MARTIN
See Mystical WWW : Mystical Birds.

MERMAID
Magical legends can be found world-wide about beautiful mermaids, some even developing up until the late nineteenth century. The majority of sighting s in the British Isles occurred in the sixteenth and seventeenth century perhaps this is because that these periods in British history were times of great discovery and exploration of the planet.

'This morning, one of our companie saw a Mermaid, and calling up some of the companie to see her, one more came up...From the navel upwards, her back and breasts were like a woman's...her body as big as one of us; in her going downe they saw her tayle, which was the tayle of a Porposse, and speckled like a Macrell.'

Henry Hudson, Explorer, 1608.

A mermaid was said to haunt 'Mermaid Rock', Cornwall (UK). Whenever she was sighted it indicated that there was a shipwreck to be expected and therefore the lifeboats should be prepared. It was said that she lured the ships towards the rocks by her singing. 'Doom Bar', in east Cornwall, was a sand bank that used to cause many shipwrecks near the mouth to the harbour. It was believed that the sand bar caused the many disasters as the result of a mermaid that had been shot there whilst she was enjoying swimming in the harbour. The constant arrival of fog on the Isle of Man, off England (UK), was believed to be the result of a mermaid who was rejected. She was so upset that fog surrounded the island, causing problems for the local shipping.

In 1830 a reported sighting by local people was alleged to have occurred in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland (UK). The mermaid was said to have disappeared underwater after having been hit on the back by a rock. She was later buried after being found dead on the beach.

'The upper portion of the creature was about the size of a well-fed child of three or four years of age, with an abnormally developed breast. The hair was long and glossy, while the skin was white, soft and tender. The lower part was like a salmon, but without scales.'

'The Carmina Gadelica'

'My attention was arrested by the appearance of a figure resembling an unclothed human female sitting on a rock extending to the sea, apparently in the action of combing its hair. It remained on the rock three or four minutes after I observed it, and was exercised during that period in combing its hair, which was long and thick. I has a distinct view of the features, being at no great distance from an eminence above the rock on which it was sitting, and the sun brightly shining.'

William Munro, Schoolmaster circa 1785. 'The Times' newspaper.

Also known as 'Sea Sirens', the personality and appearance is most commonly known to be that of a seductive temptress. Her beauty has been said to reflect the wondrous treasures and power of the sea itself. Half-woman and half-dolphin or fish depiction's today are more common than the early sixteenth century part woman, dolphin and lion. The fish tail was thought to be shed when needed to make the mermaid more attractive to men. Engravings have shown the mermaid to carry a small hand-mirror, with long hair and usually in song. The sound of the mermaid singing was once thought to be a reason for sailors meeting disaster, as the haunting lilting voice was said to be heard coming from the waves forecasting bad weather. Mixed omens surround the stories of their sudden appearance being feared but also known to have saved the lives of sailors who had fallen overboard. Women saw them as enemies, as they were often thought to seek out men as partners, getting married, turning their partners into 'mermen'. Rejecting the approach of a mermaid was thought to bring severe misfortune to the man, and if she was injured a period of misfortune would meet a crew or coastline. Yet despite all this, the mermaid is currently viewed as a gentle creature kind in nature (there is one theory that mermaids were actually mis-identified sea-cows or porpoises).

In the twelfth century it was reported that a merman was caught by fishermen off the east coast near Suffolk, England (UK). He seemed unable to speak when released from the nets. The merman was taken to a church, and even tortured but still nothing. Described as 'the appearance of a man in all his parts' the merman quickly escaped when taken to the water supposedly to bathe.

Descendants of 'merfolk' (half-human, half-mermen or half-mermaid) are believed to still live in the north-west of Scotland (UK). In fact the Clan McVeagh have even until recent memory been believed to be the results of generations of such unions. There are many thoughts on why such unions took place; some believe that men were attracted to mermaids by their beauty whilst others believed men were captured and then kept as prisoners. One way to ensure that a mermaid became helpless and unable to lure unsuspecting males to a watery domain was said to be successful if the belt or cap was removed from her. Without this it was thought that she would lose much of her powers.

Changes in temperature above the sea surface have been thought to cause distortions on sightings of porpoises or sea cows. The effect of warm air moving over cold air causes a refraction of the light rays and could explain some of the sightings, but the detail included in reports cannot be dismissed by the same effect. Geord Steller, in 1741, thought that mermaids were no more than sea-apes following the alleged discovery of such a creature in the Gulf of Alaska. Alister Hardy's theory, that man evolved from aquatic apes rather than upright creatures, may connect with this idea yet insufficient evidence exists to substantiate this theory.

MOLE
Although the presence of mole hills in a garden often upsets the gardener, perhaps the news that traditionally in Europe they have been seen as lucky omens may make a difference. The appearance of mole hill found near a kitchen indicated that the wife of the property though was about to have to endure some misfortune. When outside amenities were common the sign a hill nearby also indicated problems for a household and the female inhabitants in particular.

If a mole dug very close to a house then this has generally be seen as an ill omen signifying death is near for someone in the family.

Toothache and cramps were once thought possible to cure by carrying the paws of the mole on the person for a short length of time. Hanging one around the neck was also thought to prevent toothache as the mole was believed to have exceptionally strong teeth, which would encourage the wearer's teeth to heal quickly.

MOTH
Many people find moths uncomfortable insects to be close to perhaps with more reason than the obvious fluttering of the wings. It was thought that to have a moth enter the house traditionally was a sign of misfortune to follow. In some countries this was thought to be a sign that someone would die within the following twelve months. Black moths were a sure sign that a death in the house would occur almost immediately according to European folklore.

White moths have almost universally been associated with the dead, in that this sight indicates that the moth is carrying the soul of a departed loved one. Therefore as one would expect it was also considered to be courting disaster to kill one.

MOUSE
It was once a commonplace European belief that to hear a mouse squeaking was an ill omen if heard close to a place where someone was seriously ill. This might be one reason why mice are not popular but it is more likely that it is as a result of another belief. Mice were said to carry the souls of those who had been murdered, and so any contact with them was feared. Any journey begun directly after seeing one was considered to lead only to disaster.

Mice are known for their appetites, but if they were found tucking into a juicy piece of clothing this was considered to indicate that considerable misfortune would befall the person concerned. The place where the event occurred was also thought to be one to avoid until cleansing of the area had been completed.

In rural medicinal cures the mouse has often been a main ingredient for whooping cough, wetting the bed and measles. The mouse could either be roasted, fried or baked - yum- yum!

If a number of mice suddenly took up residence in a home then it was thought that a member of the family would soon be taken ill and die. To clear the house of these tiny creatures it was once thought in Scotland (UK) that this could easily be achieved by catching one and roasting it by the fire or by reciting the following rhyme.