Mythical Mermaids
30 Nov 2024Mermaids have always held a deep and mystical fascination for people. They have taken on various different shapes and narratives across different cultures and through time, but they always symbolise our shifting and complex relationship with the ocean. Let's take a dive into some of that folklore!
The mermaid myth depicts half-human, half fish creatures who live in the depths of the ocean. They're represented differently across many different cultures, but they're often considered to be bewitching and a danger to humans.
It was only in the 19th century - when Hans Christian Andersen wrote about his own Little Mermaid - that she became a sympathetic, gentle and tragic creature.
The earliest mentions of mer-creatures can be traced to the Old Babylonia period - around 3000 years ago.
It depicts creatures with fishtails and human upper bodies. More commonly mermen rather than maids, the images may have represented ‘Ea’, the Babylonian god of the sea, who was depicted as having a human head and arm.
The first known mermaid stories are from Assyria in around 1000 BC.
The story goes that the ancient Syrian goddess Atargatis fell in love with a shepherd. She unintentionally killed him, and because of her shame, jumped into a lake and adopted the form of a fish. However, the waters would not conceal her beauty, so she took the form of a mermaid instead and became the goddess of fertility and welfare.
The most famous depiction of sirens is in Homer’s Odyssey (725 – 675 BC).
In the epic poem, Odysseus has his men strap him to the mast of his ship and plug their own ears with wax. This is so that none would be able to hear the sirens’ attempts to lure them to their deaths with their sweet song as they sailed past.
In 1493, Christopher Columbus reported that he saw a mermaid in the area we now know as the Dominican Republic.
He wrote in his diary: “the day before, when the Admiral was going to the Rio del Oro, he said he saw three mermaids who came quite high out of the water but were not as pretty as they are depicted, for somehow in the face they look like men.”
It's more likely Columbus had seen his first manatee! But it did boost the popularity and legends surrounding mermaids...
Mami Wata is a mermaid or goddess found in folklore tales across parts of Western Africa, Eastern Africa, and Southern Africa.
Historically, scholars trace her origins to early encounters between Europeans and West Africans in the 15th century, where Mami Wata developed from depictions of European mermaids. Mami Wata subsequently joined native pantheons of deities and spirits in parts of Africa.
In SE Asia you'll hear about Suvannamaccha, a mermaid princess from the Ramayana epic who tries to spoil Hanuman's plans to build a bridge to Lanka but falls in love with him instead.
While Eastern Europe tells tales of the rusalka, a water nymph with an eerie presence.
Chinese legend describes mermaids as intelligent and beautiful and able to turn their tears into pearls, while Korea perceives them as goddesses who can forewarn storms or impending doom.
A ningyo (mermaid), aka kairai (“sea lightning”) claimed to be caught in “Yomo-no-ura, Hōjō-ga-fuchi, Etchū Province” in 1805.
However, Japanese stories depict mermaids more darkly, stating that they summon war if one of their bodies is discovered washed up ashore. Brazil similarly fears their creature, the ‘Iara’, an immortal ‘lady of the waters’, who is blamed when people disappear in the Amazon rainforest.
Shape-shifting Selkies are mythological creatures that can shapeshift between seal and human forms by removing or putting on their seal skin. They feature prominently in the mythology of various cultures, especially those of Celtic and Norse origin. The term “selkie” derives from the Scots word for “seal”.
There are also modern-day mermaids living amongst us - including a real-live Bristolian mermaid!
Hannah Pearl is a professional mermaid, children's author and eco-warrior, spreading her conservation message through storytelling and ocean-saving initiatives.
When she’s not enchanting audiences or preparing for national competitions, Hannah regularly rolls up her sleeves for litter picks and beach cleans, living her values and inspiring others to do the same.
Let's all release our inner mermaids!
@mermaidhannahpearl
Content from www.mythologyvault.com
