Cornish Legends: The Mermaid of Zennor
By zteve t evans
Zennor, Cornwall, UK
Cornwall in the extreme west of England is a peninsula with a long, rugged coastline with many towering cliffs, hidden coves, harbours and small fishing villages. The Cornish people around the coast for centuries made their earthly living from the sea and took their spiritual guidance from the church and these two themes often mix with old pagan beliefs which became woven into local folklore and legend.
The Mermaid Chair by Ucred
The Mermaid Chair
Along the North Cornish coast, near St Ives, lies the small village of Zennor which is home to the medieval church dedicated to Saint Senara. Inside the church is a very strange image carved on the end of a wooden bench that is over 600 years old. It depicts a mermaid with long flowing hair. In one hand she holds a comb and with the other a mirror. She is known as the Mermaid of Zennor. The bench is known as The Mermaid Chair. It is said to be the seat she used when she visited the church.
A mysterious lady
According to local legend the story began a good many years ago when a very finely dressed and beautiful lady began to attend the church services. Her presence at the church, although welcome, was a mystery to the locals who had no idea who she was or where she came from. However, it was noted she had a lovely voice and was a woman of rare beauty and as such, she became the subject of much local speculation, especially with the young men.
Matthew Trewella
Now Matthew Trewella was a local lad who was very good looking and also was the best singer in the village. Fancying his chances with the mysterious lady he resolved to find out more about her. He became greatly encouraged when during one Sunday service the lady had smiled at him. After the service he followed her in the hope of finding out where she came from and in the hope of talking to her. He followed her back towards the sea and the cliffs and was never seen in Zennor again.
A ship sails in from the blue
To begin with the disappearance of Matthew was the subject of much rumour and speculation but after a few years the gossip died out and Mathew was forgotten. Then one Sunday a ship sailed in from the blue and cast anchor just off Pendour Cove not far from Zennor. Oddly though a short while later it weighed anchor and moved to a new position before anchoring again.
The ship’s captain liked to attend church and talk to people so he rowed a small boat to shore and walked to the church at Zennor to participate in the service. After the service was over he fell to talking to local residents who were always eager for news beyond their borders and the captain had a very strange tale tell.
Along the North Cornish coast, near St Ives, lies the small village of Zennor which is home to the medieval church dedicated to Saint Senara. Inside the church is a very strange image carved on the end of a wooden bench that is over 600 years old. It depicts a mermaid with long flowing hair. In one hand she holds a comb and with the other a mirror. She is known as the Mermaid of Zennor. The bench is known as The Mermaid Chair. It is said to be the seat she used when she visited the church.
A mysterious lady
According to local legend the story began a good many years ago when a very finely dressed and beautiful lady began to attend the church services. Her presence at the church, although welcome, was a mystery to the locals who had no idea who she was or where she came from. However, it was noted she had a lovely voice and was a woman of rare beauty and as such, she became the subject of much local speculation, especially with the young men.
Matthew Trewella
Now Matthew Trewella was a local lad who was very good looking and also was the best singer in the village. Fancying his chances with the mysterious lady he resolved to find out more about her. He became greatly encouraged when during one Sunday service the lady had smiled at him. After the service he followed her in the hope of finding out where she came from and in the hope of talking to her. He followed her back towards the sea and the cliffs and was never seen in Zennor again.
A ship sails in from the blue
To begin with the disappearance of Matthew was the subject of much rumour and speculation but after a few years the gossip died out and Mathew was forgotten. Then one Sunday a ship sailed in from the blue and cast anchor just off Pendour Cove not far from Zennor. Oddly though a short while later it weighed anchor and moved to a new position before anchoring again.
The ship’s captain liked to attend church and talk to people so he rowed a small boat to shore and walked to the church at Zennor to participate in the service. After the service was over he fell to talking to local residents who were always eager for news beyond their borders and the captain had a very strange tale tell.
Public Domain Image
A strange tale
It seems when he anchored that morning he had been sitting on deck after breakfast taking in the scenery. To his surprise he heard a very beautiful voice calling to him from out of the sea. The captain looked over the side of the ship and he saw a beautiful mermaid with flowing locks of long blond hair tumbling over her bare shoulders.
"Excuse me," she said, "but would you mind raising your anchor as it is blocking the door to my house and I can't get in and my husband and children can't get out!"
She was very polite to the captain and introduced herself as Morveren, one of the daughters of Llyr the King of the Sea. It turned out that she was the beautiful and mysterious stranger who used to visit the church of Zennor all those years ago. She had married Matthew who now lived with her and their children at the bottom of the sea.
Now the captain was an old seadog and he knew mermaids could be dangerous when upset. Therefore he decided it best to do as the she asked in case she give him bad luck or worse. He apologised for the incident and upped anchor and moved the ship away from the area. Later he rowed ashore to visit the church and to share his news with the locals.
A warning!
To commemorate the strange events and to warn other young men against merry-maids, another Cornish name for mermaids, the villagers carved a likeness of the mermaid on one of the church benches that can still be seen today.
