The Ben Varrey and the Dinny Mara
Before we begin, a short note on the research and stories youâll find here each week. Youâd think for such an vital piece of work weâd have a crack team in the field - after all, what is more important than avoiding the life-threatening dangers of the wild places teeming with folklore creatures? Unfortunately (budget cuts and all that) what we have is Edith.
Edith does her best - she occasionally falls prey to the tricks and vagaries of the Folk, but sheâs proven surprisingly resilient at getting out of scrapes. I sometimes think she may be partly of the Folk herself - not that Iâd discuss it with her. When Edith isnât running around the wilds, sharing stories with the people she meets in old farmhouses and mills, or falling into suspicious lakes*, she can be found reading. Sheâs particularly fond of the Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, & Other Supernatural Creatures by Katharine Briggs (1976), but will work her way voraciously through anything she can find about the folklore of the British Isles and surrounds. *Edith would like it to be known that sheâs only fallen into one suspicious lake. The other one was a loch. And there mightâve been a river one time.
The merpeople of the Isle of Man can be as dangerous and deadly as any other, but there are also stories of their softer sides and even the close relationships they may have with some humans - especially fisherman and their families - and with each other. The Ben Varrey is the Manx name for a mermaid, the Dinny Mara is the Manx merman.
Below youâll find
Where you might encounter the Ben Varrey or Dinny Mara
How to identify them
Are they dangerous?
How to survive (or even benefit from) an encounter
Story time!
Where youâll find the Ben Varrey or Dinny Mara
You might find the Ben Varrey or the Dinny Mara in the seas around the Isle of Man. The intrepid adventurer might be aware that some mermaids in other places have been found in inland lakes or even up rivers, however, there is nothing in Edithâs reports so far to suggest the Manx merfolk ever finds their way inland.
How to identify them
Unlike some, such as the merrows, the Ben Varrey and Dinny Mara donât have any distinguishing features to tell them apart from other merfolk. Theyâre reported to be beautiful - as are most mermaids, the better to lure humans into the water - and of course have the traditional fish tail and human upper body. (Edith is sceptical about the beauty aspect - she notes that the Folk are frequently described as either incredibly beautiful or hideously ugly, and has strong thoughts about this just being human nonsense).
Are they dangerous?
There is every chance that if you meet a mermaid she will want to draw you under the waves - whether by temptation or by force - and you will not make it back alive. However, it is possible that some of them simply cannot comprehend that humans canât survive underwater, and are not driven by a murderous intent. For example, a Ben Varrey once fell in love with a human sailor and nearly succeeded in luring him into the sea (he was fortunately saved by the quick thinking of his crew mates), but it is doubtful she intended to kill him. While some mermaids have been known to create storms, the Ben Varrey has on occasion warned of them, rising among a fleet of fishing boats and calling âshiaull er thallooâ - sail to land - before the storm arrives.
How to survive (or even benefit from) an encounter
As with all of the Folk, the first protection against an encounter with the Ben Varrey and Dinny Mara is a healthy respect and a safe distance. It is important to heed their warning if you hear it. If you find yourself tempted to jump overboard and join one in the water, the story above about the sailor suggests there is a counter charm (however, Edith is yet to discover its nature). If you find a stranded or trapped mermaid, it is always wise to free her - if you are fortunate, you may be rewarded (of course, as the rewards of the Folk usually go, there may be a catch).
STORY TIME
Evan Sayle and the apples
Once upon a time, a large fishing family, the Sayles, lived in prosperity. Old Sayle was known to be fond of apples and always took some from the latest harvest with him in his boat when he went fishing. However, at last the time came for him to retire and then things began to go poorly for the family - fewer and fewer fish were caught, and the cold, hungry winters loomed darkly. Soon all but the youngest son, Evan, had left to try their luck as sailors. Evan alone remained to look after their parents.
One day while clambering around the rocky shoreline checking the lobster pots and looking for eggs in the birdsâ nests, Evan heard a voice asking him what he was doing. He looked down and saw a Ben Varrey sitting on the rocks, and he went down and spoke with her. She was sweet, and asked after his father, and her told her all their troubles. When he went home, his father was most pleased with him, and suggested he take some apples with him the next day. He did, and the mermaid was delighted to get her âsweet land eggsâ again, and almost immediately the Saylesâ fortunes were turned around and they began to flourish once more.
But Evan and the Ben Varrey grew more and more fond of each other. Evan began to spend all his time in his boat so that he could talk to the Ben Varrey, and the people in the village started to call him lazy and lovestruck. Evan was so upset by this, after all the hard work he had done when his brothers went away, that at last he decided to follow them and become a sailor. Before he left, he planted an apple tree right on the edge of the cliff over where the Ben Varrey lived and told her that once it was large enough, the apples would fall right down to her as they ripened. So, even though he left, the Sayles remained prosperous and his parents fared well while they lived.
But apple trees take a long time to grow and the mermaid grew weary of waiting and lonely without Evan so she left to search the seas for him. No one can tell if they found each other again, all that is known for certain is that neither of them ever came back to collect the apples.
mermaid treasure
Two shorter accounts of the Ben Varrey.
Once there was a fishermanâs young daughter who loved to play by the sea. A Ben Varrey girl would watch her sometimes, and coveted her favourite doll. One day the doll was left close to the water and the Ben Varrey stole the doll. She was delighted with it and took it down underwater to show her mother, but her mother rebuked her for the theft and sent her back to the surface to give the fishermanâs girl her own necklace of pearls to atone.
Once a fisherman found a stranded Ben Varrey and kindly carried her back to the sea. For this, the Ben Varrey rewarded him with information about where to find treasure. Once he found it he realised it was antique Spanish gold coins that he and his wife had no way to spend. However, one can hardly expect the merfolk to keep abreast of what treasure is currently in vogue among the land folk.