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In Song of the Sea, the myth of the selkie takes center stage alongside other myths from Celtic folklore. Selkies are mythical creatures that are half seal, half human. They take the appearance of human women and are normally depicted in the context of their interactions with human males. They symbolize the borderline between mythical and human realms, likely because their relationships with humans either end in them dying because they lose their magical seal skin or returning to the water as seals. A Euhemeristic point of view would posit that selkies likely come from real tragic relationships between men and women. Men mythologize women they tragically fall in love with throughout history and this is reflected in mythology. It is possible that selkies are a story men told to their children after their wives and mothers died tragically, perhaps during childbirth. In the case of Song of the Sea, Bronagh almost died during childbirth, and her return is used to deliver closure to her surviving family. If this story were transposed into reality, it would likely involve Bronagh dying in childbirth and Conor telling Ben and Saoirse that their mother went to the sea. It is even possible that they would reunite with Bronagh in their dreams, as this actually does happen, offering surviving family members a means of closure when they cannot say goodbye to their loved ones. The supplemental mythological elements like the kids ultimately helping Mac Lir, his dogs, Macha, the fairies, and the Great Seanachai reach some “other side” help to make the plot more engaging and make the reunion with and journey to Bronagh more impactful and meaningful. The theme of selkies operating on the borderline between magical and realistic realms is related to the depictions of femininity through mythology. That is to say, being able to venture across dialectics is the root of the healing power of feminine forces in mythology.

The Egyptian mother goddess, Nut is depicted as the night sky. She is ever expansive and her being the night sky is no trivial fact. Nighttime is perfect for feminine power to manifest, as it naturally is where magical worlds interact with our human realm. In Song of the Sea, selkies return to the ocean and go to land at night and the most magical sections of the movie take place during the night, with the day being reserved for the kids getting taken across human lands and exposition. Nut being the night sky is important in her facilitating the death and rebirth of Ra (the sun god and sun), swallowing and giving birth to him every evening and morning. Nut also is the progenitor of our world in many ways as she was once united with her lover, Geb. Ra separated Geb and Nut on orders from Shu, the god of air, wind, light, and peace, creating the sky and Earth. This division represents the attraction between masculine and feminine forces and highlights the differences between them in Egyptian cosmology. Femininity represents chaos leading to birth, death, and renewal, while masculinity represents chaos coming into order and possibilities actualizing.

The grand representation of female nurturing roles throughout history taken to their most abstract forms comprise many goddesses, especially in ancient Egyptian mythology. The practical application of these grand symbols oftentimes explores more pertinent and eminently emotional themes such as loss and paths to healing. Naturally, with themes of renewal, death, and chaotic generation many goddesses are not apt to explore more personal concepts, so other divine feminine entities explore themes of loss, grief, and healing. Selkies are not goddesses, rather they can be thought of as grand themes of divine femininity channeled into more pragmatic stories and qualities. Feminine chaos and creation themes precipitate into selkie lore as they come from the sea and often become mothers with human men. The ocean is inherently chaotic and seemingly eternal and endlessly expansive, as we simply cannot control tides and wind currents and rarely see the end of the sea (most of the Earth is ocean after all), so mythologically, the ocean is a primordial chaos. Selkies come from this primordial chaos, but rather than stay in symbolic and archetypal roles like Nut, they are personified and have conflicts reminiscent of humans. In Song of the Sea Bronagh gives birth to two children, symbolizing creation from chaos, and when she returns from the sea to say goodbye to her family, she symbolizes magical healing and just closure. Selkies in general personify magical healing and justice, as their singing can revive fairies turned to stone by Macha, and the resolution to Song of the Sea sees Saoirse’s song not only revive all the fairies, but also Mac Lir and his dogs, allowing them to pass on to a magical over realm. This unfortunately seals Bronagh away from her family and causes Saoirse to become human, as she wants to stay with Ben and Conor. The restoration of Saoirse’s song implies destruction of her connection to the magical realm, which is perfectly in line with the grander qualities selkies draw from.

