MERMAIDS

I’ve been recently watching the television series “Sirens” and was fascinated by the subject. As well as being a story in Disney, mermaids have always been in our minds through the centuries. These ‘sea creatures’ have been in our psyche for as long as humans have been around. Such beautiful but dangerous creatures, we “Want” them to be real, as they seem to be the cross-over between the sea animals and humans, after all we love dolphins and would love to swim with them, let alone live with them.

There is a documentary by Live Science called “Are Mermaids Real?” which apparently ‘proved’ that mermaids are real today, but the credits at the end showed a very brief disclaimer saying that it is a work of fiction, the ‘scientists’ were paid actors. The program was so ‘life-like’ that many viewers actually believed it. However, it had such an impact that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration posted the statement: “No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found” on its website, denouncing the supposed existence of the half-human, half-fish beings.

Mermaids are a big feature in mythology and have existed here for thousands of years. The first myth mentioned about mermaids originated around 1,000 B.C.E. This myth tells of a Syrian goddess who jumped into a lake to turn into a fish, but because her beauty could not change, only her bottom half transformed.

Another myth comes from Africa. The African water spirit Mami Wata is mermaid in form, as is the water spirit Lasirn, who is popular in the Caribbean Islands. Christopher Columbus himself reported seeing mermaids, like many other explorers throughout history. Columbus said that he spotted mermaids near Haiti in 1493. He described them as being “not as pretty as they are depicted, for somehow in the face they look like men.” (The American Museum of Natural History)

Captain John Smith described seeing a big-eyed, green-haired mermaid in 1614 off the coast of Newfoundland. He ‘apparently’ fell in love with her until he realized she was a fish from the waist down. Experts believe that these are ‘mistaken sightings’ and that these explorers probably saw sea creatures such as manatees and dugongs (who are beautiful creatures in themselves). Manatees and dugongs have long tails which resemble the ‘traditional’ mermaid’s tail, and when sailors saw this tail splashing in the water, it was an easy mistake to believe that they had seen a real mermaid.

Pliny, who was an ancient Roman writer, described mermaids from Gaul (modern France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Western Germany), and wrote that there were ‘a lot of people who washed up on the shore, and these people were covered in scales.’ Across Europe, during the Middle Ages, there were many depictions of mermaids. These were viewed as dangerous and said to drown sailors with their ‘siren’ song. This made the sailors to consider that mermaids were an omen of ill luck. Some of the folk tales described mermaids as beautiful women who distracted sailors when they sailed past their rocks and made the ships crash.

Remember Hans Christian Anderson? He wrote:” The little Mermaid” a fairy story we all love. This changed people’s view of mermaids because this little mermaid saved a human life.

We have no proof that mermaids exist, however, there are many cultures with traditions of part-humans who live in the oceans. Mermaids in Western Europe and the Middle East are show as part human and part fish, but in other cultures the fishtail may be a snake tail.

This is interesting = in Heraldry, the charge of a mermaid is commonly represented with a comb and a mirror, and blazoned as a “mermaid in her vanity.” Mermaids are also a symbol of eloquence. A mermaid with two tails is referred to as a “Melusine”. These appear in Germany heraldry, and less frequently in the British version. A shield and sword-wielding mermaid --- “Syrenka” --- is on the official coat of arms of Warsaw. Mermaids have symbolized Warsaw on its arms since the 14th Century. Several legends associate the Triton of Greek mythology with the city.

Today, we have professional female drivers who perform as mermaids at the Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs, and this has been since 1947. The state park calls itself “the Only City of Live Mermaids.” These women are all certified scuba divers and wear fabric tails, and they perform an aquatic ballet for the audience in an underwater stage with glass walls (they hold their breath during this ballet). As always, they look real to the children and the park’s PR director says: “just like with Santa Claus, we always say yes. We’re not going to tell them (the children) that (mermaids) they’re not real.” We all need something to believe in.

A beautiful legend found in China speaks of the tears of elusive sirens which form the most beautiful pearls on Earth. For me personally, I wish that mermaids were real as they are so beautiful and graceful (well, in my imagination any way).

(My research comes from Wikipedia / Live Science / Curious Kids)