The Mermaid of the North
Exploration starts on your doorstep
I stepped out of the car and almost staggered along the beach. I like to think that the staggering was down to the uneven stones and my heavy camera bag rather than the fact I wasn’t feeling particularly well. But, I had a deadline to meet and sitting at home feeling sorry for myself wasn’t an option. I think it is said that the hardest part of any journey is stepping out of your own front door. Now that I was on the beach with my camera, I began to feel, if not better, tranquil. The sound of the sea drifting in and out on the incoming tide, the stones jostling for position at the water’s edge, and the slight breeze lifted my mood as I sat and watched the mermaid staring intently at me as she regally reclined on a large rock just off the shore.
Back in August 2022, along with two other photographers (two other women as it happens), I had been chosen out of however many applicants to produce a portfolio of images for a photo book to raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute. The subject matter was ‘littoral’ and the format was black and white. That was it. No further instructions. Once the initial euphoria of being successful in my application had subsided, I began to panic. What was I going to produce? As in all such situations, my mind went blank and refused to work. Eventually, I thought of the sort of things I like to photograph and decided that I would focus on man-made objects that can be found on or near the shore. It didn’t take long to compile a list of possible locations, one of which was ‘The Mermaid of the North’ at Balintore, a small village on the Easter Ross Seaboard, who sits on a rock named “Clach Dubh” (Black Rock in Gaelic).
It’s often the case that we fail to explore what is on our doorstep, thinking that we have to travel to find the exotic or interesting. I’ve come to the realisation that I have sadly neglected my local patch and there is much to catch eye. Part of the reason behind the neglect is that so many locations have been photographed ad nauseam; I didn’t want to follow the crowd and produce yet another cliched image. However, as my confidence has risen, I no longer care what anyone thinks of my images. I produce images for me; if anyone else likes them, that’s a bonus.
The mermaid was originally sculpted by a local artist in 2007 as part of the Highland Year of Culture. She lasted all of five years before being damaged by a severe storm; her wood and resin form was no match for the sea. She was replaced in 2014 with a bronze cast model. In all that time, I had never been to see her. More fool me. She is quite beautiful in her simplicity.
She has her origins in a local folk tale, which is not dissimilar to the tales of the selkies1:
“One day a young fisherman was walking along the shore at Balintore when he saw a beautiful girl sitting on a rock. As he drew nearer he realised that she was, in fact, a mermaid. He summoned up courage to speak to her. He had never seen a mermaid before but he knew from old fishermen’s stories that if he could walk around her, sunwise, three times, he would be able to charm away her tail. So he kept her in conversation whilst he slowly circled her rock.
The mermaid was intrigued by the young man and listened carefully to all he was saying. She was so fascinated by his manner that she failed to realise her danger until too late – she had been circled three times and her tail immediately fell off! She was mortified. She pleaded with the fisherman to give the tail back to her but he refused all her protestations. All fishermen dreamed of meeting with mermaids and he had now had his dream fulfilled. Instead of giving the tail back, he offered to marry the mermaid.
She considered his proposal. It was now impossible for her to return to the sea but she had no-one to care for her on the land. At least the young man appeared to be kind and promised to look after her, so she agreed to become his bride. She became a good and faithful wife; she appeared to be happy with her husband and she delighted at the children she bore for him.
Then one day when her husband was away fishing, the children were playing in the garden shed when they made a most unusual discovery. They uncovered from amongst all the garden tools, fishing equipment and other paraphernalia, something that looked like an old leather coat. ‘Mummy, what’s this?’ the eldest one asked. Immediately she saw it, the mermaid recognised her lost tail. It had been hidden from her by her husband who knew that she would never have ventured down to the dirty old garden shed.
For the rest of the day the mermaid remained quiet and thoughtful. Then just before her man was due home from the sea, she gathered her children together, hugged each one in turn, gave to them all a mother’s tender kiss and bade them a tearful farewell. With a last wave of the hand, she hurried down towards the shore. The children did not understand but thought that she must be going to meet their father as his boat came in.
When the fisherman returned home, his house was cold and dark and his children were crying. At once he rushed to the shed; but it was too late; his wife taken back her tail, regained her true form and gone back to her home in the sea. Neither the fisherman nor his children ever saw her again. Sometimes as they watched the dolphins at play in the sea at Balintore, they imagined that their mermaid wife and mother might be among them. But it was not to be. She had gone for ever. Yet, their family was blessed with safety and good fortune at sea for many generations after.”
I visited The Mermaid whilst driving the NC500 , I like the use of the long exposure to highlight her in all her glory
Such a lovely post. I love your otherworldly photo of 'The Mermaid of the North' and the recanting of the tale. I need to add Balintore to my list of places to visit in Scotland.