The Mermaid of Zennor

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Neither he nor the mermaid has ever been since, but in Zennor church now is a bench end carved to show what she looked like: long flowing hair, a sea-siren’s face, and a curved scaly tail. Even today, the village of Zennor itself seems exactly the sort of place where one would expect to encounter a mermaid.

And so the mermaid was carved into the bench at the church of Zennor, and all the parents told their children to be careful about mysterious women with long, beautiful hair.

It’s one of Cornwall’s most famous legends – the tale of a mermaid enticing a handsome Cornish lad to live with her beneath the ocean forever and ever.

Sea-faring men, who understood most about mermaids, regarded their appearance as a token that bad luck was near at hand. These activities fostered a keen interest in Cornish folklore which has extended into her adult life. The song is sung from the perspective of the mermaid, giving her a voice which she is so often denied, but still presenting her as a strange and dangerous sea creature.One Sunday morning a vessel cast anchor about a mile from Pendower Cove; soon after a mermaid came close alongside and hailed the ship. Hence if the villagers of Zennor had instructed a woodworker to carve them a mermaid to commemorate the tale, it is highly likely a mermaid in the classic pose with mirror and comb would have resulted anyway. The villagers wondered what had become of the two, until one Sunday a ship cast anchor about a mile from Pendour Cove. Well as is often the case with folklore, it is always worth having a look at the original source to see what light it can shed on the matter.