The Mermaid's Treasure
Shapeshifters in British Isles Mythology

Fri, 28 May, 2010
Lee Thompson-Herbert


The folklore of the British Isles is littered with faerie folk who have more than one form, usually one that's mostly human and one that's monsterous or fantastical. There's the each uisage (water horse) who appears as a handsome young man with sand in his hair or as a stallion with kelp in his mane; the swan maidens who may only change at certain times of year or every seven years depending on the tale; the raven women who follow battles; cait sith, the fairy cats that may have given rise to the British Isles superstitions about black cats; the puca, who may appear as a huge black dog, a wild black stallion or even wilder-looking dark young man; the glaistig, all pretty woman above, all hairy goat below hidden by her long green dress; and that's before we start delving into Welsh myths with all their different transformations. So it's not so unusual to find that the mermaid also has a human as well as a beastial form, and that the change between the two is not nearly so difficult as Hans Christian Anderson would have us think.

Depending on who is telling the story, the mermaid has a cap, a shawl, a cloak, a net, a comb, a mirror, a vial of ointment, a jewel or a gem (especially a pearl) that allows her to change shape. The person who steals the mermaid's treasure gains power over the mermaid much like with a selkie and its seal skin. The mermaid is forced to remain in thrall to the person who holds her treasure unless she can steal it back or the object is destroyed. But beware offending a mermaid; just as with a selkie's seal skin, destroying the mermaid's treasure ensures that the mermaid will never return, as well as horrible punishment for the vandal. Angry mermaids have been known to lure their tormentors out to sea to drown, or even flood entire villages. In a few cases, offended mermaids have even caused previously good harbors to fill with sand, choking them.

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