Mermaid of Zennor

The Mermaid of Zennor,
by John Reinhard Weguelin (1900)

The Mermaid of Zennor (Cornish: An Vorvoren a Senar) is a Cornish folk tale which originates in the village of Zennor. The legend tells the story of a mysterious woman who occasionally attended the parish church of Zennor; a young man followed her home one day, and neither were seen again. One Sunday, a mermaid appeared to a group of local sailors, asking that they raise their anchor to let her enter her home, and the villagers concluded that she was the same woman who had attended their church. The legend is associated with a carved bench-end in the church, which depicts a mermaid.