Selkies are magical progenitors with origins beyond human comprehension, which sounds just like the mythological distillation of feminine qualities. The female power to birth children is mysterious historically, with gross human anatomy not being well understood throughout most of history. In Polynesian (specifically Hawaiian) culture, for example, Maui dies after going up a woman’s uterus and getting eaten by her as he tried to exit her mouth. This is very clearly a misunderstanding of anatomical positioning, as reproductive organs do not lead to one’s mouth via the same tract, especially in women (the male reproductive consolidates ejaculation and urination into the urethra, which is not the case of women). Even today, childbirth has mysterious qualities. For example, we do not know the mechanisms by which consciousness arises (or perhaps is transduced), but it certainly has something to do with the growth of a fetus. Further, childbirth is a pivotal moment in many parents’ lives, the significance of which cannot be reduced by scientism without serious deficiencies in qualitative efficacy. It seems that there is still very much an “other realm” housed within feminine abilities to conceive and give birth that evokes wonder and commands a great amount of tragic respect, for there is not great power and ties to magical beyond realms without serious sacrifice. Bronagh’s sacrifice is her true nature as a selkie when giving birth, which could also be taken to mean her literal life. As mentioned earlier, this story taken most literally would see Bronagh die during the birth of Saoirse. Death during childbirth is perhaps the most dramatic and poignant meditation on the feminine duality explored by selkies. They must always return to the sea, as their creation is on borrowed time. This idea of borrowed time perhaps even ties into literal instances of menopause and inability to give birth, though this would warrant its own exploration with even more niche and grasping application.

The idea of a selkie’s eventual return to the sea may seem hopelessly tragic, but in a way, it is quite hopeful. Selkie stories often involve selkies getting manipulated by men into divorcing from their true nature before tragedy strikes and the selkie is forcefully returned to their true home. However, in the case of Song of the Sea, Conor does not manipulate Bronagh, though he is not without folly. He denies the reality of her return to the sea and Saoirse’s true nature, which is indeed a manipulation of selkie nature, although grief stricken instead of malignant. Despite selkies being figures of tragic mystery, they transform their surroundings in beautiful ways when allowed to inhabit their true nature fully. The return to sea offers closure to a selkie’s mythological and symbolic purpose. They briefly make the world of men a better place, freeing fairies from their rocky emotionless fates (interestingly this parallels many relationships where men are far more likely to be emotionally blunt and women are more sensitive to their emotional states), and giving birth to heroic children. They cannot stay in a world that did not forge them, though. Their powers and mysteries are so eminent and powerful because they are novel. Their novelty comes from their limited being, which is perhaps the only way for Ben, Conor, and Saoirse to appreciate Bronagh as they deserve to. If Bronagh never returned to the sea, she never would have come from the sea and the world would not be filled with the boons she spawned. Selkies illustrate the transitory and undeserving qualities of goodness, specifically motherly goodness. They must be limited, as one is only a child for a time, and one can only be a magical progenitor for a time. Ben’s memories of his mother perfectly capture the necessity of a selkie’s departure. If they are to keep their motherly goodness, they must be left to one’s deep and mostly symbolic childhood, as maturation could turn them into a figure such as Macha or Granny. Of course, this fate is not definite, but a mature view of selkies would undermine their inherent mystical qualities, as though Macha is literally magical, she is a grieving mother, as she has lived too long to not experience and give pain. Bronagh’s departure and brief renewal ensured that she would always remain the magical progenitor of loss and healing she is.

Spirited Away contains many specific references to Shinto rituals and beliefs about purification, spiritual growth, and the personal transformations necessary to make it through the spirit world. Of the elements in spirited away that reference transformation, the setting of the bathhouse, the characters of No-Face and Haku, and the overall objective of Chihiro to save her parents illustrate the transformative capacities relevant to Shinto beliefs, especially in relation to traversing spirit worlds as a human.  

