Within Scotland’s territory between the islands of Scarba and Jura, the Gulf of Corryvreckan holds a mystery: a whirlpool. As the tide enters the gulf, the current speeds up to 8.5 knots, or about 10 miles per hour. As these currents meet a seabed with a deep hole and a rising pinnacle, the conditions are perfect to create whirlpools.
The Corryvreckan is the third largest whirlpool in the world, and when flood tides from the Firth of Lorne are added to the whirlpool, the waters of Corryvreckan can produce over 30 foot waves, as well as a roar that can be heard from ten miles away. Fun fact: In 1947, author George Orwell, who was in Jura to complete his internationally famous 1984, almost drowned with his young nieces and nephews after sailing too close to the whirlpool.
Of course when there is a phenomena that can’t be explained, the Scots create a mythological story to explain why this thing occurs. In regards to the whirlpool, there are three different stories that attempt to explain the creation of the whirlpool. In Scottish mythology, the hag goddess of winter, Cailleach Bheur, uses the gulf to wash her “great plaid”, which causes the changing of seasons from fall to winter. As winter approaches, it is believed that the roar is her using the gulf as a washtub. When the washing is complete, the cloth is pure white and becomes the first blanket of snow on the ground. The legend also claims that her occupation of the whirlpool causes “the fiercest of the Highland storm kelpies.” Another legend describes Norse king Breacan attempting to woo a princess. He tried to sail near the whirlpool. However, other people claim that he was attempting to flee from his father’s wrath. Either way, the whirlpool beat him and now the whirlpool may be named after Breacan, or a Gaelic pun on his name. The third legend revolves around Charles Mackay’s poem “The Kelpie of Corrievrackan,” which tells the story of a woman who leaves her lover for sea kelp. She tried to go after the kelp by diving to its home (which just so happens to be at the bottom of the whirlpool). Therefore, she drowns trying to seduce a piece of seaweed. This piece of folklore was meant to be a “warning to fickle maidens,” claiming that if you are unfaithful to your lover, you’ll end up dying.
Scientists also have their own ideas about how the whirlpool was created and continues to spin. It was initially believed that the whirlpool is caused by strong Atlantic currents hitting a pinnacle of rock sticking up from the seabed, forcing water from the deeper eastern side of the gulf to push up the shallower western side. However, scientists from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) have now mapped the seabed using “high-resolution multi-beam echo-sounder” technology, which emits hundreds of sound beams per second to collect information from the echoes to construct detailed seabed maps that revealed that there is no pinnacle at all (gasp!). Instead, the whirlpool is caused by a steep-sided mass of rock protruding from Scarba shore. According to Dr. John Howe, a geologist from SAMS, the survey revealed that due to the powerful currents surging between the two islands, the seabed in the area has been scoured clean. Dr. Howe included, “Any mud and sand on the seabed has been completely swept away. Beyond the whirlpool, the seabed has thus been swept up to form areas of underwater dunes made of very coarse sand that move with the currents.”
Moral of the story: don’t swim in the Gulf of Corryvreckan.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13082973.Mystery_of_Corryvreckan_uncovered_by_scientists/
One must wonder why such phenomena occurs. It is impressive how various cultures interpret these events and always seem to provide a story based on morals that stay true to their own beliefs. However, science is always there to shed real light on these enigmas, providing us with a better understanding of how the world functions.
This looks awesome! This is a really really cool thing that I had never hear of before. A whirlpool that is always going, I never thought that that existed. It was super cool to read about this and learn a little more about it. I really like the first story where the hag goddess of winter is using this whirlpool to wash a cloth. Oh those Scottish people. All I know that I definitely want to see this at some point in my life.
OMG! When I was in Edinburgh over the summer, in the lobby of my hotel, there was a brochure on this natural phenomena. My mom was appalled and wouldn’t stop talking about it for two days. I think it’s amazing how such a powerful force can be attributed to simple currents between two islands which in reality, aren’t even that close to one another. I love the Orwell touch and never knew that he traveled to this breathtaking destination while writing the infamous novel. I’ve seen a few small whirlpools and when I was little, my mom used to freak out and tell me to get out of the water because she thought that I was going to be sucked in. I love all your interesting finds and look forward to future readings!
This seems like a pretty cool place to visit. You did a great job describing the scientific background of the whirlpool, as well as its rich history of myths. It is crazy to think how many lives this natural phenomenon has probably taken from adventurers and sailors alike. I would probably not go swimming near this, but I am pretty crazy so who is to say? Anyways, I will definitely add this to the list of places I want to see before I die.
Well darn, now I guess I have to cancel my scuba diving trip at the Corryvreckan Maelstrom. No but seriously I didn’t even know this place existed, and it was really cool to read about! I hear about whirlpools all the time and see them in movies (Pirates of the Caribbean) , but I’ve never really looked much into how they formed so reading a little bit about them from a scientific perspective was intriguing. I also haven’t thought much about what ancient people attributed these mysterious phenomena to, and learning some Scottish mythological explanations for whirlpools was pretty neat. I actually just haven’t looked that much into whirlpools in general… but this was a really neat post! Keep up the good work!