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N R Scott
In: Middlesbrough
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I came across this yesterday on Wikipedia.
| A ceasg is a mermaid in Scottish mythology, a supernatural half-woman and half-grilse (salmon). It is also known in Scottish Gaelic as maighdean na tuinne ("maid of the wave") or maighdean mhara ("maid of the sea"). The ceasg is said to be able to grant three wishes to anyone that captures her. |
Mhara means sea and is probably the same as Mary or mer. Turn maighdean mhara around and you get mhara maighdean, which looks and sounds a little bit like Mary Magdalene.
In Tudor times mermaid was a euphemism for prostitute, Mary Queen of Scots was branded one. So there's the prostitute link as well. Also the name Mädelein in German means "little girl" apparently, another term for maid or maiden I suppose. So does Mary Magdalene mean sea-maid?? Or at the very least Mary Maiden - as opposed to Mary Magdala/Tower.
Also in French myth Magdalene comes to France from across the sea.
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N R Scott
In: Middlesbrough
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Also, going back to the topic of cockle shells and cockle bread, Madeleine cakes spring to mind - cakes cooked in the shape of a cockle shell. A fertility/Magdalene/sea link.
The figure of Maid Marian also comes to mind. Maybe another sea-maid variant.
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Ishmael
In: Toronto
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Brilliant
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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As you know, The Megalithic Empire claims that all Western(ish) religious practices stem from ... um ... The Megalithic Empire. Our latest discovery is that cormorants were the key to navigating the seas (via Venus Pools). The word 'cormorant' appears to be a contraction of cor(vid) = crow and moranis = of the sea. Literally sea-crows. Though whether this is Latin or not is a moot point.
The word mermaid, on its simplest construction, would appear to be mer (sea) + maid (maid). I see no need to involve Gaelic languages. Doubtless they borrowed from us (as did the Romans). Readers of TME will know all about the links between Mary Magdalen and Megalithia.
Now we need to forge a link between cormorants and mermaids.
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Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
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| N R Scott wrote: | I came across this yesterday on Wikipedia.
| A ceasg is a mermaid in Scottish mythology, a supernatural half-woman and half-grilse (salmon). It is also known in Scottish Gaelic as maighdean na tuinne ("maid of the wave") or maighdean mhara ("maid of the sea"). The ceasg is said to be able to grant three wishes to anyone that captures her. |
Mhara means sea and is probably the same as Mary or mer. Turn maighdean mhara around and you get mhara maighdean, which looks and sounds a little bit like Mary Magdalene.
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Mhara looks like Moira=fate
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Chad
In: Ramsbottom
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| Mick Harper wrote: | | Now we need to forge a link between cormorants and mermaids. |
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Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
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| N R Scott wrote: |
The figure of Maid Marian also comes to mind. |
I am struggling with the mermaid/gaelic link.
The Robin Hood= Jesus works brilliantly
King Richard= Kingdom of God
Protects the poor= Helps the poor.
Little John=John the Bapist. (meet and fight at River become friends)
Normans= Romans
Merrie men= Disciples
Maid Marion= Mary Magdalene.
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Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
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| N R Scott wrote: | I came across this yesterday on Wikipedia.
| A ceasg is a mermaid in Scottish mythology, a supernatural half-woman and half-grilse (salmon). It is also known in Scottish Gaelic as maighdean na tuinne ("maid of the wave") or maighdean mhara ("maid of the sea"). The ceasg is said to be able to grant three wishes to anyone that captures her. | |
Numbers and waves in Irish folklore often come together. I suspect sea travelers counted waves, as a way of judging the strength/pull of tides.
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Hatty
Site Admin
In: Berkshire
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Cormorants nest on Burgh Island (only the owner of the hotel knows where though my guess would be 'Cormorant Corner', not shown on maps).
It also has a Mermaid Pool.
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N R Scott
In: Middlesbrough
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| Wile E. Coyote wrote: | | Merrie men= Disciples |
Apparently Merrymaids was an old English name for Mermaids.
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Ishmael
In: Toronto
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| Wile E. Coyote wrote: | | The Robin Hood= Jesus works brilliantly |
Dudes. Ya'll are blowin my mind.
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Hatty
Site Admin
In: Berkshire
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Caught the tail end of a TV programme last night talking about St Helen and discovered she was supposed to be a reformed prostitute who then became almost synonymous with Mary. I think they meant Mary the mother of Jesus but it sounded like a reworked Mary Magdalene figure and I wondered if Magdalene and Helen are complementary, the Mary bit perhaps referring to the sea. Heol in Welsh means way or route and the Welsh Elen is associated with overland road-building.
Magdalene is claimed to denote a native of the city of Magdala which is probably the usual kind of back-tracking explanation for a mythical character. A migdal, or tower, is a landmark feature often incorporated into church spires; indeed the triangulation method of measuring distances relies on locating such high points.
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Ishmael
In: Toronto
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Is "Magdalene" pronounced Maud-Helen?
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Hatty
Site Admin
In: Berkshire
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Magdalene College is Mawd-lin at both Cambridge and Oxford. The reason given for the unusual pronunciation is that Oxbridge colleges use posh i.e. French diction.
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Boreades
In: finity and beyond
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Magdala.
Are we on a pub crawl again?
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