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110:. The parishioners were enchanted by her beauty and her singing; she appeared infrequently for many years, but never visibly aged, and no one knew where she was from. The woman became interested in a young man named Mathey Trewella, known as the best singer in the parish. One day, he followed her, and neither were ever seen again.
154:
is associated with a carved bench-end in St Senara's Church which depicts a mermaid; the legend itself likely postdates the carving, although local tradition relates that the carving served to commemorate the tale and as a warning against the temptation of beauty. The carving has likely reinforced
292:
2011 saw the premiere of composer Leo Geyer and poet Martin Kratz's modern retelling of the legend in a chamber opera, which was described by The Times as "imaginative and beautifully shaped" in its second production by
Constella OperaBallet at the Tête à Tête Opera Festival 2012.
70:
appeared to a group of local sailors, asking that they raise their anchor to let her enter her home, and the villagers concluded that she was the same woman who had attended their church. The legend is associated with a carved bench-end in the church, which depicts a mermaid.
79:
Cornish folklore features numerous stories about merfolk, and decorative mermaid motifs are common in
Cornish churches. In Cornish legend, mermaids hold spiritual symbolism, and are viewed more positively than in many other cultures. In the
314:
2015 saw the premier of "The
Mermaid of Zennor" by Philip Harper, a work for brass band. Commissioned for the Cornwall Youth Brass Band, it was chosen for the National Brass Band Championship regionals in the same year (second section).
137:
A shorter account of the legend was related to
Bottrell on a subsequent visit to Cornwall. The mermaid had come to church every Sunday to hear the choir, and her own voice was so sweet that she enticed Mathey Trewella, son of the
373:'Removing a Building Situated over the House of the Fairies' is another migratory legend, in which the underground dwelling of supernatural beings is negatively affected by human activity above, often involving manure.
174:, although the gender roles are reversed: the mermaid is the captor, and the man is the captive. The ending of the story, where the mermaid asks for the anchor to be lifted, resembles another legend designated as
121:
appeared, and asked that the anchor be raised, as one of its flukes was resting on her door, and she was unable to reach her children. The sailors obliged, and quickly set sail, believing the mermaid to be an ill
351:
Bottrell recorded two accounts: in one version, the mermaid told the sailors that she was returning from church, and anxious to see her children; in the second, she needed to dress her children for church.
126:. When the villagers heard of this, they concluded that the mermaid was the same lady who had long visited their church, and that she had enticed Mathey Trewella to come and live with her.
170:
is unusual, in that the mermaid seeks to attend church, rather than being repulsed by
Christian practice as is common in other northern European legends. The story bears similarities to
142:, to come away with her; neither was seen again on dry land. The famed "mermaid chair" was the same bench on which the mermaid had sat and sung, opposite Trewella in the singing loft.
86:, the dual nature of Christ is compared to that of a mermaid: "He might well be Half man and half God. Human is half the mermaid, Woman from the head to the heart; So is the Jesus".
960:
364:, which involves a man stealing a magical item from a mermaid, preventing her from returning to the sea and thus forcing her to stay on land as his wife.
792:
158:
The story of the mermaid is retold in later collections of
Cornish folklore, generally following the original accounts collected by Bottrell.
708:
1592:
1607:
1020:
578:
953:
857:
826:
486:
726:
260:, the titular Miranda's surname is Trewella and she was found at Pendour Cove, implying a connection to the Mermaid of Zennor.
247:
in 2006. The adaptation of the tale by Monk Kidd has brought increased attention to the original folklore, particularly from a
913:
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in 1873 when he visited Zennor. In his retelling, a beautiful and richly-dressed woman occasionally attended services at
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277:, published in 2005, begins with the story of the mermaid and the main story line is loosely based around the legend.
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The villagers wondered what had become of the two, until one Sunday a ship cast anchor about a mile from
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754:"A new magnum opus for @TheCYBB for premier at Easter. The Mermaid of Zennor.pic.twitter.com/lM54iTYRze"
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1612:
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790:
Haroian, Gillisann (1989). "The
Cornish Mermaid: The Fine Thread of Androgyny in the 'Ordinalia'".
