The mermaid of Deerness
ULRICH MAGIN recalls the case of the Orkney mermaid, a 19th century crytptid that made regular appearances and briefly rivalled Nessie in terms of press coverage.
When you went to Scotland to see a regularly appearing cryptid at the end of the 19th century, you didn’t go to Loch Ness, but to Orkney. And you didn’t look out for a sea serpent, but for a mermaid.
As far as I’m aware, the first of what turned out to be many sightings of a half human sea creature at Deerness, in Mainland, Orkney, occurred in 1891.
“An interesting spectacle has recently been seen in the Orkneys. It is probably the first of its kind ever authenticated in living memory. A correspondent writes to a contemporary: ‘What is said to be a mermaid has been seen for some weeks at stated times at Deerness. It is about six to seven feet in length, with a little black head, white neck, and a snow-white body and two arms. In swimming it appears just like a human being. At times it will come very close inshore and appear to be sitting on a sunken rock, and will wave and work its hands. It has never been seen entirely out of water. Many persons who doubted its genuineness now suppose it to be a deformed seal.’” 1
The following year, it moved location:
“A strange story of the mermaid comes from Birsay, Orkney. The other day a farmer’s wife was down at the sea shore there, and observed a strange marine animal sitting on the rocks. As it would not move she went for her husband. When she returned with her betterhalf they both saw the animal clambering among the rocks, about four feet of it being above the water. The woman, who had a splendid view of it, describes it as a ‘good looking person’ while the man says it was ‘a woman covered over with brown hair.’ At last the couple tried to get hold of it, when it took a header into the sea and disappeared. The man is confident he has seen the fabled mermaid but people in the district are of the opinion that the animal must belong to the seal tribe. An animal of similar description was seen by several people at Deerness two years ago.” 2 Does the reference “two years ago” refer to an incident in 1890, or was it just down to a slightly hazy recall of the original newspaper article?
Obviously, the new sighting brought forth recollections about Deerness, and even new eyewitness reports. Just as at Loch Ness, and many monster locations round the world, a reward was offered in the same year: “The sum of £200 has been offered for the capture of the supposed mermaid, which occasionally sports itself on the rocks at Deerness, Orkney. People with nets and gear for trapping the creature have been lying in ambush.” 3
The creature was seen again the following year. The papers now hint at a history longer than just two years. Hunters were ready to shoot the strange animal, and zoologists tried to debunk it: “News has reached Kirkwall (says the Scotsman) that the mermaid has again made her appearance at Deerness, Orkney. The creature has arrived at the same place now many years in succession, where it remains all summer, disappearing in the winter and returning again with fine weather. Last year a large sum of money was offered for its capture, and sportsmen tried to kill it. As it struck out to sea immediately it was fired at, and was never again seen until now, it was thought it had been wounded or killed. Naturalists who have got a full description of the mermaid think it is an ocean seal, but the people of Deerness, who have watched it closely for years, say it has few if any of the seal’s habits, and maintain it swims like a human being. At the present time it may be observed daily, being very partial to bright sunshine, but it rarely appears on dull days.” 4
Whatever it was that was seen, people who waited for it were rewarded not by money, but by a second specimen: “The Orkney Mermaid has caused a further sensation by appearing in her old haunts at Deerness accompanied by a young one. During the past fortnight, says the Scotsman, both the old and the young one have been seen frequently in the vicinity by different persons. The
“Many persons now suppose it to be a deformed seal ”
young one is of a white colour and swims in the same fashion as the old one, by throwing its arms out in front of the head and bringing them in towards the side. Last summer an attempt was made to shoot the strange visitant, when it disappeared; but this summer no one has tried to molest it.” 5
And one year later, the exiting news was already old hat – at least to judge from the brief note that appeared in the papers: “The so-called mermaid has re-appeared in her old summer quarters among the rocks at Deerness, Orkney.” 6 And with this, the creature(s) fade back into obscurity. 7
It should be pointed out that mermaids that surfaced off the Scottish coast at the same site year after year were not really rare – even when we are dealing with freshwater lakes. Morag, the monster of Loch Morar, was always depicted as a mermaid before it came to resemble Nessie, and another example was said to spend the summer in Loch Rannoch: “Then there are the mermaids, the kelpies of the south and the water bulls and horses of the north, of the lochs and streams, as stoutly believed by the peasantry who now live beside them as they were centuries ago… As to the mermaids of the lochs, they still exist past all dispute – at least with their friends the Highlanders. The railways, telegraphs and newspapers, like the heartless poachers they are, have ‘sweeped’ or seined them well out of the lowland shires. They are and were both dangerous and beneficent personages. In olden times they were not above giving recipes for rashes, ringworm and other common ailments. Today they have all retreated to the shadowy Highland lochs, where they find comfortable flat stones to sit upon, and there, while combing their masses of long, yellow hair, sing in plaintive tones much that is ill or good to be heard. I know one canny auld wife of northern Perthshire who gets along very comfortably through her confidential relations with a mermaid that at present passes the summer season at Loch Rannoch.” 8
What would you or I have seen or photographed or – if we were especially lucky – videotaped had we been present back then at Deerness? Then, perhaps, the Orkney creature might have managed the wonderful feat of the Loch Ness monster 30 years later and turned into a cryptid of international renown, with people still flocking to Deerness year after year to see and report a mermaid.