Mermaid of Loch Slin

nature_spirit water Highlands single tradition · 1

The Mermaid of Loch Slin is a tall woman standing in the water knocking clothes on a stone with a bludgeon. She was seen on a Sabbath morning by a maiden from Cromarty. Shortly following the appearance of this figure, the roof of Fearn Abbey collapsed during worship service, burying the congregation in debris and killing thirty-six people.

When

First attested
1742 CE
Attested period
1742 – 1742
Historical notes
The abbey roof collapsed in 1742, with the death toll reckoned at nearly fifty.

Relationships

co occurs with
bean-nighe, mnathan-nighe

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

wikipedia (1)

Source passages

“One popular Highland story connected with the washing of death shrouds regards the so-called "Mermaid of Loch Slin". A maiden from Cromarty was walking along a path by the side of this loch one Sabbath morning, and after turning a corner she saw a tall woman standing in the water "knocking claes" (clothes) on a stone with a bludgeon.”

#5875 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001