Seal-folk and Ocean Paddlers

Seal-folk and Ocean Paddlers

Author: John MacAulay

Publisher:

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13:

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Foremost in Scottish Hebridean tradition are the tales of the sea-folk - seals who could assume human form, but could not return to the sea without their sealskin belts. Against the background of such beliefs, the fact of strange people in kayaks being occasionally seen around the islands off the north and west of Scotland was probably not worth special mention, until travellers from the mainland heard of these sightings in the 17th and 18th centuries. This study draws together historical fact and maritime folklore to reveal some spellbinding mysteries of the ocean, involving seals and kayaks, Norse ancestry and the children of the seal.


Book Synopsis Seal-folk and Ocean Paddlers by : John MacAulay

Download or read book Seal-folk and Ocean Paddlers written by John MacAulay and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Foremost in Scottish Hebridean tradition are the tales of the sea-folk - seals who could assume human form, but could not return to the sea without their sealskin belts. Against the background of such beliefs, the fact of strange people in kayaks being occasionally seen around the islands off the north and west of Scotland was probably not worth special mention, until travellers from the mainland heard of these sightings in the 17th and 18th centuries. This study draws together historical fact and maritime folklore to reveal some spellbinding mysteries of the ocean, involving seals and kayaks, Norse ancestry and the children of the seal.


The Magic of the Seal

The Magic of the Seal

Author: Melanie Godfrey

Publisher: John Hunt Publishing

Published: 2024-07-26

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 1803416238

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This book will take you on a journey to awaken a spiritual relationship with the seal, familiarizing you with the seal's anima as well as its history with the Gaelic ancestors of the British Isles. The Clan of the Seal on North Uist, and the traditional oral storytellers, were the transmitters and custodians of folklore, who told tales about the kindly selchie and revered seals as sacred, akin to their own family. The gentle seal will help reclaim what is lost within as we remember our Celtic heritage and identity in this fragile world. Seal lore teaches valuable lessons in integrity and kindness, and ignites our imagination, leading us to the seal's inner landscape of presence and peace - inevitably towards our own inner peace. This is the magic of the seal; not lost, but found.


Book Synopsis The Magic of the Seal by : Melanie Godfrey

Download or read book The Magic of the Seal written by Melanie Godfrey and published by John Hunt Publishing. This book was released on 2024-07-26 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book will take you on a journey to awaken a spiritual relationship with the seal, familiarizing you with the seal's anima as well as its history with the Gaelic ancestors of the British Isles. The Clan of the Seal on North Uist, and the traditional oral storytellers, were the transmitters and custodians of folklore, who told tales about the kindly selchie and revered seals as sacred, akin to their own family. The gentle seal will help reclaim what is lost within as we remember our Celtic heritage and identity in this fragile world. Seal lore teaches valuable lessons in integrity and kindness, and ignites our imagination, leading us to the seal's inner landscape of presence and peace - inevitably towards our own inner peace. This is the magic of the seal; not lost, but found.


Boatlines

Boatlines

Author: Ian Stephen

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Published: 2023-03-02

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 1788855361

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People are drawn to the harbours and boats of Scotland whether they have a seafaring background or not. Why do boats take on different shapes as you follow the complex shorelines of islands and mainland? And why do the sails they carry appear to be so many shapes and sizes? Then there are rowing craft or power-driven vessels which can also be considered 'classics', whether they were built for work or leisure. As he traces the iconic forms of a selection of the boats of Scotland, Ian Stephen outlines the purposes of craft, past and present, to help gain a true understanding of this vital part of our culture. Sea conditions likely to be met and coastal geography are other factors behind the designs of a wide variety of craft. Stories go with boats. The vessels are not seen as bare artefacts without their own soul but more like living things.


Book Synopsis Boatlines by : Ian Stephen

Download or read book Boatlines written by Ian Stephen and published by Birlinn Ltd. This book was released on 2023-03-02 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People are drawn to the harbours and boats of Scotland whether they have a seafaring background or not. Why do boats take on different shapes as you follow the complex shorelines of islands and mainland? And why do the sails they carry appear to be so many shapes and sizes? Then there are rowing craft or power-driven vessels which can also be considered 'classics', whether they were built for work or leisure. As he traces the iconic forms of a selection of the boats of Scotland, Ian Stephen outlines the purposes of craft, past and present, to help gain a true understanding of this vital part of our culture. Sea conditions likely to be met and coastal geography are other factors behind the designs of a wide variety of craft. Stories go with boats. The vessels are not seen as bare artefacts without their own soul but more like living things.


