Cormoran

​There was once a forest stretching across Mount’s Bay. And scattered beneath the tall trees were boulders of granite shimmering white with quartz and lichen. Cormoran the giant lived there, and he loved rocks. Cornish giants enjoyed playing games with rock and stones. Cormoran loved to play quoits with large flat stones and bob-button with huge boulders. He was always playing games with his friend, the giant of Trencrom Hill, and he loved hunting for the best bits of granite to play with. In time, the woodland giant decided he would like a home for himself and his wife, a home from which he could look far out to sea but also above the trees in case any enemy giants were approaching. An island rose out of the sea, he thought he could build a sturdy house on top of it.

Cormoran could have built his home out of logs, but they would get soggy and rotten and blown over by sea storms. Cormoran needed something stronger and he had just the very thing lying about, huge great slabs of granite to be found right where he had thrown them.

Giant Cormoran also liked to stomp over Cornwall and beyond, he had great long legs which made wandering far and wide easy enough. Off he stomped to Bodmin Moor where he met the giant who lived at Trethevy. The Trethevy Giant’s house was built with stunning granite boulders covered in white crystal quartz. ‘I like it,’ thought Cormoran to himself, ‘I’d like a house built out of white rock that sparkles in the sun.’ He hunted in the forest and he hunted on the moors for flat boulders glittering with white quartz and lichen. Cormoran began to build his castle with the whitest boulders he could find. The quartz gleamed in rhythm with the summer sun glinting on the waves. When he had spent a whole day building, Comoran stood back and admired his work; he needed a lot more boulders and quickly. He walked for miles seeking the very best, remembering vaguely where they had landed as he and Giant Trecrobben played but still he needed more rocks, so he called his wife to help.

‘Cornelian, my beauty, come and help me find some rocks.’

‘Yes, my ‘ansome,’ said Cornelian. ‘Any rocks?’

‘Only the white ones,’ Cormoran grumbled. ‘The really white ones mind, nothing dull grey or green.’

‘Bit exact, isn’t it?’ she said, smiling wryly.

‘Look at our house, my lovely,’ said Cormoran proudly. ‘No other giant has built anything like this.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ said Cornelian, and she began to search in the woods for rocks. However, Cormoran had already sourced a great amount of rock from the surrounding forest and Cornelian had to walk many miles before she found some small white rocks. She placed them in her apron and carried them slowly to her husband’s rock pile. When she arrived back, she found Cormoran laying sprawled out on the forest floor snoring loudly. Cornelian emptied out her apron of rocks into a neat pile. She was tired and hungry and didn’t fancy traipsing all over Cornwall looking for more white rocks.

‘White rocks indeed,’ laughed Cornelian to herself. ‘Cormoran has already gathered all the white rocks.’ As she looked about her, she noticed there were plenty of green rocks which were the perfect size to build with. ‘These will do,’ she thought, ‘I must say it is very silly to insist on a colour, surely it’s the size and shape that are important for building materials.’ Cornelian busied herself filling her apron with the plentiful green rocks and she didn’t notice until too late a huge shadow looming over her.

​‘Green rocks? Green rocks? Are you mocking me?’ her husband roared and Cormoran reached out a giant boot and kicked Cornelian on the behind.

​‘Oh my,’ she cried and as she whirled round to face him, her apron string snapped and the green rocks tumbled out in a pile on the path.

​‘Sorry love,’ said Cormoran, instantly remorseful at his appalling behaviour.

‘I like the green rocks,’ she said and walked off through the trees.

The giant’s castle still stands proudly in the sea a little way off Marazion, with a causeway of stones linking the Mount with the shore. It has been known since the time of the saints as Saint Michael’s Mount. Of the green rocks the giant’s wife dropped from her apron, one still stands between the Mount and the mainland, called the Chapel Rock.