Tuesday, November 25, 2008

BEN VARREY - FISHY MERMAID TALE!


My World
Ben Varrey in Ramsey Harbour


Recently I stopped by one of my regular blog stops only to find the Ben Varrey, the ship above was docked in their harbour in Barrow. I had noticed it had left Ramsey Harbour but no idea where it had gone so thank you Enitharmon for posting the ship. Where though does the Ben Varrey get it's very unusual name? Back to the island myth and legend.


Ben Varrey is the Manx(Manx is the language of the the Isle Of Man) name for a Mermaid. Ben Varrey was a bit of a naughty mermaid. A beautiful mermaid she used to lure sailors to their death around the Isle of Man by the ususal method of the siren's song in the pursuit, whereupon the Ben Varrey would collect her shiny jewels and any more form the shipwrecks. Naughty mermaid!


I did look for Ben Varrey, but I couldn't see her. Instead I give you the cargo ship that is named after her and owned by The Ramsey Steam Ship Company. The Red Cross you see is the companies symbol. The Ben Varrey is a working ship, as Ramsey is still a working harbour. It's a cargo ship carrying mainly grain and bale around the Irish Sea and near Continenent trade. No jewels though, which is perhaps why it's namesake the Ben Varrey, mermaid doesn't bother with her, no precious shiny jewels.


Like to see the Ben Varrey in Barrow click the HERE.


For more my entries click MY WORLD and thank the skywatch gang once again for another inspired idea.

82 comments:

Leslie: said...

What a beautiful place! This would make an awesome Skywatch Friday photo, too! :D

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. Have a great week.

Buck said...

This might qualify as the most unusual and informative mermaid photo ever!

 gmirage said...

I love those swans (?) in line and how the clouds seem to be running in that blue sky! Perfect!!!

Anonymous said...

That's a breathtaking shot. So beautiful. Interesting to learn about the mermaid.

Sylvia K said...

It is indeed a beautiful shot! And I love the mermaid story. Really fun and beautiful post! Thank you!

kuanyin333 said...

People often comment I look like a mermaid because of my long, blond hair and give me mermaid theed gifts....thus, I really like mermaid stories. :-) I hadn't read this one before, so mahalo for sharing.

Tanya Breese said...

Beautiful colors! And fascinating story :)

imac said...

Very enjoyable post and story about your Mermaid.

Maybe I know where she is now.lol.see my prev post.

Anonymous said...

Nice story.Beautiful ship.
Great seaside World.

Leora said...

My daughter would have loved a pic of the mermaid, but I love that blue sky and water. With the little geese all lined up.

Pernille said...

Wow, what a beautiful place! If there have been mountais it could look like Norway. But we dont have mermaids. We have a beautiful women in the woods who is so very nice looking and sing so beautifully that all the men who sees or hear her have to follow her into the swamps and drown.

Very interesting to read about your mermaid. Beautiful photo as well:)

PS: The Angle og the North is beautiful. She could be a very nice girlfriend to our lonley Havmann;)

Have a nice week:)

bangkoknik said...

Nice shot and interesting story - I look forward to more! By the way, I've put a link from my blog to here to keep up with the latest posts. Have fun!

Anonymous said...

I think mermaids were cruel ladies! :-) So I prefer Ben Varrey in form of a ship! :-) Very beautiful photo especially with an adorable blue sky!

Have a nice Tuesday!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Babooshka: Why does a mermaid have a guys name, inquiring minds want to know.

Anonymous said...

I was thinking the same as Leslie. A great Sky Watch picture! Very picturesque!

I should have mentioned it in my post, but our river hasn't frozen over yet.

Anonymous said...

Likewise I think this could be a great Skywatch image.....Thanks for a great photo and brilliant srory of which I had never heard before......Fishing guy.....the name Ben in Manx isn't the name of a man it means Woman

Jeanne said...

Beautiful picture and very interesting story. Funny 'Ben Varrey' doesn't sound like a beautiful woman.

shaker said...

Great colours and composition !

Jane Hards Photography said...

It's the Manx language for you fishing guy. Ben Varrey just transalastes as mermaid. st confusing that the Ben part just happens to me a man's name. I know funny sland, funny language.

Anonymous said...

Fun to hear the local legends. I was hoping for a tie-in to the swans in the photo.

david mcmahon said...

That blue is simply stunning.

magiceye said...

beautiful tale and lovely pic!

Anonymous said...

Great shot and I really enjoyed the story that accompanied it.
Nice post. :-)

Anonymous said...

Are you still doing this blog? Why?

SandyCarlson said...

Thanks for that wonderful story. I love the legend. Sex and stuff--the two ways to a man's heart. What a wise woman she was, all the same.

Gaelyn said...

Thanks for sharing the island's myth and legend.

Baruch said...

That is such a beautiful pictures and I love the story about Ben Varrey

Benjamin Madison said...

Beautiful photo - the swans really make it - and very interesting text.

George Townboy said...

Awesome photo and great story to go along with it!

Mojo said...

That sky looks like it was painted that way... just gorgeous.

And who doesn't love a good sea story? Well played sir!

PJ said...

I think this is succint statement about the nature of displacement, one of my favorite laws of nature to ponder. How can all those different things all float I ask?
Thanks for stopping by and for your nice comment.

