Granddad Became a Seal March 21, 2017
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
Busy day here as the students are to be crucified in a ritual quiz. Here is a curious seal story from Ireland; there are, Beach thinks, other British or Irish story of humans becoming animals at death, but he can’t find them. Can anyone help? drbeachcombing At yahoo DOT com
I don’t exactly know whether it was in this Poulnashanthana, but it was in one of the caves that are found between Downpatrick and Kilcummin Heads, and which can only be entered when the tide is out, and then you must use lights, and at all times it is fearfully dangerous, for there is a terrible swell even in the greatest calm, and if the wind was in the least to rise with a point to north or north-west, they and their boat would be ground to atoms. Well, on a calm fine evening, two young fellows had urged their curraghs [tiny boats] into a cave where the seals were known to breed, and they had brought besides poles to knock down the creatures, plenty of dry bog fir to keep up a blaze, and having got far in, the place was alive with seals, and the poor things were toddling about amongst the round stones at the end, and the boys were busy enough striking them on the head, and all they could reach were finished off and ready to be brought out, when in the farthest end of the cavern, and sitting up on its bent tail in a corner, just as you may suppose a tailor would sit on his board, there sat a fellow, his head as round as a man’s, and it looked white, shining, and bare, with a flat nose and two grey eyes just like an old fellow who was laid up past his labour in the chimney corner. So one of the boys was just making up to him to strike him down with his pole, when the seal cried out in a squeaking, snivelling, supplicating voice, ‘Och, boys! och, ma bouchals! spare your old grandfather Darby O’Dowd,’ You may suppose that the BOYS were not a little astonished and frightened when they heard a seal speak; but one of them plucking up courage, accosted the creature and said, ‘Now, that is all a joke, you’re no grandfather of ours, for Darby O’Dowd is long ago, long ago in his grave, and God be merciful to him, he lies in Dunfeeny churchyard.’ ‘You may say that, and thrue it is for you, grandson Tim. It’s thrue I was dead and dacently buried, but here I am for my sins, turned into a sale, as other sinners are and will be. See what comes of selling mangy sheep for sound bastes, and a wearing away before a coort a neighbour’s good name; and Heaven is just, and here I am making my purgathory as a sale, and if you put an end to me and skin me, as I see you are for, maybe it’s worser I’ll be, and go into a shark or a porpoise, or some fish that will never have the honour or glory of sitting as I do now on firm land. Mind my bidding then, boys avick; lave your ould forefather where he is, to live out his time as a sale. Maybe for your own sakes, for they say every dog has his day, you will ever hereafter leave off following and parsecuting and murthering sales, who may be nearer to yourselves nor you think.’ It may be supposed that the young seal hunters gave up their occupation and left their grandfather alone; at all events, let there be what foundation for the story there may, it is universally believed, and on the strength of it the people have given up seal hunting.
Anything else from British or Irish folklore of people becoming animals postmortem?! drbeachcombing At yahoo DOT com Of course, there is an Irish tradition of seals becoming men but that is not the same thing…
WDR writes, 30 Mar 2017: In the 1993 book The Folklore of Birds, Laura C. Martin writes, concerning the Atlantic Puffin: “The Irish, however, did not eat puffins, as it was believed that the reincarnated spirits of monks lived within these birds.” (No source is given.) A brief internet search turned up no new information on this belief, only a few passing mentions. I did, however, come across a site (http://www.iansimages.com/IcelandicPuffins.html) that claims: “King Arthur was reincarnated as a raven, chough or puffin according to Cornish folk-lore, and he is said to frequent his favourite haunts in Cornwall in one of these forms.”
Leif, 30 Mar 2017: Dr. Beachcombing wishes to know of British or Irish folklore of people becoming animals postmortem. Christopher Moreman’s paper gives a number of examples of birds embodying spirits of the dead. These come from many countries, including Britain and Ireland. See pp 9-10. Leif. Christopher Moreman, On the Relationship between Birds and Spirits of the Dead Society & Animals, 1-22, 2014.
Southern Man, 29 Sep 2017: This is from Andrews, Ulster Folklore.