The Sea House

The Sea House

Author: Elisabeth Gifford

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2014-04-15

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 1466841400

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In 1860, Alexander Ferguson, a newly ordained vicar and amateur evolutionary scientist, takes up his new parish, a poor, isolated patch on the remote Scottish island of Harris. He hopes to uncover the truth behind the legend of the selkies—mermaids or seal people who have been sighted off the north of Scotland for centuries. He has a more personal motive, too; family legend states that Alexander is descended from seal men. As he struggles to be the good pastor he was called to be, his maid Moira faces the terrible eviction of her family by Lord Marstone, whose family owns the island. Their time on the island will irrevocably change the course of both their lives, but the white house on the edge of the dunes keeps its silence long after they are gone. It will be more than a century before the Sea House reluctantly gives up its secrets. Ruth and Michael buy the grand but dilapidated building and begin to turn it into a home for the family they hope to have. Their dreams are marred by a shocking discovery. The tiny bones of a baby are buried beneath the house; the child's fragile legs are fused together—a mermaid child. Who buried the bones? And why? To heal her own demons, Ruth feels she must discover the secrets of her new home—but the answers to her questions may lie in her own traumatic past. The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford is a sweeping tale of hope and redemption and a study of how we heal ourselves by discovering our histories.


Book Synopsis The Sea House by : Elisabeth Gifford

Download or read book The Sea House written by Elisabeth Gifford and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1860, Alexander Ferguson, a newly ordained vicar and amateur evolutionary scientist, takes up his new parish, a poor, isolated patch on the remote Scottish island of Harris. He hopes to uncover the truth behind the legend of the selkies—mermaids or seal people who have been sighted off the north of Scotland for centuries. He has a more personal motive, too; family legend states that Alexander is descended from seal men. As he struggles to be the good pastor he was called to be, his maid Moira faces the terrible eviction of her family by Lord Marstone, whose family owns the island. Their time on the island will irrevocably change the course of both their lives, but the white house on the edge of the dunes keeps its silence long after they are gone. It will be more than a century before the Sea House reluctantly gives up its secrets. Ruth and Michael buy the grand but dilapidated building and begin to turn it into a home for the family they hope to have. Their dreams are marred by a shocking discovery. The tiny bones of a baby are buried beneath the house; the child's fragile legs are fused together—a mermaid child. Who buried the bones? And why? To heal her own demons, Ruth feels she must discover the secrets of her new home—but the answers to her questions may lie in her own traumatic past. The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford is a sweeping tale of hope and redemption and a study of how we heal ourselves by discovering our histories.


Sea Kayak

Sea Kayak

Author: Gordon Brown

Publisher: Pesda Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 9780954706173

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This book is a modern guide to sea kayaking by one of the leading exponents of the sport who is also a highly respected coach in this field. Gordon Brown is a BCU Level 5 sea coach based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He shares his knowledge with you in his own succinct humorous style and very visual approach. In this book Gordon covers topics of kayaking history, physiology, boat and paddle dynamics, seamanship and navigation, safety and rescue, weather forecasting, caves, rockhopping and tidal races, expeditions and overnighting, as well as a wealth of tips and resources for the sea paddler. This is a visually stunning book printed on 170gsm silk paper filled with top quality photographs. Over seventy photographs and illustrations help to make this an essential modern manual for the sea kayaker.


Book Synopsis Sea Kayak by : Gordon Brown

Download or read book Sea Kayak written by Gordon Brown and published by Pesda Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a modern guide to sea kayaking by one of the leading exponents of the sport who is also a highly respected coach in this field. Gordon Brown is a BCU Level 5 sea coach based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He shares his knowledge with you in his own succinct humorous style and very visual approach. In this book Gordon covers topics of kayaking history, physiology, boat and paddle dynamics, seamanship and navigation, safety and rescue, weather forecasting, caves, rockhopping and tidal races, expeditions and overnighting, as well as a wealth of tips and resources for the sea paddler. This is a visually stunning book printed on 170gsm silk paper filled with top quality photographs. Over seventy photographs and illustrations help to make this an essential modern manual for the sea kayaker.