Indrani said...

Interesting story of the mermaid. Lovely shot!

Jim Klenke said...

That ship gets around. I really like your pic today, very crisp.

Neva said...

I have not heard about this mermaid story....very good...

Olivier said...

bonne photo, avec les oiseaux et ton ciel si beau (je sais pas comment tu fais pour avoir un ciel si magnifique)

Carletta said...

Always so informative; and I must say I enjoyed this one immensely.
Lovely photo to accompany it.

alicesg said...

Very beautiful scenery. It looked like a painting and the swans are a bonus to the photo.

raf said...

Always enjoy a good fish story, Boo, and this is a pretty good yarn. Great harbor shot too! Those scudding clouds you captured so well here really set off the blue sky.

indicaspecies said...

Nice story on Ben Varrey, and a splendid shot!

- celine
http://indicainq8.wordpress.com

me ann my camera said...

Beautiful sky and white birds (gulls, geese), you have a world with much beauty.

MumbaiiteAnu said...

Beautiful sky in the picture with the ship. Wonderful mermaid story.
Thank you for sharing.

Gemma Wiseman said...

So love your stories behind the photos! This is a very unusual one! Great shot!

J.C. said...

What a calming scene!! I love the fluffy clouds, blue water and of course the swans!! I can imagine myself spending a whole Sunday afternoon enjoying such a scenic sight!

Anonymous said...

I love learning about legends like that -- and it's a nice looking ship, too!

Webradio said...

Beautiful Babooshka !

The swans (?) are so pretty near the boats...

MurciaDailyPhoto said...

It's a beautiful and sadly story of the mermaid.

virtualjourney said...

Lovely photo and mermaid tale - never visited IOM must call in sometime!

Suffeli kuvailee said...

beautiful place and photo!!
have a nice week!!

Pat said...

Gee, a mermaid named "Ben!" ;<)
Informative post, and I like the way the swans are lined up, too.

Unknown said...

Beautiful composition! The horizontal clouds are amazing.

angela said...

A lovely harbour scene. I like the swans too..

??? said...

Interesting post, I enjoyed the mermaid legend.

Small City Scenes said...

Great shot and neat story. You always have the most interesting stories to go with the photos. MB

Small City Scenes said...

I googled Ben Varrey and Ramsey Daily Photo showed up. You are famous. MB

Stacey Olson said...

What a very cool place you live. I love legends passed down through time. I love to listen to them and think of how the peoples that made them looked at life. Thanks for sharing

Anonymous said...

Ah those alluring mermaids.Wonderful photo.
A comment to anonymous...Put an identity to your comments so we can reply to you!

Paul Godin said...

Nice shot and story. Love the blue sky.

Anonymous said...

Great post, love the shot! Sailors best beware the mermaid ;-)

Raquel Sabino Pereira said...

LOL!... Great choice indeed!!! (thanks for your comment... I needed that...)

Anonymous said...

I am your photo a nice view the Congratulate.

Jilly said...

Fascinating story and so much going on in the photograph. That sky, the sea, the boats and the ducks, no less. are they ducks? Superb photo.

Virginia said...

B.
Glad to see your Isle again. Thanks for your comments while I was in Paris. IT's good to get around and see my friends here today.
Best,
V

Lilli & Nevada said...

What a beautiful setting, love the scenery here.

And thanks for stopping by my blog, and to tell ya it was the first light house i have ever been in as well, and it was exciting to see how it worked. I guess there are some that you can't go in, but i am looking forward to going to see others.

Anonymous said...

Love to see all that blueness against our white - grey landscape and sky!
Thanks to you and thank you also for your visit my blog!

istanbuldailyphoto said...

Be There i would like. Greetings.

JAMJARSUPERSTAR said...

Ooh, lovely. Doesn't really look like anywehre in the UK or it might just be my eyes lol!
Ciao

Scarlet x

Shawn said...

What a great tale!

Best to you and this blog, which is currently featured on my own.

:--)

Cloudia said...

Beautiful! aloha-

Bergson said...

A colored story

Hilary said...

Very interesting post and an incredibly clear blue sky. Here from David's.

Suz Broughton said...

Another interesting and informative post. I love the photo as well.

Anonymous said...

I love the swans in the foreground (are they swans? Ducks? whatever) - they look like they're origami birds!

Louise said...

A naughty mermaid indeed, but that harbour is beautiful!

Bevson said...

I love the story of the mermaid and the photo of the beautiful harbor.

The Good Life in Virginia said...

enjoyed your post and the photo was beautiful.
thanks for sharing.

Troop 1309 said...

Very nice photo. I loved reading the folklore.

A Blog In The Rough said...

very beautiful place, I love the lined up ducks too :)

Knoxville Girl said...

Beautiful shot with mirrored intense blues, and the line of swans draws my eye towards the ship.
Ben Varrey sounds like a cigar-chomping stand-up comic, can't reconcile that image with a mermaid.

Ken Mac said...

absolutely 3D with that sky and those ducks in the foreground...

Anonymous said...

what a great view in the shot! thanks for sharing

Kitty said...

wow, very pretty sky and harbor
it looks so sunny there but I imagine it's cold, too?

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