Literature Ladder
The Legend
• In order to best understand the
story, it is helpful to understand the
legend of the Selkie folk. Please
go to the following link:
– Selkie Folktales
• Make sure you check out all of the
“section contents”. Answer the
following questions:
– 1. What purpose did the legendary
sea creatures such as the selkie man,
mermaid, and the finman serve for the
islanders? What legends or folklore do
we have in our culture that serve the
same purpose?
– 2. What characteristic was used to
prove descent from the selkie folk by
one family? What does modern
science say about this characteristic?
The Seals
• Check out the following
websites about seals.
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BBC Wildfactsl
Grey Seals
Animal Diversity
Encarta: Sealsl
• Compare and contrast the
legends of the selkie folk
and real-life seals.
– Create a Venn diagram to
summarize your information.
– Are their any real-life
characteristics that could have
spurred the superstitions
presented in the folktales?
– How accurately are seals
portrayed in the novel?
Folk Tales: A Part of History?
• “Academic historians can be too dismissive of the role of
folk belief in the shaping of society, in its influence on
custom and tradition, its moulding of attitudes and its
framing of the world vision which individuals of all
classes imposed upon the great unknown that lay
outside their doors.”
• Address how this quote plays out in A Stranger Came
Ashore.
– Do you think the folklore of the novel affected the town people’s
actions?
– In what ways were the customs and traditions formatted around
the legends?
– On the flip side, were there any actions of the villagers that
seemed contrary to the superstitions presented?
• Quote evidence from the text to support your views.
Folklore as the Root
• Please read the article at:
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E-Journal: Mollie Hunter
• “Mollie Hunter writes … that all fantasy is
rooted in folklore (p. 61). She defines "lore" as
derived from an Old English root meaning
either the act of teaching or that which is
learned. Thus, she goes on to explain,
"folklore is what people have learned and
passed on through the ages -- in effect, the
traditions, beliefs, customs, sayings, stories,
superstitions, and prejudices preserved by
word of mouth among the common people" (p.
61). And since folklore is "the known, the
remembered, and the imagined," fantasy
therefore must also be rooted firmly in fact.”
• Do you agree or disagree with Ms. Hunter’s
argument? Why or why not?
More Shetland Folklore
• Please read the articles:
– Shetland Today and
– Orkney.gov
• Which mythological creature seems
the most fascinating to you? Why?
• Does this interpretation of trow
legends match that of Mollie
Hunter’s? Justify your position.
• Find a mythological creature you
would like to learn more about and
that you think would be interesting to
write a story about.
The ring stones at Hyltadance in
Fetlar is known for it's association
with trows.
– It does NOT have to be related to the
Shetland Islands.
– It may be fun to choose something
from your heritage’s folklore.
– Write a mini Wikipedia-like article
describing the creature, its history,
and its habits.
The Fiddler’s Music
• Besides Shetland legends, the fiddler’s music is
also at the heart of this story. Please go to the
following link:
– Shetland Music
• Listen to at least three songs on the “jukebox.”
Write a paragraph describing the feelings and
moods they evoked.
• Now listen to your favorite song again, this time
with your eyes closed. Envision sitting in the
room with Robbie, Old Da, and Finn Learson the
night of the storm. Describe what you see, hear,
and smell, taste and touch. Don’t refer back to
the text for descriptions. Let the music carry you
there.
• When you are done writing, look back at that
chapter. Based on your experience, do you think
the author’s descriptions accurately portrayed the
mood? Why or why not?
Island Sounds
• To hear a true Shetlander speak, go to:
– More talk, less music (64K Media Player)
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Listen to the talk show host’s voice.
Write a summary about the show you listened to.
What did you learn about the islands?
To hear a grey seal, go to: Grey Seal sounds and click
on “grey seal.”
• To hear the seal pups, go to: Seal pups and click
“listen” for the harbor seal pup.
• Finally, go to Ocean Surf and click “play” under ocean
serf. Meditate on the sound of the water while starting
the next location section.
