Celtic Mermaid

About the Celtic Mermaid

Merrow (from Gaelic murúch) is Scottish and Irish Gaelic for mermaid. The Celtic bards told ancient stories of these magical creatures singing to the Gaels from Iberia as they made their sea voyage to Ireland. Associated with foretelling or causing disasters at sea, mermaids have been known to lure young men under the sea where they live in an enchanted state. 

Many mermaids, such as those in the seas that surround Ireland, Scotland and the Celtic Isles behave favorably towards humans with assistance, gifts and rewards. Celtic folklore tells of a fisherman who once carried a stranded mermaid back into the sea and was rewarded with great treasure. Or the baby mermaid who stole a doll from a wee human girl, but whose mermaid mother sent the doll back with a gift of an exquisite strand of pearls to atone for the theft. And last, a Scottish fishing family who often made gifts of apples to a mermaid and was rewarded with long life and prosperity.