Selkies

I went to see the sand castles in hampton NH with my little brother and dad. My little brother is so cute. I taught him the duck face and the sup nod, so he thinks he is cool now. He is obsessed with the song "sweet caroline" because I told him he needs to learn it by heart.

  On our way to the camp site he asked me to tell him a story. My dad had a 1959 truck with a terrible radio and a loud engine, so there was nothing else to do during the ride. I told him some scottish stories, because we are both scottish. My brother, if you want to be annoyingly technical, is only my half-brother. He has a different mother. So he isnt german, croatian, or czec like me. He is only scottish and cherokee, (which I am too). His mom is almost 100 percent scottish. So this was a good heritage to embrace, because it combines everyone I love. I can talk to my dad about it, and he can get into it, or I can talk to my mom. Nobody is left out.

I told him about selkies, which may be only irish, I'm not sure. I told him the mermaid stories too, the mermaid one was scottish. Anyway for anyone that doesnt know, selkies are seals that can turn into humans. They are seals that can take off their seal skins and walk on the shore. The main selkie story is about a woman who took off her seal skin to go onto the shore. A farmer who lived nearby saw her and decided he had to marry her. So he took her seal skin and hid it burried in the sand so she couldnt find it. (A selkie obviously cant be a seal without their skin) The legend is that if a selkie finds his/her skin they with feel an uncontrollable urge to return to the sea. They cant help it. Anyway, she married the farmer, and had his kids. She was happy, but she missed the sea. One day her kid was digging in the sand and discovered the skin. He showed it to his mother, and she couldnt control herself. She went back. The farmer came back and she was gone. Its actually a really sad story.

My brother swore that we were selkies once I had finished. It was cute. We were going to the beach so he said "we need to look for our seal skins." What was even more funny is that we were in a gift shop and there were a bunch of seal magnets. He held it up to my dad and said "look a selkie!" He asked me if selkies are real. I went on a rant about the aquatic ape theory because I recently watched that "mermaids" documentary on discovery or national gerographic or whatever its called. He understood it a little, but not too much, I ended up saying "they're real if you believe in them." he said he did.

Before I get into Selkie movies/books/songs that I know, I want to talk a little bit about the culture near the ocean. The ocean is a key factor is ireland and scotland, at least thats what i get from all the folk songs and stories I hear. When I was at the ocean, I couldnt help but realize that their villages by the sea are probably similar in alot of ways to the one's by the cape. Also, just across the water is ireland and scotland, so it was like we were connected. Anyway, back to selkies.

There is a movie on netflix, or at least it used to be on netflix called Ondine. Its about a man who has a daughter battling cancer, and he is fishing one day and he catches a woman. The daughter swears the woman is a selkie. It had alot of beautiful parts in it. I liked the part when they were talking about how some people are "dark" like the sea or something, and others arent. I think the celtic gene pool is interesting. You got a guy with dark hair and dark eyes and he gets a kid with red or blonde hair. Sometimes blue eyes! Its the weirdest thing.

QUOTE: "She sings to the fishes and he catches them"

There is another movie called "The Secret of Roan Inish." I love the word Inish. I liked this movie better because it was more folklore-y. Its about Fiona, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandparents and her cousin near the island of Roan Inish, where the selkies are rumored to reside. It is a family legend that her younger brother was swept away in his infancy and raised by a selkie. Its a beautiful story, interesting in an irish way.

QUOTES from the secret of roan Inish:

"Once a Selkie finds its skin again, neither chains of steel nor chains of love can keep her from the sea."

Fiona: Why does he run from me?
Tadhg:  Why do you chase him?
Tadhg:  He's my little brother! He's lost out there!
Tadhg: He's not lost... he's just with another branch of the family.

"I've no idea of the future, but I can see the past quite well. And the present, if the weather's clear."

 "The sea is a sickness and you two will come to grieve for it!"