Location, Location, Location
• Go to Satallite Map.
Zoom in and check out
the coast line, houses,
etc.
• Now go on a walking tour
of the islands via this PDF
tourist guide: Walking
Tour
– Which of the walks remind you
most of the setting in A
Stranger Came Ashore?
– What key descriptions from
the tour guide and the novel
made you choose this
particular walk?
I Spy…
• Now go to these links about the
Shetland Islands and view the
photos and read the
descriptions of some of the
tourist attractions:
– Shetland Islands
– UK - Almara
– Visit Shetland
• Is the island anything like you
expected?
• What is similar to your mental
image? What is different?
• Why do you think you viewed
some things differently?
What’s in a Name?
• Read the article “What’s in a Shetland Name?” at the
following link:
– What's in a Shetland Name?
• In A Stranger Came Ashore, Black Ness is the name of
the town. According to the article, what does the name
tell you about the town?
• The book also talked about the “voe.” What exactly is a
voe? How does it differ from other inlets?
• Find 5 names in Ohio that also are used to describe the
location and tell what they mean. Include photos of at
least 3 to “show” the history of the word.
Food and Drink
• Go to: Shetland Heritage and read
through the various sections about food
and drink.
– What foods sound good?
– Have you ever had any of these items?
– Which would you make?
– Bonus question: What item(s) in this section
were also specifically mentioned in the book?
Merry Dancers
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Like so many things from the
islands, the Merry Dancers are
also embedded with legend.
Visit Astronomy Space:
Northern Lights to read brief
descriptions on several of them.
Also, click on the titles “Merry
Dancers” to see more photos of
these lights.
Finally, watch the video at: You
Tube Video.
Read the poem to the right.
Now write a poem about the
Merry dancers based off of one
of the images you saw or
legends you read about
including what you read in A
Stranger Came Ashore.
THE MERRY DANCERS.
(AURORA BOREALIS.)
The merry dancers are out to-night,
In the northern heavens they skip and go;
Manx Jane says they're fairies tripping it light,
On their own fantastic fairy toe.
She says, now and then they hold a ball,
When the queen takes the lead as she held the
first chance;
And the half of the sky is their splendid hall,
And the moon and bright stars all join in the
dance.
Right merry they trip till near to sunrise,
When they take themselves off to Mona's fair isle;
Where in moimtain and glen they often surprise
The early sheep folks, and oft them beguile
To follow them on to here and to there,
Till they all lose the way and half daft with fright,
Sink down in the Curraghs done up with despair,
Till the full light of day sets them again all to right.
When they gather the flocks that were frighten'd away,
To lead them to pasture wherever 'tis green;
And know by its richness where fairies do stray,
For grass grows the greenest where fairies have
been.
Thus, north of the Isle you'll find the best land,
Where everything grows luxuriant and fine ;
The " reason why " is that the fairies' light wand
Waves over it a blessing that's almost Divine.
Up Helly Aa
• Up Helly Aa was the festival
taking place during the closing
chapters of the novel. From
the following two links, read
about the event.
• Take notes as if you were
doing research on a book for
key facts and elements that
you would want to incorporate
into your story. Include them
here, and examine whether
you found anything that you
think Mollie Hunter should
have put into her novel. Is
there anything she took
creative liberties on based on
your research? Why is it
important to use more than
one source?
• Up Helly Aa
• Scotsman Heritage
Write Your Own Fantasy
• Now its your turn. Throughout this unit you have learned about
folklore and fantasy. You have practiced how to research for facts
to give credibility to your novel. You have chosen an interesting
creature.
• Your task is this: Create a rough outline for your novel, modeling
the chapter plots from A Stranger Came Ashore. Write the first
chapter using your creature and a setting that is accurate to your
chosen mythological figure. It is fair to use the novel you read as a
template.
• If you like how chapter one turns out, this may be used for your end
of the year writing piece that you complete for your final project, so
keep a copy in your writing folder.