Spirited Away takes place primarily in a bathhouse operated by the witch Yubaba. The bathhouse itself is a site of purification for spirits (or kami), which is reflected in Shinto practices of using water to cleanse oneself in natural water sources or at shrines. These practices are called Misogi and are a very important aspect of Shintoism, as many Shinto shrines mandate that one washes themself before entering to keep the sight sacred and powerful (Kamo, 2012). The bathhouse is a site of spiritual transformation for everyone that goes there, as is most obviously seen in the dirty river spirit Chihiro cleans, No-Face, Haku, and Chihiro. The first two spirits show the conflicting avenues of transformation the bathhouse offers the spirits that go there. The dialectic between the cleansed river spirit and No-Face show that the bathhouse is a neutral being that offers itself as vessel to carry out transformative processes on those that find themselves there. In the case of the river spirit, it came into the bathhouse as what everyone mistakenly referred to as a “stink spirit” and came out a cleansed and powerful river spirit after Chihiro literally bathed it in high quality water. No-Face came into the bathhouse as a quaint and unassuming spirit but became a gluttonous monster devouring guests and endlessly indulging in food and gold. He declines to be cleansed in the water, which highlights his irreverence and greed, as not bathing in a sacred space and especially a bathhouse is disrespectful in Shintoism. Both deities had inverse arcs, but both served as important opportunities and indicators for Chihiro’s growth. In both cases, the bathhouse served its role as conduit for transformation for all parties involved, with Chihiro growing in the face of adversity from both spirits (Kamo, 2012).  

The bathhouse also represents a liaison between the human and spirit worlds, taking in ships full of spirits as well as Chihiro and her parents. It is of great importance that it is a median between spiritual and human affairs because this makes it possible to serve its role as the setting of great personal growth of Chihiro. Shinto beliefs hold that there is a supreme interconnectedness between all worlds human, spiritual, physical, and metaphysical (Abe, 2002). There is a principle of correspondence and complementarity of natural occurrences and spiritual ones. Many of which appear self-evident. For example, there is a correspondence between the forces of nature and their spiritual manifestations. That is to say, many if not all forces of nature have spiritual manifestations, many of which are diffusely played out across beings of spiritual composition. Further, there is a complementarity between the structure and function and power of kami. For example, a mountain spirit likely serves as a protector and is likely very old, as mountains are hardy and quite old. Further, larger mountains are likely to have more powerful spiritual manifestations than smaller or younger ones. This shows the complementarity of size and age to power and influence physical manifestation and spiritual manifestation have in Shinto beliefs. This principle is often subverted in Shinto folklore, though. For example, Haku is a great river spirit, but has the form of a teenage boy. This subversion is almost always a means of showing growth or the potential for growth in kami. The reverse can also be true, as Yubaba is old and powerful, and her comical proportions showcase these qualities quite well. Indeed, because what you see is what you get, she does not grow very much over the course of Chihiro’s stay. Interestingly, No-Face and the river spirit Chihiro cleans adopt wildly different physical manifestations as their ethos (or perhaps perceived ethos) changes. For example, when people think the river spirit is a stink spirit it acts like one, however when its true nature is revealed it acts as though it is a great spirit (which it is). The same happens to No-Face when he goes from unassuming to an egomaniac all the while his physical appearance changes. All of these incongruities and appropriate physical manifestations underlie Shinto beliefs in the interface between spiritual and physical, where just as one’s mental and physical worlds often inform each other, a spirit’s physical state can tell you much about its abilities. Interestingly, these manifestations can oftentimes be paradoxical just as our thoughts and actions can be antithetical to each other. The bathhouse itself appears grand and luxurious, which illustrates its power and the power Yubaba has over those working for her. She controls the bathhouse magically and owns those working for her by renaming them. She renames Chihiro to Sen, which strips the protagonist of much of her spiritual power (Abe, 2002).  

