Mermaid Crest

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I’ve added a mermaid avatar. I hope that this particular example is not too risqué.

The crest is from the arms of the Irish Family O’Broin (Byrne).
I notice that one of the Clan Murray crests is also a mermaid.

Might this signify that a prominent member of the families was a seafarer?
Or is it a caution against the vice of vanity?
Are mermaids a successor to the Homeric Sirens?

Are there any other clans or families that use the mermaid?

I’d like to have a mermaid kilt pin.
You would think that mermaid pins would be easy to find on the internet.
Well yes and no.
Most of them are not of the “comb and mirror” variety.
Any leads would be appreciated.

More than 50 families use this version of an heraldic mermaid as their crest-- the heraldic significance attributed to the mermaid is ELOQUENCE. From earliest times the "sirens song", a deceptively alluring plea or appeal, has been credited with changing the hearts and minds of men-- often to their detriment.

The mirror symbolizes TRUTH-- there is no escaping that the mermaid sees herself as she is, disheveled hair and all.

So what does the crest mean? Well, I think you can rule out the sea fairing premise, as well as a warning against vice and vanity. Taken as a whole the crest says: Fair words can not hide the truth.

As to the figure on the IRISH HARP-- I'm sorry to say that it's not a mermaid (or "Sheillah", either) it is Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. After Irish independence the Nike harp was replaced on the official Arms of the State by the "Brian Boru" harp currently used (and protected internationally by copyright).

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

How could a seafaring clan like the Macdonalds chose a fish for their shield over a mermaid?

The "fish" in the M'Donald arms is a salmon, revered as sacred in ancient times and representing knowledge. So now you know.

[Larry124]

More than 50 families use this version of an heraldic mermaid as their crest-- the heraldic significance attributed to the mermaid is ELOQUENCE. From earliest times the "sirens song", a deceptively alluring plea or appeal, has been credited with changing the hearts and minds of men-- often to their detriment.

The mirror symbolizes TRUTH-- there is no escaping that the mermaid sees herself as she is, disheveled hair and all.

So what does the crest mean? Well, I think you can rule out the sea fairing premise, as well as a warning against vice and vanity. Taken as a whole the crest says: Fair words can not hide the truth.

As to the figure on the IRISH HARP-- I'm sorry to say that it's not a mermaid (or "Sheillah", either) it is Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. After Irish independence the Nike harp was replaced on the official Arms of the State by the "Brian Boru" harp currently used (and protected internationally by copyright).

Thank you!
And the comb symbolizes...?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

... and a comb is just a comb. There doesn't seem to by any specific symbolism represented by the comb, although you could stretch the point to suggest that untangling the hair is yet another attempt to deceive, to change the way others perceive the mermaid. You could also argue that it is an attempt on the part of the mermaid to improve her appearance, and by extension, improve herself in the spiritual sense.

While heraldry is often concerned with allegory, it is also deeply concerned with symmetry, and since the mermaid has two hands, using a comb while she looks into the mirror makes sense as it provides balance and symmetry to the design.

The basic allegorical statement implied by your avatar is that you should try to be both eloquent and truthful in your speech.

Oh yeah... and comb your hair before you go to work.

[gilmore]

You are in luck.

While neither are the same as your avatar, there are two mermaid pins on Ebay at the moment:

http://cgi.ebay.com/MERMAID-Pirate-C...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/MERMAID-Pirate-C...QQcmdZViewItem

[Larry124]

...The basic allegorical statement implied by your avatar is that you should try to be both eloquent and truthful in your speech.

Of course. I always am. :crap: (There goes truthfulness out the window. Elephants too.)
Thanks again.

[SportBilly]

As a Murray, I've got an certain interest in Mermaids (actually I had a passing interest long before discovering the Clan Crest). I can understand the 'Truth' allegory that the mirror might suggest, but I've always seen Mermaids portrayed as beautiful creatures sitting on rocks combing their luscious blonde tresses while gazing at their own reflection. Seems a little more vain than truthful to me!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

There is nothing in mermaid lore about vanity. All the myths center around their "song", hence the allusion to eloquence. If a herald wanted to suggest vanity he would do so using the figure of a woman with the mirror turned away from her (thus to reflect even more of her beauty for those who behold her).

[SportBilly]

I wasn't suggesting vanity was part of the lore or that the heraldic explanation was wrong. I was saying what the classical description of Mermaids suggested to me

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Well, taking off my tabard for a moment, I'd pretty much agree with you... to me there has always seemed to be a latent vanity in the mermaid mythos-- a sort of deep sub-text that (I believe) only becomes more obvious in the visual iconography.

But like I said earlier, "sometimes a cigar is only... a mermaid?"