The Pirate Queen

The Pirate Queen

Author: Barbara Sjoholm

Publisher: Seal Press

Published: 2015-04-07

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 1580056059

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The Pirate Queen begins in Ireland with the infamous Grace O’Malley, a ruthless pirate and scourge to the most powerful fleets of sixteenth-century Europe. This Irish clan chieftain, sea captain, and pirate queen was a contemporary of Elizabeth I, a figure whose life is the stuff of myth. Regularly raiding English ships caught off Ireland’s west coast, O’Malley was purported to have fought the Spanish armada just hours after giving birth to her son. She had several husbands in her lifetime, and acquired lands and castles that still dot the Irish coastline today. But Grace O’Malley was not alone. Since ancient times, women have rowed and sailed, commanded and fished, built boats and owned fleets. As pirate, captain’s wives, lighthouse keepers and sailors in disguise they’ve explored coastlines and set off alone across unknown seas. Yet their incredible contributions have been nearly erased from the history books. In The Pirate Queen, Barbara Sjoholm brings some of these extraordinary women back to life, taking the reader on an unforgettable journey from the wild Irish coast to the haunting Scandinavian fjords in this meticulously researched, colorfully written, and truly original work


Book Synopsis The Pirate Queen by : Barbara Sjoholm

Download or read book The Pirate Queen written by Barbara Sjoholm and published by Seal Press. This book was released on 2015-04-07 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Pirate Queen begins in Ireland with the infamous Grace O’Malley, a ruthless pirate and scourge to the most powerful fleets of sixteenth-century Europe. This Irish clan chieftain, sea captain, and pirate queen was a contemporary of Elizabeth I, a figure whose life is the stuff of myth. Regularly raiding English ships caught off Ireland’s west coast, O’Malley was purported to have fought the Spanish armada just hours after giving birth to her son. She had several husbands in her lifetime, and acquired lands and castles that still dot the Irish coastline today. But Grace O’Malley was not alone. Since ancient times, women have rowed and sailed, commanded and fished, built boats and owned fleets. As pirate, captain’s wives, lighthouse keepers and sailors in disguise they’ve explored coastlines and set off alone across unknown seas. Yet their incredible contributions have been nearly erased from the history books. In The Pirate Queen, Barbara Sjoholm brings some of these extraordinary women back to life, taking the reader on an unforgettable journey from the wild Irish coast to the haunting Scandinavian fjords in this meticulously researched, colorfully written, and truly original work


Unsettling Assumptions

Unsettling Assumptions

Author: Pauline Greenhill

Publisher: University Press of Colorado

Published: 2014-10-15

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0874218985

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In Unsettling Assumptions, editors Pauline Greenhill and Diane Tye examine how tradition and gender come together to unsettle assumptions about culture and its study. Contributors explore the intersections of traditional expressive culture and sex/gender systems to question, investigate, or upset concepts like family, ethics, and authenticity. Individual essays consider myriad topics such as Thanksgiving turkeys, rockabilly and bar fights, Chinese tales of female ghosts, selkie stories, a noisy Mennonite New Year’s celebration, the Distaff Gospels, Kentucky tobacco farmers, international adoptions, and more. In Unsettling Assumptions, folkloric forms express but also counteract negative aspects of culture like misogyny, homophobia, and racism. But expressive culture also emerges as fundamental to our sense of belonging to a family, an occupation, or friendship group and, most notably, to identity performativity and the construction and negotiation of power.


Book Synopsis Unsettling Assumptions by : Pauline Greenhill

Download or read book Unsettling Assumptions written by Pauline Greenhill and published by University Press of Colorado. This book was released on 2014-10-15 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Unsettling Assumptions, editors Pauline Greenhill and Diane Tye examine how tradition and gender come together to unsettle assumptions about culture and its study. Contributors explore the intersections of traditional expressive culture and sex/gender systems to question, investigate, or upset concepts like family, ethics, and authenticity. Individual essays consider myriad topics such as Thanksgiving turkeys, rockabilly and bar fights, Chinese tales of female ghosts, selkie stories, a noisy Mennonite New Year’s celebration, the Distaff Gospels, Kentucky tobacco farmers, international adoptions, and more. In Unsettling Assumptions, folkloric forms express but also counteract negative aspects of culture like misogyny, homophobia, and racism. But expressive culture also emerges as fundamental to our sense of belonging to a family, an occupation, or friendship group and, most notably, to identity performativity and the construction and negotiation of power.


