Myths, folklore & symbolism
Mermen: Far rarer than mermaids in English tradition, but the Suffolk chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall, about c.1210, tells how some fishermen netted a naked, bearded, hairy-chested "wild man" who looked human "in all his parts" - i.e., he had no tail. He could not speak; he ate most things, but liked raw fish best. He escaped into the sea once, but returned of his own accord; later he escaped again, this time for good. Ralph comments: "Whether he was a mortal man, or a kind of fish bearing a resemblance to humanity, or an evil spirit lurking in the body of a drowned man...it is difficult to decide." (Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore)
What kinds of merman traditions and legends do you know of?
Have you ever been to Suffolk, UK?
ReplyDeleteRalph is simply describing the local Spenserian scryer.