The Land of Maybe: A Faroe Islands Year
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'In this excellent book, Ecott's evocative telling makes me want to go to this weird and wonderful place.' - PAUL THEROUX 'I never want to leave the remote island world so atmospherically, precisely educed between the covers of this book. Ecott's prose has the power of tides, his perception is as searching as the Atlantic wind, and he has the soul of a natural-born naturalist. A masterpiece.' - JOHN LEWIS-STEMPLE Following the natural cycle of the year, The Land of Maybe captures the essence of 'slow life' on the 18 remote, mysterious islands which make up the Faroes in the North Atlantic. Closer to the UK than Denmark, this fast disappearing world is home to a close-knit society where just 50,000 people share Viking roots and a language that is unlike any other in Scandinavia. We follow the arrival of the migratory birds, the over-wintering of the sheep and the way food is gathered and eaten in tune with the seasons. Buffeted by the weather and the demands of a volatile natural environment, people still hunt seabirds and herd pilot whales for a significant portion of their basic food needs. This is not a travelogue, but a deeper exploration of how 'to be' in a tough landscape; a study of a people and a way of life that represents continuity and a deep connection to the past. The Land of Maybe offers not just a refuge from the freneticism of modern life, but lessons about where we come from and how we may find a balance in our lives.
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Ask someone about the Faroe Islands - a few might associate them with Denmark (they are a self-governing archipelago, part of the Kingdom of Denmark); a few might know that St Brendan the Navigator (the Irish monk) stopped at the Faroes on his legendary voyage to Greenland and the Americas (a la Tim Severin's Brendan Voyage); but for most people - the Faroe Islanders are known for still hunting whales.
They continue to hunt pilot whales, as a traditional hunting right. This is large part of this book, occurring in the middle third, and Ecott pulls few punches. It is gruesome, described in great detail and tells of culls in quite extraordinary numbers. For most people - the author and myself included, having this described is a disturbing experience.
But thankfully that is far from all this book is about. Tim Ecott is an Irish born, British author who draws many parallels with the rural Ireland of his grandparents era and the Faroes - based on his numerous and lengthy visits to the islands.
The numerous seabirds get plenty of coverage, but not at the expense of other land based birds - a family of ravens feature heavily. The author also provides a recent and longer term history of each island visited, although for me the many, many people he meets and the names all become a bit of a blur after a while, but there is no lack of interest as I was reading (little change of retention of the knowledge though!).
There is no doubt the Faroe Islands are a harsh and hard place to live. They live a traditional style of life, where they work hard on the land; they are a hardy people. There was a short quote I thought quite apt:
They accommodate an appreciation of the majesty and beauty of the animals and birds around them, with a belief that they are things which equally must be hunted, killed and eaten.