Fishing Lessons

Fishing Lessons

Author: Kevin M. Bailey

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2018-05-01

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 022630759X

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Fish bones in the caves of East Timor reveal that humans have systematically fished the seas for at least 42,000 years. But in recent centuries, our ancient, vital relationship with the oceans has changed faster than the tides. As boats and fishing technology have evolved, traditional fishermen have been challenged both at sea and in the marketplace by large-scale fishing companies whose lower overhead and greater efficiency guarantee lower prices. In Fishing Lessons, Kevin M. Bailey captains a voyage through the deep history and present course of this sea change—a change that has seen species depleted, ecosystems devastated, and artisanal fisheries transformed into a global industry afloat with hundreds of billions of dollars per year. Bailey knows these waters, the artisanal fisheries, and their relationship with larger ocean ecology intimately. In a series of place-based portraits, he shares stories of decline and success as told by those at the ends of the long lines and hand lines, channeling us through the changing dynamics of small-scale fisheries and the sustainability issues they face—both fiscal and ecological. We encounter Paolo Vespoli and his tiny boat, the Giovanni Padre,in the Gulf of Naples; Wenche, a sea Sámi, one of the indigenous fisherwomen of Norway; and many more. From salmon to abalone, the Bay of Fundy to Monterey and the Amazon, Bailey’s catch is no fish tale. It is a global story, casting a net across waters as vast and distinct as Puget Sound and the Chilean coast. Sailing across the world, Bailey explores the fast-shifting current of how we gather food from the sea, what we gain and what we lose with these shifts, and potential solutions for the murky passage ahead.


Book Synopsis Fishing Lessons by : Kevin M. Bailey

Download or read book Fishing Lessons written by Kevin M. Bailey and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fish bones in the caves of East Timor reveal that humans have systematically fished the seas for at least 42,000 years. But in recent centuries, our ancient, vital relationship with the oceans has changed faster than the tides. As boats and fishing technology have evolved, traditional fishermen have been challenged both at sea and in the marketplace by large-scale fishing companies whose lower overhead and greater efficiency guarantee lower prices. In Fishing Lessons, Kevin M. Bailey captains a voyage through the deep history and present course of this sea change—a change that has seen species depleted, ecosystems devastated, and artisanal fisheries transformed into a global industry afloat with hundreds of billions of dollars per year. Bailey knows these waters, the artisanal fisheries, and their relationship with larger ocean ecology intimately. In a series of place-based portraits, he shares stories of decline and success as told by those at the ends of the long lines and hand lines, channeling us through the changing dynamics of small-scale fisheries and the sustainability issues they face—both fiscal and ecological. We encounter Paolo Vespoli and his tiny boat, the Giovanni Padre,in the Gulf of Naples; Wenche, a sea Sámi, one of the indigenous fisherwomen of Norway; and many more. From salmon to abalone, the Bay of Fundy to Monterey and the Amazon, Bailey’s catch is no fish tale. It is a global story, casting a net across waters as vast and distinct as Puget Sound and the Chilean coast. Sailing across the world, Bailey explores the fast-shifting current of how we gather food from the sea, what we gain and what we lose with these shifts, and potential solutions for the murky passage ahead.


Mysterious Creatures [2 volumes]

Mysterious Creatures [2 volumes]

Author: George M. Eberhart

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2002-12-17

Total Pages: 772

ISBN-13: 1576077640

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A comprehensive guide to cryptozoology—the quest to identify animals that have not been officially catalogued by science and to place these unknown animals into their proper zoological categories. In this fascinating two-volume encyclopedia, author George M. Eberhart provides a comprehensive catalog of nearly 1,000 cryptids—unknown animals usually reported through eyewitness accounts and not yet described by science. Cryptids are the stuff of folklore, hoaxes, and genuine scientific breakthroughs. There are 400 now-classified cryptids once considered either extinct or pure fantasy. The cryptozoologist's job is to strip away the myth, misidentification, and mystery—and separate fact from fiction. Mysterious Creatures covers everything from dinosaurs and the emala-ntouka, an elephant-killing dinosaur-like animal of central Africa, to searches for the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, and other cryptozoological hoaxes. Entries about specific animals include the derivation or meaning of each cryptid's name, its scientific name, variant names, a physical description, behavior, description of tracks, habitat, significant sightings, present status, and possible explanations. Illustrations and photographs accompany many entries. The book also includes resources and references for further information.


