S3.E5: Mar Falten, Fanny Goff!
Season 3, Episode 5
Title: Mar Falten, Fanny Goff!
Time: 18 minutes
Locations: Portugal Cove
Story: The Beautiful Fanny Goff
Listen:
About The Episode:
Newfoundland’s Valentine’s traditions range from playful greetings to daring card deliveries, but love on the island isn’t always lighthearted.
The story of Fanny Goff, said to be the most beautiful woman in Newfoundland, is one of romance and tragedy, proving that love can be as fleeting as winter frost.
And sometimes, love isn’t just for people but for place—like the deep connection Newfoundlanders have to the sea. But that love comes with loss, as seen in the Ocean Ranger disaster, a tragedy forever tied to Valentine’s Day, reminding us that love and sorrow often go hand in hand.
Listening Options
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Credits
Ocean and Fog Horn, Shepardr, freesound.org, creative commons 0
Sad Music on Guitar, veterOK777, freesound.org, creative commons 0
Sources & Further Reading
The Beautiful Fanny Goff, Product of Newfoundland
Mar Falten: Valentine’s Day in Newfoundland, Product of Newfoundland
Pretty Fanny Goff, Christmas Bells, 1913
The Story of Fanny Goff, Book of Newfoundland, vol 2
George Goff, Book of Newfoundland, vol. 5.
Fanny Goff, Sites & Memorials, Town of Portugal Cove-St. Phillips
The Lover & The Liar, Christmas Review, 1897
Portugal Cove, Newfoundland Weekly, April 19, 1941
A Bit of the History of Portugal Cove, Shortis Papers vol. 3, MUN DAI
History Society Meeting, Evening Telegram, Nov 11, 1920.
On a quiet Sunday morning in 1978, a deafening explosion shattered the calm of Bell Island, shaking homes, blasting holes in the ground, and leaving behind a mystery that still echoes today.
On Good Friday night in 1843, the crew of the Jane & Mary witnessed fire in the sky—two blazing orbs that lit the sea then vanished without a sound.
In August 1947, a bear invades a sleeping baby’s room in Port Saunders, NL. With only her wits and a well-worn broom, one mother’s courage becomes the ultimate shield.
Inspired by a true story, 11-year-old Samuel and his family are stranded on an iceberg after a shipwreck. They are adrift more than 100km from land, fighting for survival.
A ruthless pirate, a chance encounter, and a narrow escape — if not for a fisherman’ s words, Ned Low’s reign of terror could have ended in St. John’s.
The tragic love story of Portugal Cove’s Fanny Goff — a young woman who shared a love as legendary as her beauty.