Ronan

Ronan

Rónán, anglicised as Ronan, is an Irish and Breton male given name and surname. As a surname, it is derived from the Gaelic Ó Rónáin 'descendant of Rónán'. The name has several meanings such as 'seal', 'a pledge', and 'a promising oath'. The word for seal in Irish Gaelic is rón. The name is derived from a very old legend, which tells the story of a mother seal who is warned never to stray too close to the land. When the seal is swept ashore by a huge wave, she becomes trapped in a human form, known as a "Selkie" or "seal maiden". Although she lives as the wife of a fisherman and bears him children, known as "ronans" or "little seals", she never quite loses her "sea-longing". Eventually she finds the "seal-skin" which the fisherman has hidden and slips back into the ocean. However, she cannot forget her husband and children and can be seen swimming close to the shore, keeping a watchful and loving eye on them>.

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