast of Ireland. A seashell left by her mother leads Saoirse to discover a special coat, and reveals her true selkie nature. When Saoirse and Ben are taken by their grandmother to live in the city, they are very unhappy and try to escape, but in order to find their way home they must first help Faeries recover their stories and evade Macha the witch, who is saddened by the loss of her son, Mac Lir.
My kids and I loved it, but if you are wondering if this film is suitable for your family, GeekDad has a good review here: 7 Things Paren'ts Should Know About 'Song of the Sea'.
Another classic kids' film about selkies is The Secret of Roan Inish.
There are many books about selkies if you want to delve further.
For children:
The Hidden Folk: Stories of Fairies, Dwarves, Selkies, and Other Secret Beings, by Lise Lunge-Larsen, illustrated by Beth Krommes
The Seal Children, by Jackie Morris
The Folk Keeper, by Franny Billingsley
For Teens:
The Brides of Rollrock Island, by Margo Lanagan
Water Shaper, by Laura Williams McCaffrey
For Adults:
Home from the Sea, by Mercedes Lackey
The Golden City, by Kathleen J. Cheney
Tempest's Legacy, by Nicole Peeler
In the world of shape-shifting magical beings, I say roll over werewolves, it's the selkies' turn! Let us know if you have a favourite selkie story.
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