The Mermaid of Zennor
Visitors are drawn to Zennor Church from all over the world by the legend of the Zennor Mermaid and by the magical story of the ancient Mermaid Chair. Carved on the medieval bench-end is the figure of a mermaid holding a mirror in her right hand and a comb in her left. The date of the carving is unknown but thought to be from the fifteenth century. At that time the symbol of a mermaid was used to teach people about the two natures of Christ – human and divine. Mermaids and mermen were often portrayed in carvings and paintings in Cornish churches, but this is one of the very few which have survived.
The story of the famous Mermaid of Zennor, who lured a choirboy down to the sea, never to be seen again, was first recorded in 1873 by folklorist William Bottrell from St Levan parish, who was keen to preserve the old legends which had been passed on by word of mouth. His stories were longer than similar versions published by others and reflected the way the old story tellers embellished the basic tales to increase the entertainment value.
The story supposedly solves the mystery of the missing choir boy, Matthew Trewhella, but another mystery remains; did the carving on the bench-end come first and inspire the story, or did the story lead to the carving? This is something we shall probably never know.
What we do know is that, apart from attracting many visitors, the mermaid has been an inspiration to musicians, painters and writers, most notably in the latter category Charles Causley (The Merrymaid of Zennor); John Heath-Stubbs, who lived in Zennor in the 1950s and wrote the poem The Mermaid of Zennor; and Helen Dunmore whose first book of the Ingo Chronicles begins with the story of the mermaid of Zennor. Despite such illustrious chroniclers of the tale, we have our own version of the story below, which is also on sale in the church as a postcard.
What we do know is that, apart from attracting many visitors, the mermaid has been an inspiration to musicians, painters and writers, most notably in the latter category Charles Causley (The Merrymaid of Zennor); John Heath-Stubbs, who lived in Zennor in the 1950s and wrote the poem The Mermaid of Zennor; and Helen Dunmore whose first book of the Ingo Chronicles begins with the story of the mermaid of Zennor. Despite such illustrious chroniclers of the tale, we have our own version of the story below, which is also on sale in the church as a postcard.