This tragedy occurred many centuries ago, even
before the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, your assumption is true. In BC 6th
century the shipwreck happened. In those days, when mariners depended only on
mariner’s compass, and the sea voyage was always dangerous because science and
technology was not so developed as it is today. Ships were driven by the force
of wind and there were many sandy beads and rocks hidden just below the surface
of the sea. Besides there were whirlpools and tempests which caused shipwrecks.
It was a
honeymoon trip for Captain Edmund and his wife Juliet because their marriage
had been over hardly two weeks ago and Edmund drove the ship through the
violent Atlantic ocean off Araan islands of Northern Ireland and all of a
sudden rain clouds spread and violent
wind began blow with a ghostly whistle. Masts were dropped and Juliet
trembled with fear. Edmund consoled her and asked his sub mariners to
throw heavy luggage out to the sea. It was pitch dark everywhere and the sea
looked like a ghost. The ship moved with the wind and waves, and the most
fearful thing that Edmund had
anticipated came true and the ship hit
on the Inchcape rock and wrecked to
pieces. All the mariners, Juliet and other passengers struggled for life
in vain.
When Edmund opened his eyes he was lying on the
sea shore of an unknown island. Sad
memories began to haunt the young mariner. He somehow was rescued by another
ship came that way and he reached his home country. Experience made
him sad but wiser. Hundreds of ships were wrecked on the Inchcape rock and thousands of human beings
lost their precious lives. Edmund lost
his Juliet. One among them was the queen
of Ireland. So the king issued a proclamation that if any one who has got the engineering skill
to make some device to warn the mariners
of the danger of Inchcape rock so that they drive their ships away to safety
channels of the sea route, will get half of his kingdom and his beloved daughter in marriage to him.
Edmund
took up the challenge and wanted to create a memorial on the Inchcape rock on
behalf of his beloved Juliet. That night the ghost of Juliet appeared to Edmund
and persuaded him in his effort to save the mariners from hitting the Inchcape
rock. Soon the young sailor started his work with a few colleagues and a moving
wooden platform was built on chains which is fixed to the rock and a huge bell
was set up on the iron bar of the platform. When the waves embraced the wooden
platform the bell rang well and its sound echoed far distances.
The king
and courtiers and countrymen congratulated Edmund and the king offered his
daughter to Edmund. But the young sailor refused to marry the beautiful princess,
although she was in love with Edmund.
He told the king “ I am sorry to reject your beloved daughter because
my Juliet is the most beautiful woman in my eyes and I cannot marry your
daughter. The Bell with the platform is
my souvenir dedicated to my beloved wife who died in the shipwreck”. The king
and others appreciated Edmund’s devotion
to his dead wife Juliet, but the princess was very angry because she thought
that she was insulted by an ordinary sailor like Edmund. Kjt/-09-06--2019
Inchcape Rock - Part II
That night the ghost of Juliet appeared to
Edmund in a dream and congratulated him for his love and devotion. She promised
him that she will be reunited with him
soon on the earth.
“How”
Edmund asked the ghost in wonder. But the ghost said that God allowed her to
reincarnate as a beautiful beggar girl and you can find me in the streets of Connemara Islands, which
are lying near the Araan islands. Edmund travelled to Connemara islands which
are lying off the western Ireland in the
Atlantic ocean. After a few days wanderings, he found a beautiful beggar girl
standing in the extreme corner of the
fish market. He put alms into her soft palm and at that moment, Edmund was
shocked by the presence of his dead wife Juliet and he asked the girl her name
and she said ‘Naomi’. Are you not Juliet? he asked her in disappointment. But
she repeated her name ‘Naomi’.
That
night the ghost of Juliet appeared and assured him that her new name is Naomi
and Edmund married Naomi. Soon the news
of the marriage of Edmund, the captain of the ship Tiger with the beggar girl
spread like wild fire in the kingdom and all people including the king thought
that Edmund has gone mad.
But this
news further infuriated the princess who is determined to kill the couple. She
ordered a meeting of all the captains
and sailors of her country and asked them who could destroy the Inchcape Bell.
All sailors protested saying that the Inchcape Bell should not be destroyed. It
is the savior of the sailors. Ever since the Bell was set up on the floating
wooden platform, no shipwreck was reported. The princess was sad.
But that night a sailor met the princess in
secret and told her that he would destroy the Bell and the princess promised him
that she would marry him if he did
it.
Captain Douglas of the Lion was very happy on
the thought that the princess is in love with him and he wants to prove the
futility of Edmund’s engineering skill. The Lionwas slowly and smoothly moving
like a royal swan on the blue surface of the sea and the small waves danced
around the ship like the maids in waiting of a princess and Captain Douglas and
his sailors were thrilled with joy. They drank country liquors with heavy
dinner. The sea was calm and quiet. No violent wind, no violent waves. Only
blue ripples are everywhere swimming like silver swans as if the sea also
shares the joy of Douglas and his
sailors.
Inchcape Rock –
Part III
From far
distance they saw and heard the musical sound of the Inchcape Bell ringing and
dancing even in small waves as if the
wooden platform and the bell are swinging on the wings of the wind.
Everything is beautiful, bright and
spright. The Tiger was anchored near the rock and Douglas and his sailors
dropped a boat down into the sea and
rowed to the Inchcape rock and with the
help of the tools they brought, cut out the bell and the wooden platform was
removed. The bell and the platform sank together into the depth of the sea. Finally Douglas and his
colleagues returned to the ship and began to
enjoy the victory.
The princess kept her word and married Douglas and it was a festive
occasion for all the countrymen. The marriage feast continued for two weeks. In
the end Douglas and his wife decided to enjoy their honey moon on the Lion, travelling to England. After two
weeks stay in various parts of beautiful England, they returned home. But when
the ship the Lion was nearing the Araan islands, the sea became rough with
violent waves. Violent wind shook the ship like a toy in the hands of a naughty
boy.. All the passengers cried aloud. Cloudy sky looked like a dark beast
coming to swallow the ship. and Douglas, the experienced Captain knew the
imminent danger of hitting the Inchcape rock. He prayed fervently with his wife.
They knelt down on the deck of the ship crying for forgiveness fromGod, but God
was as usual serene and silent. The inevitable happened. It was a fatal blow and the ship wrecked to
pieces, as if thousands of toys scattered in the hands of the violent waves.
When Douglas and his wife sank deep into the depts, they heard the Bell, their
death knell.
The news of the shipwreck made the king sad. He
called Captain Edmund and requested him to rebuild Inchcape Bell and this time
Edmund built a tower on the Inchcape rock. It was three storied tower. On top
of the tower a lamp was fixed giving light to
the ships and a huge bell is set up hanging from the bar of a floating
wooden platform. The bell rings when the platform is swinging on the waves of
the sea. Edmund also built a statue of his dead wife Juliet. This was the first beacon light and Edmund
called this Juliet’s light. The beacon
light was a blessing to hundreds of sailors and ships in those days. The
sailors saw Juliet’s light from far distance and also heard the musical sound
of the Bell. Shipwrecks at Inchcape Rock
became a thing of the bygone past and the spot became a safety place for the
travelers.
Gradually, in course of time superstition crept
into the minds of the sailors and they began to worship St. Juliet and prayed “
Oh, our Saint Juliet, pray for us and rescue us from dangers and devils. Kjt/-13-06-2019
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