Huldrefjord
Merman
NorskHavmann
- Names
- merman, merlad
- Habitat
- mostly under the sea, but sometimes near the shore, around rocky outcrops, or at the skerries
- Danger level
- Low to moderate
Listen · 2:46
AI voice
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Where you find mermaids, you will often also find mermen, their male counterparts. Larger but easier to placate, they may even be a more welcome sight.
Appearance
Mermen have the upper body of an attractive, broad-shouldered, and golden-skinned man, and the lower body of a fish. They’re bigger than the average man, growing to the size of a walrus at their prime, and have long hair and thick beards. Often, they carry a harp with them, for they are talented musicians and singers.
Behavior
Most of the time, mermen prefer to lie on the shores and rocks in the sun, snoring so loudly they can be heard for miles. But they are capable of sinking ships and dragging sailors to a watery grave with their sheer size and strength. Their song has a hypnotizing effect, which can lead sailors astray and is thus a bad omen. A merman can be appeased, though, with food and drinks. Once in a good mood, the merman can warn of upcoming storms in gratitude. Mermen have also been known to help stranded sailors after a storm or shipwreck, but this goodwill is fleeting and unreliable.
Fairy tale
The Merman Warns of a Storm
There was once a man known as Swedish Anders. He had come from Sunnmøre but was now living on Hamarøy. One summer, he and his companions were fishing out on Storegga. They had a large Sunnmøre boat lying at anchor by its bowline, and the weather was fair.
All at once, a man rose from the sea, seized the gunwale, climbed aboard, and sat down on one of the thwarts. He looked like a man from the waist up, but below the belt, he was a fish. Then he began to shiver and tremble with cold.
This was in the days when long trousers were just coming into use. Among the crew was an old pilot. He wore knee breeches with a pair of long trousers over them. Taking off the long trousers, he helped the merman put them on. As soon as the merman was properly dressed, he plunged back into the sea and disappeared.
A little while later, however, he surfaced again beside the boat and called out:
“The sea is turning blue, the ocean dark as night.
Row for home, you man who gave the long trousers.”
At once, they hauled up the bowline and began rowing for shore. They had covered perhaps half the distance in calm weather when the storm broke. It was only by the narrowest margin that they managed to reach land safely. Many other boats were lost that day, and had they not listened to the merman’s warning, they likely would have perished as well.