Tradition: Scottish Mythology
Alternative Names: Maighdean mhara
Category: Mermaid
The Myth
The Muir-òigh is a mermaid from Scottish Highland folklore, with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a fish. She has long, dishevelled hair, which she combs while sitting on coastal rocks at night. She can sometimes remove the fish-like covering of her lower body. Anyone who finds and hides it can prevent her from returning to the sea.
A common Highland and Irish tale tells of a mermaid detained by a human for years, during which she marries him and bears his children. Eventually, one of the children finds her hidden covering and mentions the beautiful object to his mother. She retrieves it and escapes back to the sea.
Mermaids are also said to pursue ships and endanger sailors. To escape, sailors throw empty barrels overboard. While the mermaid investigates these unfamiliar objects, the ship can get away.
A man from Skye named Mac-Mhannain captured a mermaid and kept her for a year. During this time, she shared curious information with him. As they were about to part, he asked what virtue or danger lay in water used to boil eggs. She replied, “If I tell you that, you will have a tale to tell,” and disappeared without answering.
A man from Eilein Anabuich, a village in North Harris, caught a mermaid on a rock. To secure her release, she granted him three wishes. He became a skilled herbal doctor capable of treating scrofula, known as the king’s evil, and other diseases ordinarily considered incurable. He also gained the ability to prophesy, particularly concerning women’s futures, and received what he believed to be a remarkably fine singing voice. However, although he admired his own singing, other people found his voice neither beautiful nor tolerable.
Sources
MacKenzie, John. (n.d.). Muir-òigh. In Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland