Two Very Different Image's Today

We had a round trip of the west today.

We started at St Ives for a short while. I saw this when we were having a coffee.

The last place we stopped was Zennor for a cup of tea. We went into the church to have a look at the Mermaid which is carved on a small chair.

These are the words on the plaque above the chair

So why have a Mermaid in a Church?

Before the Christian era Mermaid's were one of the symbols for Aphrodite Goddess of the sea and of love. In one hand she held a quince (love apple) and in the other a comb. Later the quince was changed to a mirror, symbol of vanity and heartlessness.

In the middle ages, when Cornish Mystery plays were performed, the Mermaid was used as a symbol to explain the two natures of Christ. She was both human and fish, he was both man and God.

Mermaid frescoes are found in other Cornish Churches - Breage, Poughill and Altarnun - but Zennor is the only one with a carving.

The Mermaid reminds us that St. Senara also came by sea and founded a church at Zennor more than 1400 years ago.