Episode 51: Water Fae: Merrows

The folklore of Merrows in a nutshell, how I reimagined them for my writing, and this faery translated into Afrikaans.

Written and narrated by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

Copyright 2022 Ronel Janse van Vuuren — All rights reserved.

Learn more about Merrows here.

Get the transcript here.

Music: Secrets by David Fesliyan (FesliyanStudios.com) and Dramatic Heartbeat by FesliyanStudios.com

Transcript

You’re listening to the Faeries and Folklore podcast by Ronel.

I’m dark fantasy author Ronel Janse van Vuuren. With nearly a decade of digging around in dusty folklore books, researching creatures of imagination that ignited my curiosity, I’m here to share the folklore in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing in an origin of the fae.

This is the Faeries and Folklore podcast.

Hi, I’m your host Ronel Janse van Vuuren. You can just call me Ronel. In today’s episode, we’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

This episode is brought to you by my book Once… Tales, Myths and Legends of Faerie available in eBook, audiobook and paperback. Learn more at ronelthemythmaker.com/my-books.

We’re continuing our exploration of Water Fae.

Today’s Faery: Merrows

Folklore in a nutshell by Ronel

Merrow women have been described as being extremely beautiful – and promiscuous with mortals. Merrow men have been described as being exceptionally ugly and scaly, with pig-like features, green hair and long, pointed teeth. The only way to differentiate between merrows and humans is that they have thin webbing between their fingers and their feet are flatter.

Merrows are regarded in some parts of Ireland as messengers of doom and death.

Merrows are thought to wear special clothing that enables them to swim through ocean currents and a small red cap, sometimes bedecked with feathers. In chilly northerly waters, they wear sealskin cloaks and they take on the appearance and attributes of seals.

If a mortal were to confiscate and hide a merrow’s cap/cloak, the merrow would be land-bound. Fishermen do this to have a wealthy merrow bride (they have loads of treasure from shipwrecks). But, just like the selkie bride, if the merrow retrieves her hidden cloak/cap, she will return to the sea, leaving her human husband and children behind.

And now for my interpretation of the fae in an origin of the fae: merrows

Merrows keep the souls of the drowned in cages until they can be collected by Black Dogs (usually Grims or Barguests) to go to their final resting place in the Underworld.

They live in the in-between world Tir fo Thoinn (the Land beneath the Waves) just like most other Fae who fall within the Water Fae Classification (e.g. Selkies, Sirens, Jengu, etc.).

Just like all Fae, they are able to change their appearance at will. When not in their mermaid-like form, fish tails and all, they wear warmer coats resembling sealskin to survive icy waters. The webbing between their fingers and toes makes it easier to swim.

All their magic is kept in their red caps without which they do not dare go near other Merrows for fear of enslavement. Better to wait out the human who stole it and pretend to be captured than face true torment at the hands of their own for eternity.

Merrows, like all Fae, enjoy toying with humans. And though they’ll warn against storms, chances are they were the ones who created it.

Some even hunt humans to eat them and keep their souls in cages as pets.

As a little bonus, let’s look at the translation of merrow into Afrikaans: Meervrou/Meerman.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this episode of the faeries and folklore podcast and that you’ve learned something new about faeries.

Remember that you can get a transcript of this episode in the description. If you’re new to the podcast, why not go and grab your free copy of Unseen, the second book in the Faery Tales series, on my website ronelthemythmaker.com? Loads of folklore, magic and danger await! Take care!

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