DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70267#0058
42
CURIOUS ACCOUNT
upper part of their bodies ; and this is a favorite dish with
the Indians, broiled upon a gridiron.
Our author proceeds thus :—As I may safely give credit
to this person, namely, the Rev. Mr. Peter Angel, whois
still living, and minister of the parish of Vand-Elvens
Speld, on Sundmoer, I shall relate what he assured me of
last year, when I was on my visitation journey. He says,
that in the year 1719, (he being then about twenty years
old), along with several other inhabitants of Alstahoug in
Norland, saw what is called a mer-man, lying dead on a
point of land near the sea, which had been cast ashore by the
waves, along with several sea-calves, and other dead fish.
The length of this creature was much greater than what
has been mentioned of any before; namely, above three
fathoms. It was of a dark grey colour all over; in the
lower part it was like a fish, and had a tail like that of the
porpesse. The face resembled that of a man, with a mouth,
forehead, eyes, &c. The nose was flat, and as it were, pressed
down to the face, in which the nostrils have ever been visi-
ble. The breast was not far from the head ; the arms
seemed to hang by the side, to which they were joined by
a thin skin or membrane. The hands were, to appearance,
like the paws of a sea-calf. The back of this creature was
very fat, and a great part of it was cut off, which, with the
liver, yielded a large quantity of train oil. That this crea-
ture, which is reckoned among the whale kind, is a fish of
prey, and lives upon the smaller sort, may be concluded,
from what Mr. Luke Debes relates, in his description of
Faroe. He tells us that they have there seen a mer-maid
with fish which she held in her hand. The words are in
p. 171, as follows -There was also seen in 1670, at Faroe,
westward of Quelboe Eide by many of the inhabitants, as
also by others from different parts of Suderoe, a mer-maid
close to the shore. She stood there two hours and a half,
and was up to the navel in water ; she had long hair on her
head,
CURIOUS ACCOUNT
upper part of their bodies ; and this is a favorite dish with
the Indians, broiled upon a gridiron.
Our author proceeds thus :—As I may safely give credit
to this person, namely, the Rev. Mr. Peter Angel, whois
still living, and minister of the parish of Vand-Elvens
Speld, on Sundmoer, I shall relate what he assured me of
last year, when I was on my visitation journey. He says,
that in the year 1719, (he being then about twenty years
old), along with several other inhabitants of Alstahoug in
Norland, saw what is called a mer-man, lying dead on a
point of land near the sea, which had been cast ashore by the
waves, along with several sea-calves, and other dead fish.
The length of this creature was much greater than what
has been mentioned of any before; namely, above three
fathoms. It was of a dark grey colour all over; in the
lower part it was like a fish, and had a tail like that of the
porpesse. The face resembled that of a man, with a mouth,
forehead, eyes, &c. The nose was flat, and as it were, pressed
down to the face, in which the nostrils have ever been visi-
ble. The breast was not far from the head ; the arms
seemed to hang by the side, to which they were joined by
a thin skin or membrane. The hands were, to appearance,
like the paws of a sea-calf. The back of this creature was
very fat, and a great part of it was cut off, which, with the
liver, yielded a large quantity of train oil. That this crea-
ture, which is reckoned among the whale kind, is a fish of
prey, and lives upon the smaller sort, may be concluded,
from what Mr. Luke Debes relates, in his description of
Faroe. He tells us that they have there seen a mer-maid
with fish which she held in her hand. The words are in
p. 171, as follows -There was also seen in 1670, at Faroe,
westward of Quelboe Eide by many of the inhabitants, as
also by others from different parts of Suderoe, a mer-maid
close to the shore. She stood there two hours and a half,
and was up to the navel in water ; she had long hair on her
head,