The Mermaid's Curse.

Country of Origin: Austria
Original Language: German
Published in: Sagen aus Österreich
Published by: Ueberreuter

The Mermaid's Curse. In bygone days – it’s been so long ago that nobody exactly remembers when this story happened – there was a cheery people of mermaids and water fairies dwelling in the clear waters of Lake Neusiedlersee. Once in a while they were spotted by humans who told all sorts of fantastical stories about them.
Back in those days there was an old fisherman living at the lakeside who was quite a bit of a scrooge. Every day he cast his nets and in the evenings he returned to his hut with nature’s rich bounty. Selling his fish for a good profit he accumulated money day by day and before soon was a wealthy man. And yet he complained and whined about each and every net that wasn’t quite filled to the bursting point. That’s the way it is: some people just never get enough! And our dear fisherman definitely was one of that sort: the more money he owned the greedier he got.
However, gradually the fish population of the lake sunk and the fisherman blamed it on the mermaids and water fairies. “They’re such useless creatures!” he lamented. “I really wonder why on earth they should exist at all. All they do is scaring away the fish with their unnecessary hustling and bustling!” Like that he went on ranting and called them names.
One day he got on his boat and rowed along the lakeside as he suddenly saw a gracious creature in a bay that vainly tried to run from him. He drew closer and saw that it was a beautiful mermaid that was trapped in one of his nets which she’d already torn at a few places. “Help me to get out of this net!” the mermaid pleaded. I’m already trapped here for seven days and seven nights and I just can’t get free. My children desparately need me!”
The fisherman, however, didn’t hear her pleas. He was just angry because the mermaid had torn his net and scared away the fishes. Furiously he struck her down with his fork and killed her. The moment the mermaid died, she cursed the fisherman: never again should he be able to return to his family, she screamed.
Unmoved by the mermaid’s curse, the fisherman hauled in his net, laughing. But suddenly the sky darkened, black clouds covered the sun turning day into night and the lake’s surface started to tremble. The thunderstorm started so abruptly that the fisherman couldn’t return to the lakefront in time anymore. Head-high waves drew his boat far out to the middle of the lake.
On silent evenings, when layers of mist cover the reeds of Lake Neusiedlersee, you can hear distant burbling and splattering. It’s the cursed fisherman who tries to reach the lakeside. But no matter how hard he tries – his boat won’t move and so he never manages to get back.