The People Of The Sea
Celtic Tales of the Seal-Folk
David Thomson
“A perfect fusillade of single answering tones came from seal after seal, travelling rapidly northward, until at the further end of the reef it ceased.”
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Introduced by Seamus Heaney, The People of the Sea brings to life the legend of the mythical selchies, in beautiful, poetic prose
When David Thomson took a journey to the sea coasts of Scotland and Ireland to seek out the legend of the selchies - mythological creatures who transform from seals into humans - a magical world emerged. Men were rescued by seals in stormy seas, took seal-women for their wives and had their children suckled by seal-mothers.
Timeless and haunting, The People of the Sea retains its spellbinding charm and brings to life the enchanting stories of these mysterious creatures of Celtic folklore.
“Readers will be carried away on successive waves of pleasure … These stories have an irresistible holistic beauty”
Seamus Heaney
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“A splendid resurrection of a life that has almost vanished”
daily Telegraph
“I know of few books which so ably open a window on the Gaelic scene today or which so faithfully reflect the mind, vigour and courtesy of its people … Pounds on the imagination like surf on a reef”
observer
David Thomson
David Thomson was born in India of Scottish parents in 1914. Much of his childhood was spent in the Scottish countryside, where his grandparents lived. He went on to study Modern History in Oxford, and joined the BBC in 1943, where he wrote and produced many distinguished radio programmes, including The Irish Storyteller series and a number of documentaries on animal folklore. He died in 1988.