No-Face, Haku, and Yubaba have ties to Japanese folklore as each are heavily influenced by Buddhist, Shinto, and folkloric beliefs. No-Face is akin to a Noppera-bo, which means faceless ghost, as well as a Gaki, or hungry ghost. Noppera-bo are yokai (or monsters) that have smooth and featureless faces (Foster, 2015). They are able to shapeshift and mimic voices, which makes them very unsettling and apt to reflect the state of whatever is around them. In the case of No-Face he shows the moral sink of the bathhouse as he mimics the greedy frog he first ate. His presence is indeed unsettling, which makes Chihiro’s friendship with him very interesting as she never seems afraid of him even though he is among the creepiest passersby in the bathhouse. As a Gaki, No-Face is greedy and gluttonous, likely due to moral failings in a past life. Gaki symbolize unchecked materialism, which is fitting given their Japanese Buddhist association. No-Face embodies a Gaki very well when he rampages through the bathhouse both before and after he frightens everyone working there with eating people and whatnot. Haku is a river kami, or simply a river spirit. He is depicted as a dragon, which is not uncommon for intermediate and major river spirits in Japanese folklore. He is the god of the Kohaku River, so he represents purity and transformation, which is fitting as he is the catalyst for Chihiro’s transformation, even years before Spirited Away takes place. Japanese folklore informs Haku losing his name and getting weakened as well as him returning to power when he gets it back from Chihiro, as names are incredibly important in Japanese stories, which will be elaborated on later. Finally, Yubaba likely was influenced by the Yama-uba, which means mountain witch. Yama-uba is deceptive and lives in isolation, with great power over those that occupy her inhabitance. She tricks travelers that cross her and is overall a negative entity. It could be said that Yama-uba's house could be likened to the bathhouse, as both Yubaba and Yama-uba have magical control over their dwellings and those that end up there are under their jurisdiction. Onibaba is an old lady whose name means something like demon grandma. Yubaba has some ties to her as well, as she is greedy and deceptive just like Yubaba. Interestingly, Yubaba is a gatekeeper, which has some ties to Yama-uba, and is morally ambiguous to immoral, which further ties her to both Yama-uba and Onibaba (Foster, 2015).  

Chihiro’s journey is rooted in traditional Japanese heroic coming of age myths. She is “Spirited Away” or undergoes kamikakushi (“hidden by the kami”) where she goes into the world of spirits and immerses herself in working in the bathhouse. Kamikakushi is a common occurrence in Japanese tales where individuals are abducted either to grow and flourish or to atone for past misdeeds. In this way, Chihiro’s journey is very typical, as she could fit both descriptions. As a side note, kamikakushi happens in mythologies all over the world, but Japanese media seems to have done a phenomenal job modernizing the occurrence, especially as “Spirited Away” means “Kamikakushi.” Chihiro’s name is stolen and Yubaba dubs her “Sen” when she begins her work. This is very common in Japanese stories, as Shinto beliefs place great emphasis on the meaning and honor associated with one’s name. This tradition is deeply seeded throughout much of Asia and names carry huge significance not just in whether they are stolen, known, or forgotten, but simply in their being. Names carry a heavy weight in contemporary Japanese culture as well, with names and honorifics having all kinds of traditions associated with them. Chihiro goes through many trials, such as helping the river spirit, No-Face, and Haku, as well as regaining her name and rescuing her parents. Japanese folk tales like Momotaro and Urashima Taro feature their protagonists' facing trials and coming out better versions of themselves as they become more virtuous and help those around them. Today Japanese media, particularly Shonen manga and anime have overt trials for protagonists to overcome, where they either work to maintain their good standing or become more skilled and honorable while working toward an overarching goal to serve their community or friends (popular examples are properties like Naruto, Dagon Ball, and One Piece). Chihiro eventually returns to her human world, where she brings wisdom from the spiritual realm back with her. This concludes her monomythic journey (in fact Campbell’s monomyth applies perfectly to her entire journey, from her initially refusing her call to act, to her returning to her normal world forever transformed with boons of her journey. Perhaps the only difference between her story and a typical monomyth is that she has many mentors if one considers Yubaba a kind of mentor in conjunction with Zeniba, Kamaji, Lin, and Haku. Even No-Face and the river spirit she cleans are kinds of mentors, as they offer her trials or wisdom she ca use to develop or help others (Davis, 2001).  

