Manx Fairy Tale by Sophia Morrison: Yn Dooinney-Marrey (The Merman of the Sea)

Alastair Kneale's picture
Submitted by Alastair Kneale on February 22, 2020 - 5:26pm

Manx coastSophie Morrison's Manx Fairy Tales, first published in 1911, relates stories that had been collected from ordinary people in the Isle of Man, including a unique story about a merman.

There is an excellent contemporary edition edited by Bob Carswell, published by Lily Publications Ltd for Manx Heritage Foundation in 2013. Well worth getting.

Manx Fairy Tales: Yn Dooinney-Marrey (The Merman of the Sea)

Celtic crab design

Yn Dooinney Marrey, the merman of the sea, is said to be fond of crabs. An old man in Dalby was down on the shore one day looking for crabs. He got a good number. He saw a merman there in front of him on the same errand, but who'd not succeeded in getting any.

The merman sang out to him:

'Cur partan dou, Yuan.' (Give me a crab Juan.)

The old man shouted back:

'C'red t'ou cur son eh?' (What'll you give for it?)

Merman

'I'll tell your fortune,' said the merman.

Hearing that Juan threw him  couple of crabs.

The merman chimed out to him as he sank into the sea:

'Choud as vees oo bio er y thalloo, cha bee oo dy-bragh bout er y cheayn.' (As long as you're alive on the land, you'll never be drowned at sea.)

 

Sophia Morrison (24 May 1859 – 14 January 1917) was a Manx cultural activist, folklore collector and author.

She helped record and identify the different features that make up Manx culture, working tirelessly to preserve intact the native Manx language and literature, folk-song and folk-lore.

 

Content type:

  • Manx

Language:

  • English