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is a mutation of this story, and that the final part may have also formed a separate legend.
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Eileen
Moloney published a book of the same title, illustrated by Maise Meiklejohn in 1946.
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The Fabled Coast: Legends & Traditions from Around the Shores of
Britain & Ireland
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217:(Tabb House, 1997), giving her the name Azenor, as the previous tellings never name her.
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Making a Splash: Mermaids (and Mer-Men) in 20th and 21st
Century Audiovisual Media
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62:. The legend tells the story of a mysterious woman who occasionally attended
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The legend is the subject of the 1980 song "Mermaid" by Cornish folk singer
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425:. Vol. 2. Penzance, England: Beare and Son. pp. 288–289.
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The Folklore of Cornwall: the Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation
709:"Mermaid of Zennor / The Yellow Dress at Riverside Studios, W6"
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was inspired in part by the Mermaid of Zennor when writing her
300:
for an opera commissioned by the Cornish company Duchy Opera.
768:"Home - National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain"
875:
Waugh, Arthur (June 1960). "The Folklore of the Merfolk".
527:
525:
523:
176:
Removing a Building Situated over the House of the Fairies
360:'The Mermaid Wife' is a migratory legend described by
683:, (1980), Burlington Records, BURL 005, sleeve notes
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423:Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall
622:. Illustrated by Meiklejohn, Maise. Edmund Ward.
195:Poems based on the legend have been written by
954:
58:folk tale which originates in the village of
8:
416:
414:
155:the legend, contributing to its popularity.
793:Medieval & Renaissance Drama in England
213:wrote the Mermaid of Zennor into his novel
1366:
961:
947:
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447:, Third Series (F. Rodda, Penzance, 1880).
727:"Mermaid's tale for children and adults"
311:featuring the song "Mermaid of Zennor".
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772:www.nationalbrassbandchampionships.com
445:Stories and Folk-Lore of West Cornwall
327:, an Irish mermaid regarded as a saint
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7:
1593:Federation of Old Cornwall Societies
597:(1954). "To the mermaid at Zennor".
547:The Ballad of the Mermaid of Zennor
1608:Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
296:In 2012 the legend was adapted by
14:
752:Harper, Philip (6 January 2015).
1646:
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925:
707:Finch, Hilary (20 August 2012).
271:. The first book of the series,
1425:Come, all ye jolly tinner boys
1:
1618:Royal Institution of Cornwall
891:10.1080/0015587X.1960.9717221
600:A charm against the toothache
1603:Institute of Cornish Studies
178:; Ronald James suggests the
106:in Zennor, and sometimes at
1446:The Song of the Western Men
513:Frederick Ignatius Cowles,
362:Reidar Thoralf Christiansen
64:the parish church of Zennor
1705:
850:University of Exeter Press
553:. London: Faber and Faber.
421:Bottrell, William (1873).
303:In 2014 singer/songwriter
1641:
1369:
1047:
1016:Cornish kilts and tartans
976:
844:James, Ronald M. (2019).
237:, which was adapted into
1628:Movyans Skolyow Meythrin
1166:Cornish pilot-gig racing
819:Indiana University Press
813:Hayward, Philip (2017).
618:Moloney, Eileen (1946).
544:Watkins, Vernon (1962).
223:The legend is linked to
133:The Zennor Mermaid Chair
1351:The Pirates of Penzance
1265:List of Cornish writers
1176:Rugby union in Cornwall
918:Cornwall Heritage Trust
694:"The Mermaid of Zennor"
1275:Cornwall Film Festival
681:Boy Jan ... Cornishman
517:(Heath Cranton, 1934).