There is also a book I once read called "seven years into the sea." This book is about a girl who is returning to her childhood home, and while there she remmembers being a child and meeting a strange person on the beach. When she comes back she meets a selkie. This book is really good because it had culture in it, and community. Its not just a story about a girl on her own. I read it a while ago, but i remmember feeling like it was really different from normal books I read. There was something about it that was both spiriting and disheartening. I recommend it.

QUOTES:

“It never seemed fair that just when you're old enough to do anything you want, you can't. You have to start working, so there's no time. And if there is time, you're not working, so there's no money.” 

“Morning's great that way. You can cry yourself to sleep and wake up wondering what the fuss was over.” 

“Beckon The Sea,
I'll Come To Thee....
Shed Seven Tears,
Perchance Seven Years....” 

“Gwen?"
"Yes."
"You know why we have to be together, don't you?"
"..."
"I'm your selkie.” 


I promise this is the last selkie thing I have to say! There is a song called "The selkie" by Iona Leigh that I recently got off itunes. The music is beautiful, She sings in a voice that is a little highpitched at one point, but most of the song in in a lower voice, which I like. The lyrics arent online so sometimes I'm not exactly sure what she is saying, but the chorus is beautiful. It goes like this (I think):

"Silver skin
from irish shore
bound to the sea
but ancient lore"
(theres more after that but there is one line I dont understand so I'm ignoring it lol)

Here is a link to the song: The selkie by Iona Leigh

Anyway, thats all I'm going to write on the subject for now. It was something that needed to be covered eventually. I had alot of fun exploring this part of the culture. I'll probably learn more stories and put them in. This is what I do.

--JSparrow

Happy 2013!!!

Auld lang syne is a Robert Bruns song that is known as the new years song!! Its very famous! I love the pur (the lassie's reply) version which has it in Gaelic too, and the version from that new years movie that came out last year.

so to celebrate, here we go :)

Auld Lang Syne

Auld lang syne

--Jsparrow

Leap year (The movie)

I watched "leap year" with my mom last night, and I watched it again this morning. I only have around 4 more hours with the rental :(

Heres the trailer: Leap Year Trailer

I love this movie for multiple reasons, and as you can guess, many of the resons are because of the culture. I suppose I'm obsessed, and going to the highland games only fed it. You see, I've had obsessions with alot of cultures, I go through phases, and usually they leaves me after a few months, but not this one. I once was obsessed with native american culture, but my connection with that culture was lost nesrly completely other than my cherokee forehead, so i couldnt embrace it. I was obsessed with judaism, but had no desire to convert. Its the music that has brought me into cultures the most, folk songs and stuff. I thinkI'll have a phase with indian culture soon because of jumpha lahiri short stories, which are written amazingly. My scottish obsession, or I suppose Celtic obsession seems like it will be life-long, but anyway back to the movie.

In the movie a girl name Anna goes to Ireland from Boston (its always Boston..."Boston rose"..."shipping up to Boston"...."celtics basketball" etc.) becasue there is a tradition that girls can propose to a man on leap day, and her boyfriends has been taking forever (four years, just like my rich cousin kenny from chicago who finally got engaged!!) There are some complications with getting to Dublin though, a storm or something. Somehow she ends up in Dingle, and a man there who needs money for his bar decides to take her to dublin.

Declan: [slams Anna's suitcase on the ground] How does that work?
Anna: Can you be careful with that, it was a gift from my boyfriend!
Declan: He bought you a suitcase?
Anna: It's a Vuitton.
Declan: What?
Anna: A Louis Vuitton?
Declan: Come on. Ah, is it yourself Louis? Can I give you a hand getting into the car Louis? She named her suitcase, she's a crackpot.

Her suitcase gets stolen, and the man (declan) has a barfight for it back. They miss a train and have to stay in an inn where they need to pretend they are married to share a room becasue "right is right." THey come up with this ridiculous last name "dingle o'brady callahan." When they flip for the bed, Declan says "Heads I win, tails you lose" which is funny.