Book Synopsis Mysterious Creatures [2 volumes] by : George M. Eberhart

Download or read book Mysterious Creatures [2 volumes] written by George M. Eberhart and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2002-12-17 with total page 772 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to cryptozoology—the quest to identify animals that have not been officially catalogued by science and to place these unknown animals into their proper zoological categories. In this fascinating two-volume encyclopedia, author George M. Eberhart provides a comprehensive catalog of nearly 1,000 cryptids—unknown animals usually reported through eyewitness accounts and not yet described by science. Cryptids are the stuff of folklore, hoaxes, and genuine scientific breakthroughs. There are 400 now-classified cryptids once considered either extinct or pure fantasy. The cryptozoologist's job is to strip away the myth, misidentification, and mystery—and separate fact from fiction. Mysterious Creatures covers everything from dinosaurs and the emala-ntouka, an elephant-killing dinosaur-like animal of central Africa, to searches for the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, and other cryptozoological hoaxes. Entries about specific animals include the derivation or meaning of each cryptid's name, its scientific name, variant names, a physical description, behavior, description of tracks, habitat, significant sightings, present status, and possible explanations. Illustrations and photographs accompany many entries. The book also includes resources and references for further information.


Isles of the North

Isles of the North

Author: Ian Mitchell

Publisher: Birlinn

Published: 2012-07-30

Total Pages: 371

ISBN-13: 0857900994

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In the summer of 2002, Mitchell set sail aboard the 30-foot yacht Foggy Dew on a voyage that took him from his home through the Western Isles to Orkney and Shetland and on to the west coast of Norway. Against the backdrop of one of the world's most spectacular coastlines, he sailed up the Nordfjord, down to Bergen, then out to Utsira, and back home via Inverness. The object of his journey was more than just to enjoy a few contemplative drams during a summer at sea. In this sequel to his much acclaimed Isles of the West (1999), Mitchell continues his investigation into official Britain's failure to administer rural Scotland for the mutual benefit of people and nature. Ian Mitchell's narrative combines authoritative background information and personal interviews with local people, many enlivened by the measured dispensation of Scotland's most famous aid to creative thought. He shows how Norway, a country outside the EU and therefore in control of its own resources, has been able to give a wide measure of freedom to the sort of communities which in Scotland are subject to debilitating control by Edinburgh, London and Brussels. He points to many lessons which centralised, bureaucratic Britain could learn from its more democratic neighbour across the North Sea.


Book Synopsis Isles of the North by : Ian Mitchell

Download or read book Isles of the North written by Ian Mitchell and published by Birlinn. This book was released on 2012-07-30 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the summer of 2002, Mitchell set sail aboard the 30-foot yacht Foggy Dew on a voyage that took him from his home through the Western Isles to Orkney and Shetland and on to the west coast of Norway. Against the backdrop of one of the world's most spectacular coastlines, he sailed up the Nordfjord, down to Bergen, then out to Utsira, and back home via Inverness. The object of his journey was more than just to enjoy a few contemplative drams during a summer at sea. In this sequel to his much acclaimed Isles of the West (1999), Mitchell continues his investigation into official Britain's failure to administer rural Scotland for the mutual benefit of people and nature. Ian Mitchell's narrative combines authoritative background information and personal interviews with local people, many enlivened by the measured dispensation of Scotland's most famous aid to creative thought. He shows how Norway, a country outside the EU and therefore in control of its own resources, has been able to give a wide measure of freedom to the sort of communities which in Scotland are subject to debilitating control by Edinburgh, London and Brussels. He points to many lessons which centralised, bureaucratic Britain could learn from its more democratic neighbour across the North Sea.