The history of the Fey: Mermaids

Hello! Fey, Fay, or Fae. Whichever way you spell it, the Fey have an interesting and diverse history. So, if you want to share any information you have about my post, feel free to comment. I'd love to hear from you!

Mermaid legends can be found as far back as 1000 B.C. in Assyria. There was a goddess named Atargatis who accidentally killed the human she loved. Mortified, she jumped into a lake and tried to change into a fish. Alas, the water could not hide her great beauty and only her bottom half transformed. So, she became the first known mermaid.

Since my focus is on Celtic and/or Gaelic folklore, today I’m talking about merrows! Merrows are Irish mermaids and mermen. As with most legends, the females are beautiful and attract mortal men. The males, however, are hideous and have no interest in the mortal world.

The females will lie atop rocks combing their hair, gazing into a mirror, or singing. Some stories say their beauty or song is so distracting they can cause shipwrecks.

Merrows wear a red hat called cohuleen druith (meaning “little magic hood or cap”). This hat allows them to live underwater. Like the selkies losing their pelts, if the merrow loses their hat, they cannot return beneath the surface. This makes them vulnerable to mortals stealing their hats to trick them into marriage. On the other hand, if they fall in love with a mortal man, they can remove their hat and live with him on land. Eventually, they will look for their hat and return to the sea, no matter how much they love their mortal family.

In Scotland mermaids are called ceasg (*pronounced: key-isk) — or maighdean na tuinne ("maid of the wave") or maighdean mhara ("maid of the sea"). The ceasg are not only in the ocean but also freshwater rivers and streams. When marriages between ceasg and mortals happen, their sons become extraordinary sailors. It’s believed that these men are so proficient because once the ceasg returns to her home at sea, she protects them from storms and/or guides them to the best fishing spots.

There are versions of the legend that say ceasg are goddesses that help mortals bear children. In these cases, the mortal’s promise their firstborn son to the goddess. If this son does not honor this and marries a mortal woman, the ceasg will swallow him. The man lives in her stomach until his mortal wife plays a harp to enchant the ceasg into releasing him. The ceasg will then swallow the wife, and the man must find the egg containing the ceasg’s life force. Once his wife is free, he can crush the egg to kill the ceasg.

Man-swallowing-goddesses aside, most of what I read about merrows and ceasg portrayed them as gentle, playful beings.

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*I found an audio pronunciation, and this is what it sounded like he was saying. If you speak the language and have a correction, please let me know.