Anna: [as she forces Declan awake] You lying, deceiving, son of a - Get up, get up, get up!
Declan: Wha-what?
Anna: Oh? Heads you win, tails I lose.
Declan: [smirks] Oh, you finally got that did you? Well then, good for you.
Anna: Up, get up! This is my bed. Liars forfeit.
[as she sniffs him]
Anna: And take a shower, you smell.
Declan: [shakes head] You can see right through the curtain.
Anna: Can you?... CAN YOU?
Declan: [as he runs to the shower] Okay, liars forfeit, liars forfeit! No peeking!

There is this beautiful scene when they are getting food and Declan tells anna to have a little faither, and she says "my father was the king of have a little faith" and that she had to work two part time jobs after school and got her house reposest on christmas because of her father's recklessness. It was a really powerful scene, and Declan said "I'm sorry" and he meant it. It was almost shocking to see someone say sorry so earnestly, especially when it was someone who was something of a hellion, trickster, and jerk. They got stuck in a hail storm, so they went into a church and were invited to the wedding. While there she let her hair down a little, but her shoe came off while spinning and thunked the bride in the forehead. Ana got drunk after that and told Declan that she knows he snaps and everything, but he is really in pain before throwing up on his shoes. He just picks her up. When they get to dublin her boyfriend proposes, but when she goes home she realizes she has everything she wants but nothing she needs. She goes back to Ireland, and what took her ex-boyfriend four years to do, it takes Declan four days. They get married.

Declan: Mrs. O'Brady Callhan. Where the hell are you going?
Anna: You said no.
Declan: I didn't say no. I didn't say anything.
Anna: You walked away.
Declan: I was getting something.
Anna: Really? That was a good time to go get something?
Declan: Yeah, it was actually.
[Presents Anna with a ring]

"May you never steal, lie, or cheat, but if you must steal, then steal away my sorrows, and if you must lie, lie with me all the nights of my life, and if you must cheat, then please cheat death because I couldn't live a day without you. Cheers!"
--leap year

I loved the bar drinkers in this movie who are always fighting about things, and i loved the music. I loved that they got the superstitious aspects of it, the drinking part of it, the culture, the beautiful land, and ideals of Ireland. I loved the acting. There is something true and endearing about Anna, and as for Declan, his expressions just make you absolutely love him. His eyebrows have a life of their own, and I just fell in love with him (too bad he isnt real). And can i just say, i love the way Declan walks?? because I do! The scenes were sweet. Their chemistry was perfect. This was a great movie, and there is nothing out there like it, which makes it even more special. The accents just made it better! There are some movies that just make you want to enjoy life, and this was one of them. It makes me want to go to Ireland, scotland or bothand just be myself. Here where I live, though it is beautiful, it is difficult to be yourself, but I'm working on it.

Dammit man *hits the table* KISS THE GIRL!
--leap year

--JSparrow

Got a new ipod for christmas

Ive been waiting forever to have a nice place to put all the itunes Scottish music that I've collected. I paid a good sum of money for this ipodtoo, although 300 was a gift from my father and around forty more was from family members. I only paid around $70 for a 400 and something dollars because of christmas money. Its my christmas gift to me. I also got a $50 itunes giftcard from my mother, so i bought more folk songs! ALot of these new songs are irish too, because they are funny and make me happy. My grandpa always says that I am irish, but i don't really think we are. He likes to joke around, and all evidence that I can find only points to scotland, but points very clearly at Scotland. Who knows though, boarders blur when you consider that they are both celtic.

Alot of my songs are by Cara Dillon, she is amazing. Her voice is perfect, the melodys are perfect, and the songs are beautiful (as you can expect from these songs). I also got alot of Connie Dover songs. Right now I'm listen to "bold jaime" sung by Cara Dillon. I also got irish folk songs including "I'll tell me ma," "finnegan's wake," "whiskey in the jar" (high kings version <3), "red hair mary," "some say the devil is dead," "patsy fagan," "rising of the moon," "roky road to dublin," "fidller's green," "morning glory," "Molly malone," "the wind that shakes the barley," and "the star of the county down." Good songs. I really love these songs, I can't help it! They just make me want to dance. "Some say the devil is dead" is to a tune that an american folk song is to, but i havent been able to figure it out yet, the same with "fiddler's green," I'll figure it out soon. I have 366 songs on my ipod, and only about 70ish arent celtic.

