Ben Varrey and the apple tree at the edge of the tide
By Ralf Ittermann · last reviewed on
Ben Varrey is a spirit of Celtic (Manx) tradition.
Those who treat her well are rewarded with good fortune and warning. The tale recalls an apple tree standing at the edge of the tide, marking where she rewards kindness.
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
Source Context
Period of the Texts
Documented since 1891 by Moore, supplemented in 1929 by Gill.
Area of Diffusion
Isle of Man: setting of the storm warning and apple tree tale.
Sources
Solid: the collections of Moore and Gill, supplemented by Morrison.
Name and variants
Manx: Ben Varrey means ‘woman of the sea’, from ben, woman, and varrey, genitive of mooir, sea.
Appearance and character
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.
Profile: Ben Varrey
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.
Alluring song, but also storm warnings and fishing luck as thanks.
Kind treatment instead of a warding ritual.
Storm warning and apple tree
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).
Insular identity and reciprocity
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.
Reciprocity instead of a banishing spell
Mermaids of the islands compared
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.
Frequently asked questions about the Ben Varrey
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.
Literature (selection)
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.
