The Magdalen Islands

Off the east coast of Canada, there are the Magdalen Islands (Îles de la Madeleine). Nowadays they are bright and vibrant but back in the day they were rugged and barren. They were inhospitable islands where plants struggled to take root, and wild storms often raged against the bleak rocks. Despite all of this, all kinds of birds flocked to the islands.

They could be seen flying circles and there were so many that their collective cries could be heard even during thunderstorms. Because of this, one of the islands earned the name “Isle of Birds” from a group of Jesuits who once landed there hundreds of years ago.

However, if there was no vegetation on these islands, why did birds flock to them? Some other folktales would have weird, fantastical reasons why these islands were popular with the birds. But the answer (actually) makes quite a lot of sense.

See, the waters surrounding the islands were full of fish. It was as if the Kingdom of the Fish existed below the waters and amongst them reigned the Lobster. There were many stories about the Lobster but the most popular one relates to how he used his power on a self indulgent Maiden who would become the Mermaid of the Magdalenes. Listen below or on any podcast website!

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The Mermaid of the Magdalenes

Our story begins long ago when people began to preserve fish in cans. The canned sardines were popular and shipped all over, so sellers charged high prices for the fish. Soon, greedy traders started overfishing in an attempt to make more money.

Sony Picture’s “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” features Swallow Falls which relies on the Sardine Industry

Overfishing: A Very Canadian Problem

The fish population shrunk drastically, mainly because the poor tiny fish had no way to defend themselves. In their despair, they asked the big fish if they could help them in their dire situation. The big fish felt they couldn’t ignore this plight, so they called a meeting of all the fish in the sea.

May Day Snack

Flashing forward to May Day, a merchant ship filled with cans of sardines was wrecked on the sunken rocks surrounding the islands. The water washed some of the cargo ashore, littering the beach with packaged fish. That same evening a fair maiden who lived on this island with her father was walking along the beach when she saw the canned fish. She became very excited by her new fishy prospects.

However, try as she might, she could not open the box. So instead of going home to look for tools to help her open this box, she did the next best thing and sang about her problems. She asked for all who heard her lament to help her open the box for her:

“I love sardines when they’re boiled with beans
And mixed with the sands of the sea.”

The Skate-Fish

Judgment on food tastes aside, a nearby Skate-fish heard her lament and swam to shore. Once he listened to the whole song and understood her request, he felt disgusted by her. He was cousins with the sardines! However, he felt too timid to try and punish the Maiden. So, he quickly swam away.

Merman

Soon after, a bold Merman who had long searched for a wife swam by and heard her song. “At last,” he thought, “here is the shore maiden for me.”

He hastened home to dress himself with an outfit both sharp and sophisticated. Using bright, clean seaweeds and sea leaves, he quickly made himself a new green and yellow suit. He covered his feet with brightly coloured shells and his neck with pearls that the oyster gave him. After carefully getting dressed, he quickly returned to where he had heard the song.

But when he got close enough to her and heard her lyrics, he froze. He remembered the oath the big fish took at the gathering and knew he could not break it. Still, he could not bring himself to punish her. So just like the Skate-fish, the Merman swam away.

Crowned Merman by Arthur Rackman

You’re my Lobster

As the moon rose higher in the sky, the Maiden grew distressed. She still could not get the tin to open, so she began banging it against a large rock sitting on the beach. As it happens, there was a black Lobster under that rock. He was resting after a long battle with an enemy.

The continuous tapping against the rock woke the Lobster, who groggily listened to the Maiden’s song.

“Oh, I love sardines when they’re boiled with beans,
And mixed with the sands of the sea.
I am dying for some.
Will nobody come
And open this box for me?”

The Lobster remembered his oath to the little fish, and unlike the Skate-fish and the Merman, he was not afraid of harming the Maiden. He crept out of his hiding place and gave a friendly wave to the Maiden as he approached.

“Fair lady,” he said, “I can open the box for you. Give it to me and I’ll have it open in no time.”

But when she held out the box to him, the Lobster clamped down on her wrist with his mighty claw. Before she could even scream, the Lobster dragged her far out into the sea.

The Legend of the Mournful Mermaid

No one knows for sure what the Lobster did to the Maiden next. Some say he sold her off to the Merman, who was looking for a wife. Others say that she is imprisoned in the sea and slowly changing into a fish. What we do know is that she never came back to land.

As the stories go, the Maiden can be seen on the First of May, looking mournfully at a small mirror she carries. She uses it to check if she has become more fish-like since the previous May Day.

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Climate Change

Image from the Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine Website.

Not only does this story pose a warning about overfishing, but the Magdalen Islands are facing very real disasters due to rising temperatures and melting ice caps.

According to the Washington Post, the Islands have warmed 2.3 degrees Celsius since the late 19th century, twice the global average.

A resident of the Island, Rhoda Davies, 101, remembers winters where the sea was covered with ice as far as the eye could see. Now, the island will be lucky to remain above water and intact in next 75 years.

These stories are not new. As climate change progresses, more land and stories will be lost to us forever. This is a very real reminder that preserving stories is sometimes the only thing left of a people, a place and a legacy. Read more about what is being done to preserve the islands: here.