Scottish Fish Mythology Archives

Tradition / Region: Shetland Mythology, Scottish Mythology
Alternate Names: Mareel
Category: Fish

The Myth

In the storm-dark seas around Shetland there dwells a malevolent being known as the Marool, a devil of the deep that wears the shape of a fish. Its head is covered in eyes, watching in every direction, and upon its crown burns a crest of living flame.

The Marool is most often seen amid mareel—ghostly, glowing sea-foam that shines with cold light at night. When storms rise and the waves grow wild, sailors fear its presence, for the Marool delights in disaster. As ships are overturned and dragged under by the sea, it is said that the creature sings, its voice carried on the wind, wild with joy at the destruction.

In later times, the name Marool came to be used for strange deep-sea fishes such as the anglerfish or monkfish. Yet in the old tales of Shetland, the Marool is remembered not as a mere animal, but as a watching, singing spirit of shipwreck and storm.

Gallery

Sources

A Book of Creatures contributors. (n.d.). Marool. In A Book of Creatures, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2016/03/04/marool/

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How to Invite The Marool

Tradition / Region: Scottish Mythology
Alternate Names: Buarach na Baoi; Buarach-bhaoi nan sùilean claon
Category: Fish, Eel

The Myth

The Buarach-bhaoi, whose name means “the wild shackle” or “the shackle of the furious one,” is a dangerous water creature believed to dwell in dark rivers, lochs, and fords. It is described as a leech- or eel-like being, lurking unseen beneath the surface.

When horses attempted to cross certain waters, the Buarach-bhaoi would suddenly coil itself around their legs like an iron shackle. Unable to free themselves, the animals would stumble, fall, and be dragged beneath the water, where they drowned. Afterward, the creature would suck their blood.

The Buarach-bhaoi is said to have nine eyes or holes along its head and back. Through these openings, the blood it consumed would seep out again. Because of this strange and unsettling feature, it was also called “the furious shackle of the squinting eyes.”

Stories place the Buarach-bhaoi in several regions. It was believed to haunt dangerous crossings, especially the dark waters of Loch Tummel, as well as rivers and lochs in Badenoch, Perthshire, and along the west coast of Argyllshire. Wherever the waters ran deep, fast, and shadowed, people feared it might be waiting.

The Buarach-bhaoi was not thought to hunt humans directly, but its presence made certain crossings deadly. Travelers learned to avoid suspicious fords, knowing that what looked like still water might conceal a living shackle beneath.