Sirens of the Sound
For millennia, whispers of mystical sea beings have drifted through coastal communities like ours. Along the shores of Long Island Sound—from ancient legends to sailors’ tales—these creatures of the deep have captivated the human imagination. Known today as mermaids or sirens, they are said to be part human, part aquatic, and entirely elusive.
The legend stretches back to 1000 B.C., with origins in ancient Syria, where the goddess (ital)Atargatis was said to have transformed into a sea spirit. Over time, these stories crossed continents and oceans, finding new life in works like Homer’s (ital)Odyssey, where sirens sang sailors to their doom. In Denmark, the legend inspired Hans Christian Andersen’s (ital)The Little Mermaid, now immortalized in bronze at the Copenhagen harbor.
But you don’t need to cross the Atlantic to catch a whisper of the merfolk. Here in Milford, our very own Long Island Sound has been the setting for centuries of tales, sightings, and speculation.
In the 1840s, famed showman P.T. Barnum—who spent time just up the road in Bridgeport—offered a then-astonishing $20,000 reward for indisputable proof of a mermaid. While his infamous Feejee Mermaid turned out to be a hoax, it sparked a frenzy along Connecticut’s coastline. Fishermen and explorers scanned the Sound’s waters sure they had glimpsed a flash of scales or heard a haunting song carried by the sea breeze.
One of the most compelling accounts came from just across the Housatonic River, at the Stratford Lighthouse. In July 1915, keeper Theodore Judson, a known teetotaler and respected man of the coast, claimed to have seen a “shoal of mermaids” gathering near the rocks at the point. He described them with “yellow hair glistening, and scaly tails flashing,” adding he once even touched one, and claimed to have kept her comb.
Judson’s encounter came during a stormy afternoon, when fog crept up and the lighthouse foghorn echoed across the water. He believed the sound lured the creatures in, just as moths are drawn to a flame. His description was vivid and emotional: “She had lovely gazelle eyes, a fair complexion, and silver-spangled scales from the waist down. I was torn whether to keep her or claim the reward—she was so beautiful.” The mermaid escaped, but not before Judson held onto the mysterious brush, which he reportedly showed visitors for years after.
Here in Milford, we know the sea holds many secrets. Strange ripples at Gulf Beach, glimmers of light at Charles Island, and swirling eddies at Silver Sands…locals have long felt something stirring just beneath the surface.
Be they river nymphs or saltwater sirens, these beings are said to live for centuries. Some even say they still protect our waters, hiding treasures, stealing trinkets, or stirring storms when angered. So the next time you’re by the shore and something glimmers on a distant rock, or a gust of wind dances across the waves—pause. You might just be catching a glimpse of one of the Sound’s oldest inhabitants.
Keep your eyes on the tide. The sirens of Milford may be watching.
—Susan Carroll Dwyer
