The Wild Merman of Orford

“Men fishing in the sea caught in their nets a wild man.” Ralph of Coggeshall

The beautiful Suffolk seaside town of Orford boasts the stunning sands of the Ness, a fine Mediaeval castle and the ancient tale of a Wild Man or Merman.  Tales of Wild Men exist the world over, from the Himalayas are the tales of the Yeti, in Arctic Scandinavia is the Snömannen and in Scotland there are tales of the Fear Liath. Such Wild Men are usually associated with remote, mountainous areas where many mythical creatures, both big and small are still said to live.  Others are thought to be apparitions of the Wild Men of the Woods, akin to the ancient archetypes of the Green Man, the Lord of the Wildwood, Robin Goodfellow or Robin of the Green.  What makes the Orford Wild Man different is that he came out of the sea. 

The coastal areas of East Anglia are rich in myth and folk magic.  Over the years many villages have been lost to the sea and many of their church bells are still said to sound, calling spirits or lost sailors to their deaths. Many strange and eerie things have been pulled from the waters around East Anglia, such as strange and interesting fossil remains from when there was once a land bridge rather than sea between East Anglia and Europe where exotic and now extinct creatures roamed freely. In times past these fossils were thought to show the existence of monsters and dragons.

In the late 12^th century, sometime between 1167 and 1187, during the reign of Henry II, fishermen from the port of Orford brought up from the sea a very strange catch indeed. In one of their nets they found not a catch of fish, but a very strange looking man. A Chronicler of the time, Ralph of Coggeshall, recorded this strange event in his Chronicon Anglicanum. He noted that the Wild Merman “Was naked and was like a man… covered with hair and with a long shaggy beard.” What is missing from Ralph’s description is the presence of the classic fish tail that would usually be associated with Mermen; in fact Ralph later refers to the man as having feet.  Artistic representations of the Wild Merman, which were created after the event show him as having webbed hands and feet and then in more recent times he has gained the classic fish tail (or even two fish tails).

The fact that the man came from the sea and could swim would have no doubt scared the people of the time.  To the superstitious Mediaeval mind the sea was something to be revered and feared.  Those who worked on the sea at the time could not swim and made no effort to learn, because those who could swim were considered to be in league with the Devil, which is why many believed in “swimming” Witches.  At the time some believed that the Wild Man was the Devil himself, others that he was a French spy, some said he was the spirit of a dead fisherman who was lost at sea, but the idea that lingered in the imagination and legends of the locale was that he was a Merman because he was dragged from the sea.

The Wild Merman was taken into St Bartholomew’s Church in Orford, where Roger recorded that he “showed no signs of reverence or belief.”  Then the mysterious Wild Man was taken, and imprisoned in Orford Castle by the custodian Bartholomew de Gladville. Anxious to learn more about where the Merman had come from and who he was, he was repeatedly questioned. The Wild Merman could not speak words; only communicate via grunts and other “strange” noises. De Gladville even had the Merman tortured to try and make him speak, it made no difference. His lack of speech reinforced the idea that the man was wild and not of this earth.

At no point is the Wild Merman described as violent, in fact he seems to have been very mild-mannered.  When it came to feeding the man from the sea Ralph wrote, “He eagerly ate whatever was brought to him, but if it was raw he pressed it between his hands until all the juice was expelled.”  While many Mermen and mermaids are said to be most active at night, under the light of the stars and the silvery moon, the Wild Merman “Sought his bed at sunset and always remained there until sunrise.”  

The Wild Merman was eventually allowed to return to the sea, guarded by three nets and watched by guards from the castle.  The nets proved useless as the Merman escaped them easily.  However he returned with his guards several times before getting fed up with the situation and escaping for good.  The Merman of Orford was never seen again, though some say his ghost haunts the castle.

The legend of the Wild Merman of Orford has been carefully tended and passed on along the Suffolk Coast.  Church fonts in the area often feature wild men type figures, perhaps in remembrance of him.  Prayer mats in St Bartholomew’s Church in Orford still show the Merman and one local fishing company proudly displays his image as their logo, though he has gained the classic fish tail of the merman.  As a child I visited Orford and was fascinated by the legend of the Merman.  I used to gaze out to sea in the hope of seeing him or one of his descendants and on my most recent trip to research this article, again I looked out over the still blue waters for a sign of him... 

Sources:
Wild Man of Orford by Allan Drummond with woodcuts by James Dodds
Suffolk Tales: Wild Man of Orford Pt.1by Shirley J. Bignall
Chronicon Anglicanumby Ralph of Coggeshall