The Mermaid (folktale)

Author: J. F. Campbell

Time Period: 1901 CE–1950 CE

Country or Culture: Scotland; Ireland

Genre: Folktale

PLOT SUMMARY

A childless blacksmith meets and makes a deal with a mermaid: in exchange for fish, he will give her his firstborn son on the child’s third birthday. After several days, the smith catches a magical fish, who instructs the smith to bury three bones found in its head. If he does so, the fish explains, his wife, mare, and dog will each give birth to three offspring.

The man’s wife gives birth to triplet sons, but when the children turn three, he goes back on his deal with the mermaid. Twice he pretends to have forgotten to bring the child to her, and twice he is forgiven. When the time comes for the boy to be turned over to the mermaid, his father tells of his commitment, and though the boy is willing, his father will not let him go. Instead, the boy and his brothers leave home to make their own way in the world. Their father gives each boy a magical horse, a hound, a club, and a sword to help him on his way.

After traveling for some time, the brothers part ways. The oldest brother’s adventures begin when he encounters a wolf, a hawk, and a fox. He gains blessings from them that will help him in a time of need. Shortly afterward, the boy comes to a herder’s hut and takes on a job tending cattle. The youth is warned to stay away from a certain fenced area, but he ignores the advice and learns the reason for the counsel when he sees a fearsome giant. The giant steals three cows, but the boy overpowers him through trickery and is rewarded with the giant’s wealth. The boy next faces the giant’s two brothers and their mother, emerging victorious each time.

The day after the giants’ mother dies, the herder shares the news that the king’s daughter has been threatened by a great, three-headed sea dragon. The young man pretends not to care but rides in to protect the girl, since out of all the men in the kingdom, only the king’s cook has volunteered to protect her. The king sends his daughter, the cook, and fourteen warriors to the seashore, but the guards flee when the smith’s son rides out of the sky wearing glittering armor. For three days, the hero repeats a pattern of frightening the guards, napping with his head in the princess’s lap, waking when she cuts off a piece of his flesh (the tip of an ear, the tip of a finger, and a piece of scalp), cutting off one of the dragon’s heads, and then riding off into the horizon. Each time, the cook takes credit for the monster’s defeat. After finally slaying the sea dragon, the hero learns that the princess and the cook will be wed, but he travels home confidently, undaunted by this setback.

The young man soon proves that he is the true hero and marries the princess. They live happily together for some time, until one day when they decide to travel to the seashore. The mermaid appears and swallows the hero, claiming the child the blacksmith promised her years before. However, his wife tricks the mermaid into revealing him three times, and on the third occasion, he escapes. The mermaid responds by swallowing the wife and fleeing, but after a long journey, the man is able to reclaim his wife and kill the mermaid once and for all.

SIGNIFICANCE

The story of the mermaid and the blacksmith’s son was told by Scottish scholar John Francis Campbell in his posthumously published volume The Celtic Dragon Myth (1911), which collects mythology and folklore from Celtic and other sources and assembles them into a cohesive narrative. The number three plays a significant role in this narrative. The old blacksmith lives with three companions: his wife, a mare, and a dog. When he meets the mermaid while fishing, she asks him to give her his eldest son when the boy reaches the age of three. For three days in a row, the smith goes fishing and catches a fish who pleads for release. After eating a portion of the fish, the smith buries three of its bones. Three trees then grow in the places where the bones were buried, and nine (three times three) months later the smith becomes the father of triplet sons.

The number three continues to be central as the oldest boy leaves home with his brothers. They come across a road that branches in three directions, and each takes a different path. The oldest son’s story continues to focus on threes as he gains three powers, conquers three giants, and gains three fortunes. Then, the hero defeats the three-headed dragon who threatens the princess over the course of three days.

The number three is a common motif in many forms of folklore. Some scholars interpret the number as representing the beginning, middle, and end, and it likewise suggests the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in Christianity and the trio of the sun, earth, and moon. The number is also found in various myths, proverbs, and other narratives across the globe. This story is significant partially because of its use of the number three as a unifying motif.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Campbell, J. F. The Celtic Dragon Myth. Edinburgh: Grant, 1911. Print.

Haase, Donald. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales. Westport: Greenwood, 2008. Print.

Leeming, David Adams, and Marion Sader. Storytelling Encyclopedia. Phoenix: Oryx, 1997. Print.

Matthews, John. Classic Celtic Fairy Tales. London: Blandford, 1997. Print.

Zipes, Jack. The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. Print.