A different version
In another version Morveren the mermaid would wear a long dress to hide the lower part of her body and covered her long blond hair and face with a veil. She would then attend the church as a fine lady and listen to the singing which she loved. She was especially enraptured by the beautiful singing of Matthew and would attend every evensong just to hear him sing.
Then during one service as he sang a song so beautifully she sighed and he turned and their eyes met. Her veil had slipped and he saw how beautiful her face and long blond hair was and it was love at first sight. Realising he had seen through her disguise she ran from the church but he, and many church members followed. In her haste to escape she tripped and Matthew saw her fish tail.
Shocked she told him, “I cannot stay on land. I am a not a human but a creature of sea that is where I belong. I must get back!"
But Matthew did not care about that he had fallen in love. "Where you belong, I belong and I will go with you!" he cried. Gathering her up in his arms to the astonishment of all those who had followed, he ran straight into the sea and they disappeared under the waves together. From that moment he was never seen by the good folk of Zennor again.
Heard but not seen
Nevertheless, although the folk of Zennor did not see him again they would hear him singing. If the sea was to be fair they would hear his beautiful voice singing soft and high. If the sea was to be rough they heard him singing deep and low. Thus, the fishermen of Zennor always knew when it was going to be safe to take their boats out fishing,
Is there a hidden meaning?
The legend of the Mermaid of Zennor is certainly quaint with more than a touch of romance, but could any part of it be true? There are many folktales and legends from around the British Isles that have deeper meanings than often seen apparent. They often have a hidden moral or warning of some kind hidden in the symbolism and have parallels or links to other legends from other parts of the world. Is there a hidden meaning in the legend of the Mermaid of Zennor?
© 20/01/2015 zteve t evans
It seems when he anchored that morning he had been sitting on deck after breakfast taking in the scenery. To his surprise he heard a very beautiful voice calling to him from out of the sea. The captain looked over the side of the ship and he saw a beautiful mermaid with flowing locks of long blond hair tumbling over her bare shoulders.
"Excuse me," she said, "but would you mind raising your anchor as it is blocking the door to my house and I can't get in and my husband and children can't get out!"
She was very polite to the captain and introduced herself as Morveren, one of the daughters of Llyr the King of the Sea. It turned out that she was the beautiful and mysterious stranger who used to visit the church of Zennor all those years ago. She had married Matthew who now lived with her and their children at the bottom of the sea.
Now the captain was an old seadog and he knew mermaids could be dangerous when upset. Therefore he decided it best to do as the she asked in case she give him bad luck or worse. He apologised for the incident and upped anchor and moved the ship away from the area. Later he rowed ashore to visit the church and to share his news with the locals.
A warning!
To commemorate the strange events and to warn other young men against merry-maids, another Cornish name for mermaids, the villagers carved a likeness of the mermaid on one of the church benches that can still be seen today.
A different version
In another version Morveren the mermaid would wear a long dress to hide the lower part of her body and covered her long blond hair and face with a veil. She would then attend the church as a fine lady and listen to the singing which she loved. She was especially enraptured by the beautiful singing of Matthew and would attend every evensong just to hear him sing.
Then during one service as he sang a song so beautifully she sighed and he turned and their eyes met. Her veil had slipped and he saw how beautiful her face and long blond hair was and it was love at first sight. Realising he had seen through her disguise she ran from the church but he, and many church members followed. In her haste to escape she tripped and Matthew saw her fish tail.
Shocked she told him, “I cannot stay on land. I am a not a human but a creature of sea that is where I belong. I must get back!"
But Matthew did not care about that he had fallen in love. "Where you belong, I belong and I will go with you!" he cried. Gathering her up in his arms to the astonishment of all those who had followed, he ran straight into the sea and they disappeared under the waves together. From that moment he was never seen by the good folk of Zennor again.
Heard but not seen
Nevertheless, although the folk of Zennor did not see him again they would hear him singing. If the sea was to be fair they would hear his beautiful voice singing soft and high. If the sea was to be rough they heard him singing deep and low. Thus, the fishermen of Zennor always knew when it was going to be safe to take their boats out fishing,
Is there a hidden meaning?
The legend of the Mermaid of Zennor is certainly quaint with more than a touch of romance, but could any part of it be true? There are many folktales and legends from around the British Isles that have deeper meanings than often seen apparent. They often have a hidden moral or warning of some kind hidden in the symbolism and have parallels or links to other legends from other parts of the world. Is there a hidden meaning in the legend of the Mermaid of Zennor?
© 20/01/2015 zteve t evans
References and Attributions
Copyright January 20th, 2015 zteve t evans
Copyright January 20th, 2015 zteve t evans
- File:Mermaid Chair.jpg From Wikimedia Commons - The centuries hold Mermaid Chair in Zennor - Author: Ucred - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence
- Illustration by H.J. Ford for Andrew Lang's The Orange Fairy Book. Caption reads "The Crown Returns to the Queen of the Fishes" - Public Domain - H.J. Ford, illustrator
- Mermaid of Zennor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Zennor
- Origins of The Mermaid of Zennor - Myths and Legends
- Zennor Church and the Mermaid of Zennor - Britain Express
- Sacred Texts - Merry Maids and Merry Men
