Tradition / Region: Danish Mythology
Alternate Names: Ekkehard Nekkepenn, Eke Nekepen, Eckeneckepenn
Category: Mermaid
The Myth
Beneath the waves of the North Sea lived Ekke Nekkepenn, a merman who dwelt on the seabed with his wife, Rahn.
One day, a ship bound for England was caught in a violent storm. As the vessel struggled against the waves, Ekke Nekkepenn rose from the depths and called to the captain, begging for help. His wife Rahn was about to give birth, and he needed a human woman skilled and kind to assist her.
The captain’s wife, brave and compassionate, agreed. The merman led her down into the depths, to his home beneath the sea. There she helped Rahn deliver the child safely. In gratitude, Ekke Nekkepenn gave her gold and silver before returning her unharmed to the surface.
The captain and his wife reached their home in Rantum on the island of Sylt, safe and prosperous.
Years passed. Rahn grew old, and Ekke Nekkepenn began to remember the beautiful woman who had helped him. Desire stirred in him. He resolved to claim the captain’s wife for himself.
One day, when the captain’s ship sailed again, Ekke Nekkepenn persuaded Rahn to grind salt upon the seabed. As she worked, a great whirlpool formed in the sea. The vortex seized the ship and dragged it down, along with its crew.
Now free to pursue his plan, Ekke Nekkepenn rose from the sea, taking the form of a handsome sailor. On the shore at Rantum, he met Inge, the captain’s young daughter. Against her will, he placed golden rings upon her fingers and hung a chain about her neck.
“You shall be my bride,” he declared.
Inge wept and begged to be released. Ekke Nekkepenn answered that she could win her freedom only if she learned his name by the next night.
No one on the island knew the stranger’s name. In despair, Inge wandered along the shore the following evening. From the distant dunes at Hörnum she heard a voice singing:
Today I brew,
Tomorrow I bake,
The day after that my wedding I’ll make.
My name is Ekke Nekkepenn,
My bride is Inge of Rantum,
And none know my name when I am alone.
Inge hurried back to the meeting place. When the sailor appeared, she faced him and said, “Your name is Ekke Nekkepenn, and I remain Inge of Rantum.”
At the sound of his true name, the merman’s power over her was broken. Enraged and thwarted, Ekke Nekkepenn vanished back into the sea.
Yet it is said that when storms rise suddenly off the coast of Sylt, and whirlpools churn the water, Ekke Nekkepenn still stirs in anger beneath the North Sea.
Gallery
Sources
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Ekke Nekkepenn. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekke_Nekkepenn
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
Other
- How to Invite The Ekke Nekkepenn