Legend of the Mournful Mariner

Type:

Legend / sea-spirit folklore

Told in:

Port De Mona, on the Costadavorio coast of Umbrielle

What it is:

A sorrowful spirit or sea-creature said to haunt the bay

Its song:

A low, mournful wail heard on moonless nights, beautiful and haunting

Seen as:

By turns a dangerous cryptid and a guardian sent by the sea

The catch:

Hear its song and you must pray or place a coin under your tongue; never fish alone after dark

For generations, the people of Port De Mona have whispered of something in the depths of the bay. They call it the Mournful Mariner, after the sorrowful songs that carry across the water on moonless nights. It is said to stand as tall as two men, with shimmering scales and long tangled hair that floats like seaweed, and eyes that glow like lanterns as they watch the shore.

Fishermen swear they have glimpsed it beneath the waves, a dark shape that rises in the mist just before dawn. The old stories say it feeds on unwary sailors and drags whole boats down to the depths, and children are told to stay away from the docks after dark lest the Mariner snatch them up. The people of Port De Mona are a superstitious lot, and they regard it with a mix of fear and curiosity. Most treat it as a dangerous creature; others believe it a guardian set by the sea to watch over them. Fishermen who have lost loved ones to the water sometimes leave offerings at the shoreline to appease it.

Descriptions vary, but the most common is of a tall, gangly figure covered in scales that glisten like wet fish in the moonlight, with long matted hair like seaweed and elongated fingers tipped in sharp, shell-like claws. Its eyes glow blue in the dark, like twin lanterns under the waves. Some claim it has gills along its neck, marking it a creature of both land and sea. Its voice is a low wail that rises and falls with the tide, sometimes a dirge, sometimes a keening cry for help.

The legend is said to have begun generations ago, though no one can name its true start. The earliest stories speak of a sailor, captain of an ill-fated ship called The Star of Umbrielle, who died at sea under mysterious circumstances. Some say his crew mutinied, others that he was betrayed by a lover or cursed by a sea witch. Whatever the cause, his spirit was doomed to wander the waters of Port De Mona, unable to find peace. Over time the tale grew, and as more fishermen claimed to hear his song or glimpse a shadow below, the tragic sailor became a monster of the bay.

Scholars of the Bardic College of Umbrielle offer other theories:

A Manifestation of Grief — not one being at all, but the city's collective sorrow given form, born of the countless losses suffered at sea over the centuries.
An Ancient Curse — once a guardian of the bay, cursed by a sea spirit and twisted into a monster as punishment for some forgotten sin.
The Last of a Lost Race — the final survivor of an ancient sea-dwelling people who once lived near Port De Mona, seeking revenge for a wrong none can name.

The Disappearance of Captain Hadrin — fifty years ago a respected captain and his crew vanished on the voyage home; their ship was found drifting empty, the hull scored with claw-like gouges.
The Fisherman's Daughter — a grieving girl named Alaina waited nightly at the docks for a lost lover, then vanished; some swear they saw the Mariner embrace her before both slipped beneath the waves.
The Night of the Mists — ten years ago an unnatural fog wrecked ships in the harbor and left strange runes carved into their hulls, marks no scholar could read.

Never fish alone at night. The Mariner is said to take solitary fishermen, so locals work in pairs or groups after dark.
Offerings to the water. Before a voyage many leave a small gift at the shore, salted fish, a driftwood boat, even a strand of hair, to keep the Mariner at bay.
The Silver Bell of Safe Passage. Fragments of a silver bell said to have hung in The Star of Umbrielle's rigging pass down as family heirlooms; whoever carries a piece is thought safe from the Mariner's wrath.
The Mariner's Song. Those who hear it are said to be cursed with misfortune unless they at once offer a prayer to the sea gods or slip a coin under their tongue.
The Mariner's Mirror. Some believe the Mariner keeps a mirror of leviathan scales that shows the faces of those doomed to die at sea; a pale reflection glimpsed on the water is taken as a warning that it is watching.
Living with the legend. Parents use the Mariner to keep children off the dangerous docks, sailors spit over the side or murmur a prayer entering the harbor, and self-appointed monster hunters still patrol the water by night with harpoons and nets, so far in vain. Lately the tale draws curious travelers, too: merchants hawk carved statuettes and "protection charms," and the tavern called The Mariner's Rest fills with bards singing the legend.