Poetry · Chapter
Legend of the Corrievrechan explained
Prince Breacan of Denmark, a lord of both land and sea, seeks to marry the Maid of the Isles but is challenged by her father to anchor his ship for three nights in a dangerous whirlpool.
What happens
Prince Breacan of Denmark, a lord of both land and sea, seeks to marry the Maid of the Isles but is challenged by her father to anchor his ship for three nights in a dangerous whirlpool. Guided by wise women, he constructs a cable from hemp, wool, and maidens' hair, with the golden strand binding the others. After the hemp and wool break on the first two nights, the hair cable holds until the golden strand snaps on the third morning, and Breacan's ship is lost.
Themes in this chapter
Love as Ultimate Strength
Breacan's quest is driven by love for the Maid of the Isles, and the cable of maidens' hair—symbolizing love and sacrifice—holds longest against the whirlpool.
Suffering and Purification
Breacan endures three nights of storm and whirlpool, a trial that purifies his intent but ultimately leads to his loss.
Characters to notice
- Prince Breacan
The Danish prince who attempts to win the Maid of the Isles by anchoring in the Corrievrechan whirlpool.
- Maiden
The Maid of the Isles, sought by Prince Breacan, whose father sets the whirlpool challenge.
- Lord
The lord of the Western Isles, father of the Maid, who demands Breacan hold his ship in the whirlpool for three nights.
Key passages
“Make a cable of hemp and a cable of wool / And a cable of maidens’ hair, / And hie thee back to the roaring pool / And anchor in safety there.”
Construct a rope from hemp, wool, and maidens' hair, then return to the whirlpool to secure your ship.
The wise women's instructions for building the anchor cable.
“The golden strand in the cable stout / Was not all of maidens’ hair.”
The golden strand that broke was not made entirely of maidens' hair, implying a flaw in its composition.
The revelation that the golden strand's failure caused Breacan's doom.