Love my ipod so much! Love the songs on them!

--JSparrow

William Wallace

William Wallace is the hero of scottish history. He represents scottish nationalism, for even though there have been many fighters for independence, it was William Wallace who never once gave in to the english.

He became an outlaw early on when he killed the overbearing son of an english constable.He was driven by a fierce love of liberty for his suffering country and the dedication to the idea of independce. He was inspired by the latin precept (translation) I tell you truly liberty is the best of things" His wife was killed when he was visiting her one day. His daughter is said to have survived though. He fought and won many battles, and he brought the clans together to fight. He was knighted and gained the title of sole gaudian of scotland and leader of its armies. He was the fighter for the people, for it was the poor that loved him, not the nobles. He was executed when he was captured by the english. He swroe at trial he had never commited treason, because he hadnt sworn loyalty to the king.

The english king didnt want to create a martyr so he destroyed and dispersed wallace's body hoping it would be forgotten. Instead, because of the brutaily the poeple of scotland wanted to remember him.The people kept the story alive. There are places all around Scotland that have signs saying william wallace touched a rock or tree. There are constant retelling of stories.

cool fact: the referendum #1 that would ratify scottish parliament was held in 1997, 11 september, seven hundred years to the day since william's spectacular victory over the english army at stirling bridge in 1297.

I love the story of William Wallace. Whenever I watch braveheart I feel pride in my heart. I love the scene when the girl gives him a thistle when his family is being buried, and he looks at her with tears in his eyes. They fall in love when they are older, so romantic. Of course the english had to come along and kill her, but that is reality. I love the song the bagpipes play when they are saying goodbye to them "an outlawed tune on an outlawed pipe" it crushes my heart. The fact that the english decided to outlaw bagpiping is just ridiculous. They try to crush the scottish spirit, and the scots flare with the fire in their guts. Freedom, oh I wish scotland would look at itself and vote yes. There are so many people that died for freedom, and now they have a chance to gain it without bloodshed, dont they realize how much of a blessing that is?

Anyway, I love William Wallace, if you haven't seen braveheart then you've missed out, it is very near to the real story, the real big detail they left out was that he had a daughter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6zGEBhJMHA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr_OpFxCx-A&feature=relmfu

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Braveheart quotes:

Young William: What are they doin'?
Argyle Wallace: Saying goodbye in their own way. Playing outlawed tunes on outlawed pipes.

William Wallace: It's all for nothing if you don't have freedom.

William Wallace: Lower your flags and march straight back to England, stopping at every home you pass by to beg forgiveness for a hundred years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today.

Princess Isabelle: I understand you have suffered. I know... about your woman.
William Wallace: [pauses] She was my wife. We married in secret because I would not share her with an English lord. They killed her to get to me. I've never spoken of it, I don't know why I tell you now, except... I see her strength in you. One day, you'll be a queen. And you must open your eyes. You tell your king that William Wallace will *not* be ruled... and nor will any Scot while I live.
(One thing the movie didnt mention, he had a daughter)

William Wallace: I *am* William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men... and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?
Veteran: Fight? Against that? No! We will run. And we will live.
William Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!
[Scottish army cheers]
William Wallace: Alba gu bràth!
["Scotland forever!"]

William Wallace: Go back to England and tell them there that Scotland's daughters and her sons are yours no more. Tell them Scotland is free.

William Wallace: Every man dies, not every man really lives.

Robert the Bruce: Now, you've achieved more than anyone ever dreamed. But, fighting these odds, it looks like rage, not courage.
William Wallace: It's well beyond rage. Help me. In the name of Christ, help yourselves. Now is our chance. Now. If we join, we can win. If we win, well then we'll have what none of us has ever had before: a country of our own.

"After the beheading, William Wallace's body was torn to pieces. His head was set on London Bridge, his arms and legs sent to the four corners of Britain as a warning. It did not have the effect that Longshanks planned"

Royal Magistrate: The prisoner wishes to say a word.

