Tradition / Region: Scottish Mythology
Alternate Names: Sea Cow
Category: Cow
The Myth
In the Highlands and islands of Scotland, people speak of the Crod Mara, the sea cows that come from the waters and sometimes walk among earthly herds.
These cattle are said to be gentle compared to other creatures of the lochs. They have no horns and are often brown, though in some places they appear red, piebald, or black. When one of these sea cattle joins a farmer’s herd, the animals are said to grow strong and thrive, though the presence of such a creature is never without mystery or danger.
At times a sea cow follows a herd wherever it goes. It may lead the cattle toward an elfin hill, and when the mound opens, the animals can pass inside. Any beast that enters the hill is never seen again unless someone stops it in time.
Stories are also told of calves born from the union of water bulls and ordinary cows. One such calf, known by its unusually round ears, was recognized as special by a wise old woman. She ordered that it be kept apart from the rest of the herd and fed carefully for many years, so that it might grow safely and bring fortune.
In the same district, a maid once met a young man by the lakeside who asked her to comb his hair while he rested. As she did so, she saw green lake weeds tangled in it and realized he was no man but a water being. She calmed him until he slept and escaped, though she was chased by a terrible water horse. Only when the water bull itself was released did the two beasts clash in the lake, and afterward the danger was gone.
Thus the Crod Mara are remembered as cattle of the water world, sometimes a blessing to herds, sometimes a guide toward the hidden hills, and always creatures whose coming links the land to the mysterious depths beyond it.
Gallery
Sources
Campbell, J. G. (1900). Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland: Collected entirely from oral sources. Glasgow: James MacLehose and Sons.
Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Crodhmara, from https://www.bestiary.us/crodhmara
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive