MERMAIDS are usually associated with the sea, of course; but sometimes they surface in ponds and rivers, at least according to time-hallowed legends.

With a production of "Mermaid" set to take place at The Swan Theatre in Worcester, from March 2 to March 5, perhaps it is timely to reflect on a land-locked legend, from over the border in Herefordshire, which raises big question marks over what exactly mermaids were, in the eyes of our distant ancestors.

The online Paranormal Database gives the bare bones of an ancient legend associated with Marden, near Hereford.

It states: "An accident sent a church bell into the waters of the local river; a passing mermaid took the opportunity to steal the bell and can sometimes be heard ringing it."

But there is much, much more than that to this intriguing local legend.

Firstly, it seems as if Marden Parish Council is very proud of the mermaid association, even stating on its own website: "The River Lugg forms part of the western boundary of the parish and is well loved by fishermen.

"It is also the home of a mythical mermaid who is said to hold down one of the church bells which accidentally fell into the river. A walk along the riverbank may be rewarded with sightings of kingfisher, heron, sandpiper or sand-martin and even the flowering rush in due season."

This sets the scene nicely. But how could such a legend come about, and is there any truth behind it?

It is remarkable to note that an ancient church bell was actually recovered from the waters of the River Lugg at Marden.

Doubters should go to the Hereford Museum, where it can still be seen.

The bell is considered to be Welsh in origin, and it dates from the Dark Ages, well over 1000 years ago.

It is not like a circular modern bell but was made by joining two sections of metal together.

It could be argued that, when the bell was fashioned, the casting of bells in one piece was beyond the technology of the day.

The crudely-made bell, which once may have been bejewelled, was discovered in the river in 1848. But was this the bell which was stolen by the mermaid, - assuming that mermaids actually exist?

That is more than anyone can say; but the finding of the bell in the river was, no doubt, a remarkable coincidence.

In his book "Haunted Herefordshire" (Logaston Press, 2008), the writer Rupert Matthews suggests a possible explanation for both the legend and the fact that an ancient bell was indeed found in the Lugg at Marden.

He postulates that there may have been a water goddess cult at Marden, during the Dark Ages.

The bell, which was almost certainly a Christian artefact, could have been taken from a visiting Christian missionary, by unfriendly and pagan locals, and given as an offering to the water goddess or spirit.

The mermaid of Marden, then, could have been a pagan deity, and perhaps this is true of all mermaids?

Few people these days believe in mermaids; but is it impossible to believe that they still exist in a fashion as shadowy, indistinct figures from our own pagan past?

The production "Mermaid" is on more familiar, fairy-tale ground, being based on "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Anderson.

Tickets and further details on, 01905 611427.