Ben Varrey is a spirit of Celtic (Manx) tradition.
Those who treat her well are rewarded with good fortune and warning.
The Ben Varrey is the mermaid of the Isle of Man, half woman, half fish. Her name means ‘woman of the sea’ in Manx.
Moore described her in 1891 as loving and gentle, yet terrible in anger: she rewards kindness with storm warnings or fishing luck.
Type: mermaid, half woman, half fish
Origin: Manx tradition
Texts: Moore 1891, Gill 1929
Period: documented since 1891
Appearance: combs her hair in moonlight
Documented since 1891 by Moore, supplemented in 1929 by Gill.
Isle of Man: setting of the storm warning and apple tree tale.
Solid: the collections of Moore and Gill, supplemented by Morrison.
Manx: Ben Varrey means ‘woman of the sea’, from ben, woman, and varrey, genitive of mooir, sea.
Appearance
Half woman, half fish, she combs her hair in the moonlight and flees into the water as soon as people approach.
Effect
With her song she lures fishermen into danger, but rewards kindness with warning or good fortune.
Features of the Manx mermaid at a glance.
Manx tradition, documented by Moore in 1891 and Gill in 1929.
Men and fishermen who encounter her on the shore.
Half woman, half fish, combs her hair in moonlight.
In the storm-warning tale, a fisherman frees a captured Ben Varrey; in thanks, she warns him of a storm. In the apple-tree tale, a fisherman plants her a tree on the shore and receives fishing secrets.
Attested by Moore (1891) and Gill (1929).
The Ben Varrey is part of Manx identity, retold by Morrison and Killip.
From a religious-studies perspective, she is an ambivalent sea being: her benevolence mirrors the reciprocity ethic of coastal communities.
The Ben Varrey belongs to the mermaid type, like the Breton Marie Morgane. More closely related to her are the Irish Merrow and the Selkie.
Is the Ben Varrey good or evil?
Both: she lures with song into danger, but rewards kindness with warnings and good fortune.
What does the name mean?
‘Woman of the sea’ in Manx; her male counterpart is the Dooinney-varrey.
Further standard works in the bibliography.
Those seeking the Ben Varrey mermaid find a Manx mermaid of a dual nature: she lures fishermen, yet rewards kindness with storm warnings and fishing luck.
Against its influence, cross-cultural tradition names these protective means:
Compare in the Protection Compass →Recommended protective means
The simplest protective means in this collection: 41 layers of fine gold 999, platinum, silver and silicon, manufactured in Ruhla, Thuringia. It requires no activation, is bound to no person, and is effective within a radius of around 50 meters, even without being worn.
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