William: FREEEEE-DOMMMMMM!!!!!

Scottish independence

Let me tell you something about scottish people, when the english outlawed bagpipes, the scottish people hid them and started singing puirt-a-buel songs. When the english banned weapons, the scots began training by throwing 1000 lb rocks and flipping trees. When the english killed william wallace, and tried to write him out of history, the scots preserved the story. when the english took the stone of destiny in 1296, the scots, well, in 1950 they finally stole it back from westminister abbey. After centuries of opression, voting no in 2014 for independence is saying scotland has finally been broken. It is like saying that all that fighting was useless.

I am just an american, but I have scottish blood. I have a great-grandfather who refused to leave his homeland out of pride, and other family members whose hearts never strayed from the highlands. There are more people of scottish ancestry living out of scotland than the whole population in scotland, and thats not how it should be. That could change. I don't know much about modern scotland, I only know the stories and the history. I hear alot that there is no pride in scotland, and I wonder how that happened. Scotland deserves its freedom, it deserves to have the pride that the english have tried to keep it from having.

I'll write more on this later

--JSparrow

Outlander (spoilers)

I picked this book up because I had heard of it being the king of all Scottish novels. The fact taht it had a thistle on it helped too. The story was amazing in many ways. Sometimes the way the author described something made it seem incredibly beautiful.

In the tale an english woman gets transported back in time to old scotland. There she meets a man named jaime, a good-ole highland man (except for the beating, which i've chosen to ignore). She is brought to the mckenzie clan where she in under watch, because they are uncertain whether or not she is an english spy. She ends up having to marry jaime, in order to keep her from a violent english soldier determined to rape most of the main characters in the story. The english soldier happens to be the great-great...grandfather of her husband in the future, which is both hilarious and unnerving at the same time. For alot of the book she tries to get back to the rocks to go back to the future, but she ends up chosing to stay with jaime. Apparently, jaime is running from the english himself, but he is caught. They break him out of jail, but jaime is a little, um, well he is hurt afterwards. He ends of getting better, somehow after nearly dying. It ends with a pregnancy! yayy!

There was alot of sex in this book. I mean, it didnt go into detail but it definitly took up a big chunk of the book, and the book is really big, mind. There were alot of things I just couldnt agree on with this book, but at the same time it had something, something. My favorite part was when she saw the loch ness monster, it was a magical moment in the book. The author really knows how to tell a story. The transitions, and lingering thoughts at the end of a chapter were perfectly made. There was adventure, which I appreciate. There was also this intimacy with the catholic church, which is rare in books. Being catholic, I am painfully aware that movies and books often cast the church in a negitive light. It doesn't bother me that much, or all the time, but it was refreshing to hear someone say something semi-positive or at least not negitive about it. The priests werent considered lecherous either, which is a plus. My uncle is a preist, so that part about the view on the church upsets me alot.

There was one part when jaime "had" to beat her to restore her honor as a woman, and I am going to admit that my heart sunk at that part. I almost stopped reading the book, it was clearly trying to call whipping someone as normal. I got really mad, I almost tossed the book. So mad, that my faith in mankind was shaky. It takes alot to make me believe a man can love, and very little to believe a man doesnt have the capability of it. I know, I need to work on that. I understand that it is old fashion scottish culture, but I didnt like it. I am a bit of a feminist, if I havent already said so. I ended up going back to the book though, there is just something irresistable about a good story. He ended up apologizing to her, promising never to do it again, telling her embaresing stories about when he has been beaten up (which is alot), and she, like an idiot forgives him. I wouldnt forgive him, I still havent forgiven him. I only got through the book by systematically ignoring that part.

Positives and negitives, I don't know what to say. I don't know if I liked this book or not, but I am going to read the next one in the series to try and figure out the answer. There are seven books in the series, "Dragonfly in amber" is next.

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"I don't want your gold and silver, I don't want your house and land
I am going with a soldier, I have promised him my hand
But the father spoke up sharply: You will do as i command,
You'll get married on a Sunday and you'll wear that wedding band"
---(song) step it out mary


--JSparrow