I wish to sketch here some of the results of research I have done on an ancient order of men (and a few women) that came to be called The Guild of the Ferrymen. This group, which there is evidence to suggest has been in existence since the early medieval period, has often been characterised as a secret society, but some knowledge of them has become available from a variety of historical sources.
The first mention of the Ferrymen appears in the writings of a Christian monk and diarist named Metrus. “As the roads to the Shrine crossed many rivers, and as there were a dearth of bridges, the Ferrymen came to populate the way, and carried the pilgrims across the waters” (Clenchette, 1857). Citations such as this first led historians to believe that the Ferrymen were a religious group, as did some of their living habits. “The Ferryman, in the manner of his brethren, lived in a hovel by the river. Every morning he would take his ablutions in the stream, to renew his friendship with it. For the Ferryman thought of it not as an obstacle, as the traveler does, but as merely part of the journey” (Radow, 1899).
And it was clear that the ferrymen had something of the mendicant in them. They were required to accept anything of value as a fare, even kind words. “But the wanderer had no means about him, and so paid with a blessing, borrowed against that which he hoped to receive at his destination. Mankus gladly accepted this, not because he believed in the blessing, but becasue he believed in the wanderer.” (Pilgrims in Medieval France, Glesso, 1943).
Usually the payment was in small coins or food. Ferrymen were allowed to keep a small garden, and to hunt, but had to remain within a loud shout of the crossing from dawn until dusk. Membership requirements seem to have varied somewhat, sometimes including an apprenticeship (especially at difficult crossings) and sometimes gained through whatever prior experience the Ferryman had, however he came by it. But no particular religious training was required, as far as we know.
One ferryman, called Tummus, or, in some versions of the story, Tomas, had been a soldier who had been put in charge of a river crossing. His army was defeated and disbanded, and so, having nothing else to do, and finding the work amenable, he stayed at his post and eventually joined the Guild. While ferrying former fellow soldiers back across the river on their way home, he composed an account of the battle from the stories he was told by these men, which became, in a probably embellished form, The Battle of Brum, an important historical document in its own right. He remained a ferryman for some twenty years that is known.
Tummus became something of a symbol of the Guild, for while they often transported pilgrims, they also thought important the mission of simply helping people to get home safely. He also epitomizes a secondary mission of the Guild - to increase human knowledge and understanding.
The Ferrymen, in places such as Switzerland, also became mountain guides, and so of course, rescuers of the lost and unfortunate. This, too had great significance to the group as a whole, and added to the legendary qualities that they have become known for. There is some scant evidence to suggest that present-day Search and Rescue societies may be the last vestiges of the Guild, but the secretive nature of the Ferrymen precludes any certainty in this.
I would be grateful if anyone who has any knowledge of The Guild of the Ferrymen would contribute to my effort to bring this group to light, either here on this thread, or by private communication. I will, hopefully, have more to add myself at some point.
