Duncan Williamson (1) (1928–2007)

Duncan Williamson fue un hojalatero errante escocés. De estos orígenes aprendió multitud de historias tradicionales que, en un momento determinado, empezó a llevar por escuelas y centros culturales hasta convertirse en un auténtico especialista. Escribió varias recopilaciones y murió a principios de este siglo. Este libro recoge algunas de esas historias, seguidas de un breve estudio sobre la vida y circunstancias de esa casta especial de personas nómadas que fueron los hojalateros en Escocia, más bien buhoneros.

Además de su innegable interés antropológico, los cuentos son realmente atractivos. Algunos son, como cabía esperar, transposiciones de historias universales, pero otros tienen caracteres locales. Así, los protagonizados por "broonies", pequeños seres desharrapados que aparecen de improviso en las solitarias cabañas y, si son bien tratados, le hacen a uno todo el trabajo e inclouso le libran de las enfemedades. O los "silkies" u hombres-foca, que también te recompensan o te castigan según trates a estos animales (aquí hay algunas escenas incluso propias de novelas góticas, con reuniones clandestinas en salas bajo el mar). Y, por supuesto, las sirenas y los sirenos. Lo cierto es que son muy entretenidos, y las fotografías ayudan a hacernos una iodea de cómo debía ser una sesión de cuentacuentos con este Williamson: toda una experiencia.… (altro)

Why did I read it? I had read Duncan Williamson’s “target="_top">The Land of the Seal People” and truly enjoyed it, so I purposely sought his other publications, mostly because he includes so many tales of the Silkie, also known as the Selkie and seal people, a subject which truly fascinates me: a race people who move between two worlds.

What’s it about? This is a collection of fireside tales told to Duncan Williamson during the years he spent travelling. The tales are from the north-west of Scotland and include:

“The Silkie’s Revenge”;
“The Broonie on Carra”;
“Saltie the Silkie”;
“The Taen-Awa”;
“Torquil Glen”;
“The Lighthouse Keeper”;
“Archie and the Little People”;
“The Broonie’s Curse”;
“The Fisherman and his Sons”;
“The Tramp and the Boots”;
“The Crofter’s Mistake”;
“The Broonie’s Farewell”; and
an annotated glossary.

As can be gleaned from the titles, all are tales involving other folk, and include lessons on how to behave, or not when encountering these folk.

What did I like? Aside from relishing the tales of the seal folk, I was particularly taken aback by the lack of happy endings often encountered in children’s tales of the modern age. These stories contain warnings, though not all, and very few have a particularly happy ever after feel. Though these are cautionary tales, none was overly terrifying; rather the some characters terrified themselves, particularly in the case of “Torquil Glen”.

I also enjoyed learning different lore surrounding certain creatures, such as the broonie. I had always understood them to be attached to particular families, or homes, but this appears not to be the case in the stories presented in this book relating to the broonie. Rather, a broonie appears as a travelling man to assess the nature of a human’s character and reflecting their fortune accordingly; more as a short lesson than a lifetime curse.

Each story is preceded by a few paragraphs revealing the source of the tale; many have summaries wherein Duncan Williamson adds his own thoughts and feelings on the preceding story, which provides a unique insight into the purpose, and culture of fireside storytelling.

What didn’t I like? It was the small matter of some of the dialect. There are footnotes for some words, and the editor, Linda Williamson, the author’s wife, provides an explanation in the glossary of how they arrived at appropriate language for the publication, it was still sometimes a little hard to discern what was being said. Still, the language did evoke a sense of authenticity of the tales.

Would I recommend it? Yes. I highly recommend “Broonie, Silkies and Fairies: Travellers Tales” by Duncan Williamson to anyone that enjoys a good story, folklore, fairy tales, or has an interest in otherworld beings, and/or the culture of travelling folk, crofters or the north west of Scotland.… (altro)

I read "The Land of the Seal People" having just finished David Thomson's excellent "The People of the Sea: Celtic Legends And Myths". I was hoping it would match it for warmth and wonder, but I was to be slightly disappointed.

Although each tales comes with a paragraph explaining where it was heard and a description of the teller is included, names not always included for obvious reasons, the atmosphere in which the tales were told is missing and the attachment gained from learning more about the teller is lost. To that end, I could not warm to these tales as much as I could to those told by Thomson.

"The Land of the Seal People" doesn't just focus on the selkie, but includes encounters with others of the supernatural kind and, as much as I enjoy these, I was a little disappointed as I was hoping to learn more about the seal people and/or selkies. I was also put off by the overuse of the character name Jack, which featured heavily about 3/4 of the way through the book. It seemed to me that in every tale, Jack has lost his father young and was left an only child supporting his mother. True, each of Jack's adventures was different, but I started to become disinterested the moment I saw the name Jack.

Because I did not get the same feeling reading "The Land of the Seal People" as I did "The People of the Sea: Celtic Legends And Myths", I doubt I will be re-reading it and I am unsure as to whether I should read Duncan Williamson's other books on a similar topic.

I did enjoy reading both books and seeing the connection to the film "The Secret of Roan Inish" though I did learn that the book on which the movie is based was originally set in Scotland.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but I think it might have endeared itself to me more had I read it first, and then Thomson's book.… (altro)