Names in Japanese mythology can alter one’s fate in a literal sense. Yubaba taking Chihiro’s name and dubbing her Sen literally gives Yubaba magical means of making sure Chihiro never can escape the bathhouse. This is typical of Japanese folklore, as kami and oni (gods and demons) often manipulate humans by stealing or altering their names. Yubaba not only controls Chihiro but also causes her to disassociate from her past. This allows Chihiro to push herself far to get her parents back but also spells doom for Chihiro should she fail to free herself in a timely manner. In this way, what holds Chihiro back also is an aid in her growth and transformation. This too is common not only regarding plot points about naming in Japanese folklore, but in the stories told in general. Interestingly, Sen is the name Chihiro is given because it is a simplified version of her name written out. This is a good metaphor for how she is simplified in doing her duties as a bathhouse worker to Yubaba. “Sen” is a worker with no past or future, simply a present bathhouse occupation. Conversely, “Chihiro” is the main character we root for not only to retrieve her name and parents, but to help everyone she meets. When Chihiro regains her name her character arc is completely, and she has progressed through her rite of passage (Martinez, 2004).  

Greed, pollution, and respect for nature are themes that reflect traditional Japanese spiritual beliefs. These themes are exemplified in the spirits Chihiro helps. Greed is shown with No-Face rampaging throughout the bathhouse and the workers and ghost of the bathhouse being on two sides of the same oddly materialistic machine (given that they are spirits). The workers at the bathhouse want desperately to have Yubaba’s wealth, while those that go to the bathhouse seem pretty well endowed. Pollution is represented by Haku and the dirty river spirit Chihiro cleans. Haku’s river is covered by industrialization, which is presumably why he is Yubaba’s underling and the dirty river spirit is in a similar situation. In both cases, Chihiro rectifies man’s wrongs and is rewarded greatly. Indeed, she is rewarded handsomely for helping No-Face as well. Interestingly, she is rewarded with quiet respect and companionship by the gluttonous No-Face after she declines his gold, opting for a train companion to visit Zeniba. She is rewarded with a powerful reunion with Haku, whom she already knew, which goes toward her returning home with her parents. Similarly, she is also crucially aided by the dirty great spirit she helps as he gives her a medicinal ball that she uses to heal both Haku and No-Face. Respect for nature is the reoccurring theme in these interactions. Perhaps a respect for nature and spirit particularly. Although, the less savory aspects of human nature embodied by Yubaba and No-Face are just as respected by Chihiro, which is a large factor in how she handles the adversity she faces so well. In every folly Chihiro is involved with initially, it stems from a lack of humility, gratitude, adn respect on her part. Every righteous thing she commits to after is infirmed with these once lacking qualities of hers.  

The final scene of Spirited Away reminds one of Orpheus’s story, as Chihiro is cautioned to not look back as she leaves the bathhouse and her trials behind. In this way, the boundary between spiritual and human is preserved. The underworld and overworld are central ideas in Greek mythology, and just the same, the oftentimes spiritual forests and material civilizations in Japanese folklore have a razor sharp, yet hazy border. As Chihiro crosses the border between her spiritual trials and her normal world, she cannot look back, for she would reap all kinds of folly and not be able to ever return to normalcy. This is a powerful metaphor, as when we in our very real lives embark on our personal quests, we cannot look back at our time spent in the underworld too quickly, lest we lose the values and meanings they impart upon us. Kamikakushi is an integral part of not only mythological life, but our personal stories. Overall, Spirited Away excels at making Japanese folklore ropes compelling for modern audiences, with its cultural ties strongly maintained.  

References 

Abe, Masao. The Weaving of Ritual: Shinto and the Modern World. Harvard University Press, 2002. 

Davis, Julie. "Haunted Travel: Spirit Possession and the Hero's Journey in Japanese Folktales." Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 60, no. 2, 2001, pp. 195–217. 

Foster, Michael Dylan. The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore. University of California Press, 2015. 

Kamo, Taketomi. Shinto: The Way of the Kami. Oxford University Press, 2012. 

Martinez, Daisuke. "Spirited Away: Film of the Fantastic and Evolving Japanese Folk Symbols." Journal of Religion and Film, vol. 8, no. 2, 2004. 

Miyazaki, Hayao, director. Spirited Away. Studio Ghibli, 2001.