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Merrow are an aquatic Fae descended from Amphitrite and claimed by Titania. They first appear in One Salt Sea.

About[]

Merrow live in saltwater, especially the Undersea oceans. Merrow are the dominant rulers of Undersea and have been compared to the Daoine Sidhe in terms of fae hierarchy.[1]

Appearance[]

Merrow are essentially mermaids, though comparisons to The Little Mermaid should be made with care.[2] They have the head and torso of a human, the pointed ears of most fae, and the tail of a fish. They can turn their tails into human legs to walk on land, but it takes effort and some Merrow may choose to travel by wheelchair when visiting the land fae. When they transform, they become instantly dry.[1]

Abilities[]

Culture[]

  • The culture of the Undersea seems to be somewhat more violent in nature than that of most land fae. Titles are won and kept by strength and conquest.[3]
  • Unlike the land fae, the people of the undersea do not use elf-shot.[2]
  • In the event of a death, the phrase “The sea will rock their bones in the cradle of the currents” is used as a comfort to the grieving.[citation needed]
  • Merrow interactions with their Firstborn are divided into two categories. One of them is that they instinctively physically assault their Firstborn. Another one is that the shock of seeing her causes them to faint. Amphitrite assumed the Merrow who are predisposed to fainting had been almost bred out.[3]

Characters[]

Dianda Lorden[]

Dianda is able to shift between bipedal and tailed form at will, and she has gills and scales even in her human form.[4] On land, she likes to fight by jumping at her enemies in her two legged form, then transforming and using her very muscular tail to beat her opponents senseless.[5] Often on land, she will opt to travel in a wheelchair rather than waste her strength on tenuous legs.[6][7]

She inherited the Duchy of Saltmist from her father but now holds it by might and combat with challengers.[8][9] Like most Merrow, she is hot-tempered and quick to solve disputes with violence. She also has storm powers.[citation needed]

Diana is a frequent visitor to the Kingdom in the Mists, especially since her son took leadership of the County of Goldengreen.

Peter Lorden (mixed-blood)[]

Peter is half Merrow, half Daoine Sidhe. He favors his Merrow heritage with a tail that gradates in color from slate gray at the hips to silvery-white at the flukes.[1] He has not shown the ability or comfort to shift to bipedal form.

Dean Lorden (mixed-blood)[]

Dean is half Merrow, half Daoine Sidhe. He favors his Daoine Sidhe heritage and must use the same potions as his father Patrick Lorden to survive underwater.[1]

Torin of Bluefish[]

Torin is Dianda's estranged brother. He attempts to prevent the return of the Roane under orders by Evening in the guise a coup of Saltmist, but fails and is banished by his Firstborn.[9]

Morcan of Saltmist[]

Dianda's father groomed her as his successor. When he dies, she becomes duchess of Saltmist.[8]

In Mythology[]

Merrow is a transliteration of Irish morúadh or murrúghach, which reconciles into muir "sea" + oigh "maid".

The merrow-maiden is like the commonly stereotypical mermaid: half-human, a gorgeous woman from waist up, and fish-like waist down, her lower extremity "covered with greenish-tinted scales" (according to O'Hanlon). She has green hair which she fondly groom with her comb. She exhibits slight webbing between her fingers, which were white and delicate like "the skin between egg and shell"

Said to be of "modest, affectionate, gentle, and [benevolent] disposition," the merrow is believed "capable of attachment to human beings," with reports of inter-marriage.[12] Patrick Kennedy reported such a marriage in Bantry, producing descendants marked by "scaly skin" and "membrane between fingers and toes". But after some "years in succession" they will almost inevitably return to the sea, their "natural instincts" irresistibly overcoming any love-bond they may have formed with their terrestrial family. And to prevent her acting on impulse, her cohuleen druith (or "little magic cap") must be kept "well concealed from his sea-wife," so advises Kennedy.

Merrows wear a special hat called a cohuleen druith, which enables them to dive beneath the waves. If they lose this cap, it is said that they will lose their power to return beneath the water. Merrow are also known to leave their outer skins behind, in order to transform into other beings more magical and beautiful.

Merrow-maidens have also been known to lure young men beneath the waves, where afterwards the men live in an enchanted state. While female merrow were considered to be very beautiful, the mermen were thought to be very ugly. This fact potentially accounted for the merrow's desire to seek

Most stories about merrow are about female creatures; however, some tales about mer-men do exist. In The Soul Cages, a merman captured the souls of drowned sailors and locked them in cages under the sea. While female merrow were considered to be very beautiful, the mermen were thought to be very ugly. This fact potentially accounted for the merrow's desire to seek out men on the land.

See Also[]

  • Daoine Sidhe: The Merrow's ruling equivalent among the land fae
  • Cephali: a type of sea fae that are octopus below the waist
  • Cetace: a type of sea fae that are shark below the waist
  • Lamia: a type of land fae often depicted as serpent below the waist

References[]

Gallery[]

Types of Fae (Browse All)
Creator
MaeveOberonTitania
Habitat
AirFireLandSea
Physiology
Animal FeaturesCreaturesShapeshiftersSkin-ShiftersWinged
Appeared in Series
AdheneAes SidheAfancAlmereBannickBansheeBaobhan SithBarghestBarrow WightBlodynbrydBogeyBridge TrollCait SidheCandelaCentaurCephaliCeryneian HindCetaceChangelingCoblynauCu SidheDaoine SidheDóchas SidheDopplegangerDryadEllyllonFetchFirstbornFollettiGean-CannahGlastigGremlinGwragenHamadryadHippocampusHobKelpieKitsuneLamiaMerrowManticoreNight-hauntPeriPixiePucaRaven-maidRedcapRoaneRose GoblinSatyrSelkieShyi ShuaiSileneSirenTuatha de DannanTylwyth TegUndine
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