An
Irish Sea Faery.
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By Stroefer and Roland In-der-Aue.
Image from Art
Today.
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Her
Legend:
She
has a tail like a fish, and her fingers
are webbed. The word merrow means seamaid.
The Mermen, they say, have green teeth and
are ugly. But the women are beautiful.
Merrows are closely related to Selchies -
the seal people. In fact, she sometimes
travels through the sea in a sealskin
cloak, which she takes off on land. She is
also said to wear a red cap.
There are many ancient and wonderful
mermaid tales. Legend has it that when the
merrow comes ashore, she takes off her
sealskin cloak. Any mortal who finds it
has power over the merrow. Thus, in many
legends, she is forced to marry a human
man and live on land.
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She
may lend her red cap to a human, so he can
swim with her under the sea. She may even
grow to love him, and have children by
him, but she will forever miss the
sea.
She cannot return to the sea until she has
her cloak. Once she finds it, she will be
gone. Anyone see "The Secret of Roan
Innish?"
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Artist
unknown. Image from Art
Today.
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From "St. Nicholas 1890 Vol. 2: An
Illustrated Magazine for Young Folks,
artist unknown. Image from
Art
Today.
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What
She Can Mean to You and
Me:
Like
the Sidhe, she is not be trusted. Yet she
too has a marvelous side. They say the
Sidhe fight side by with humans, if the
battles are just. The Merrow has saved
drowning men and led ships to safe
harbors.
She is fabulous but she will always long
for the sea. A man cannot hold her. One
day, she will be gone. What does she teach
me? That you cannot make a merrow, or a
mortal, into that which he, or she, is
not.
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