134:
51:
37:
33:John Reinhard Weguelin
1622:Royal Cornwall Museum
1542:Jack the Giant Killer
1494:Prayer Book Rebellion
620:The Mermaid of Zennor
570:The Mermaid of Zennor
515:The Magic of Cornwall
132:
27:The Mermaid of Zennor
24:
1439:Hail to the Homeland
1674:Culture of Cornwall
1653:Cornwall portal
1613:Royal Cornwall Show
1499:Radyo an Gernewegva
1411:Bro Goth agan Tasow
1389:Fisherman's Friends
1219:Cornish Gilliflower
970:Culture of Cornwall
469:Kingshill, Sophia;
307:released her album
94:Cornish folklorist
52:An Vorvoren a Senar
1474:Cornish literature
1270:Tristan and Iseult
1080:Chewidden Thursday
1036:Saint Piran's Flag
595:Heath-Stubbs, John
534:, pp. 99–101.
471:Westwood, Jennifer
443:William Bottrell,
332:The Little Mermaid
254:In the 1948 movie
135:
104:St Senara's Church
38:
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1660:
1562:Mermaid of Zennor
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1454:
1330:Rosamunde Pilcher
1310:Daphne du Maurier
1209:Cornish cream tea
1171:Cornish wrestling
1145:Tom Bawcock's Eve
1100:Kernewek Lowender
1021:Jonathan Trelawny
984:Gonisogeth Kernow
914:Mermaid of Zennor
234:The Mermaid Chair
211:Craig Weatherhill
205:John Heath-Stubbs
180:Mermaid of Zennor
168:Mermaid of Zennor
152:Mermaid of Zennor
100:Mermaid of Zennor
43:Mermaid of Zennor
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1679:Cornish folklore
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1484:Beunans Meriasek
1374:Cornish bagpipes
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117:. Soon after, a
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1432:Delkiow Sivy
1349:
1340:D. M. Thomas
1335:Derek Tangye
1290:W. J. Burley
1280:Tate St Ives
1249:Cornish Yarg
1244:Stargazy pie
1110:Mummer's Day
1001:Celtic cross
983:
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885:(2): 73–84.
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26:
18:
1552:King Arthur
1522:Blunderbore
1239:Saffron bun
1135:Picrous Day
1085:Furry Dance
1031:Saint Piran
573:. Orchard.
186:Adaptations
1668:Categories
1489:Bewnans Ke
1403:Folk songs
1224:Hevva cake
1194:Cloam oven
1130:'Obby 'Oss
1125:Noze looan
868:1110488518
532:James 2019
502:James 2019
457:Waugh 1960
381:References
191:Literature
75:Background
1509:Mythology
1479:Ordinalia
1320:Alan Kent
1120:Nos Lowen
1075:Allantide
1062:Festivals
837:970659044
713:The Times
83:Ordinalia
1684:Mermaids
1577:Spriggan
1557:Lyonesse
1532:Cormoran
1461:Language
1070:AberFest
878:Folklore
806:24322290
800:: 1–11.
567:(2012).
473:(2012).
431:5517506W
319:See also
244:Lifetime
162:Analysis
1547:Knocker
1186:Cuisine
1095:Guldize
1090:Golowan
993:Symbols
979:Cornish
899:1258382
737:14 June
605:Methuen
309:The Sea
257:Miranda
249:New Age
239:a movie
119:mermaid
68:mermaid
56:Cornish
54:) is a
48:Cornish
1689:Zennor
1572:Piskie
1567:Owlman
1394:Crowns
1154:Sports
897:
866:
856:
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804:
577:
485:
429:
325:Lí Ban
203:, and
108:Morvah
90:Legend
60:Zennor
35:(1900)
1527:Bucca
1384:Dalla
1362:Music
1234:Pasty
895:JSTOR
802:JSTOR
551:(PDF)
339:Notes
281:Music
1258:Arts
864:OCLC
854:ISBN
833:OCLC
823:ISBN
739:2012
575:ISBN
483:ISBN
274:Ingo
241:for
166:The
150:The
124:omen
40:The
916:at
887:doi
231:'s
227:in
31:by
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46:(
29:,
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