Mermaid
A mermaid (from the Middle English mere meaning 'sea' and maid, meaning 'girl') is a legendary aquatic creature with the head and torso of human female and a fish-like tail. The male version of a mermaid is a merman; the gender-neutral plural is merfolk or merpeople. Merfolk appear in a plethora of cultures worldwide; legends often tell of mermaids singing to sailors, enchanting them, and luring them to their death. The origin of the mermaid legend is often traced to the manatee or dugong, large aquatic mammals that can sometimes have human-like characteristics. While there have been many who claim merfolk are real, all "evidence" of their existence has thus far turned out to be a hoax.
Mermaids and Mermen in Myth and Legend
Legends of these half-human, half-fish humanoids have circulated for millennia, and many of the oldest can be found in ancient mythology. Ancient Babylonians worshiped a sea god named Ea, and Polynesian mythology describes a half human, half porpoise creator named Vatea. Ancient Syrians worshiped a mermaid moon-goddess called Atargatis, sometimes called Derceto. In the second century, Lucian of Samosata on Syria described Derceto in De Dea Syria ("Concerning the Syrian Goddess"), saying: "I have seen the semblance of Derceto in Phœnicia, and a wonderful sight it is; one half is a woman, but the part which extends from the thighs to the feet ends in a fish's tail."Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag Mermaids could also swim up rivers to freshwater lakes. As one legend goes, the Laird of Lorntie thought he saw a woman drowning in a lake. As he went to aid her, a servant pulled him back, warning that the woman was actually a mermaid. The mermaid then screamed that she would have killed him if it were not for his servant.[1]
In Irish folklore, tales of mermaids tend towards the romantic, and mermaids can transform into human form through the removal of a cap or sea-skin. Instead of mermaids who lure men to their death, Irish mermaid legends often tell of men who hide the cap or sea-skin of a mermaid in order to marry them and bring them home. There are several Irish families who claim mermaids as ancestors, and include mermaid images on their family crests and arms. Mermaids were often featured in the decoration of Medieval churches, particularly in the British Isles. Often shown holding a comb and mirror, mermaids not only embodied the sins of pride and vanity, but were also often used to represent the sin of lust. Images of mermaids holding a fish or starfish were used to represent a Christian soul that had been lost to the deadly sin of lust, and were placed in churches to warn churchgoers not to be seduced by such evils.[2]
While mermaids are often represented as curious or envious of human life, mermen are most often portrayed as more private and secretive; often they are less attractive than their female counterparts. In Irish legends, for example, mermen are definitively ugly. Stories abound of beautiful mermaids using their enchanting voices to sing to sailors and finding their way close to the world of men, but stories about mermen are less common.
Manatees as Mermaids?
It has been widely suggested that manatees or dugongs could be behind the myth of the mermaid. These large aquatic mammals are notable for the way in which they carry their young, cradled in their arms much as a human would carry a baby. It is possible that sailors seeing these unfamiliar beasts for the first time, would assume that they had in fact stumbled across some sort of humanoid species, and consequently spread their accounts of the sightings through their homelands on their return from voyages. It has even been posited that the traditional image of a mermaid with long flowing hair could be attributed to manatees breaking the ocean surface underneath patches of seaweed, giving the unfamiliar observer the impression of long hair.
In 1493, Christopher Columbus recorded a sighting of what was most likely a group of manatees or dugongs, recording in the ship's log that "when the Admiral went to the Rio del Oro he saw three mermaids which rose well out of the sea...they were not as beautiful as they are painted though they have something of a human face."[3]
The Little Mermaid
Perhaps the most famous mermaid in literature is found in Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale The Little Mermaid (1836). Translated into many languages, Anderson's tale tells of a young mermaid who trades her voice for human legs in her quest for the love of a prince and the acquisition of an immortal soul. Anderson's portrayal of mermaids has arguably become the standard, and has influenced most modern Western depictions of mermaids since its publication. The story has been retold in numerous adaptations, the most famous of which is the 1989 Disney movie of the same name, where, unlike the original, the Little Mermaid lives happily ever after with her prince. A famous bronze statue by sculptor Edvard Erichsen was given to the city of Copenhagen in 1913, depicting the famous Little Mermaid sitting on a stone in Copenhagen Harbor.
Mermaid Hoaxes
The most famous mermaid hoax was perpetrated in the mid-nineteenth century by legendary showman P. T. Barnum. The Feejee Mermaid was exhibited after Barnum had hired a phony naturalist to support the mermaid's authenticity, and used accomplices to send letters from various cities that spoke of the fake "Dr. Griffin" and his remarkable mermaid. Woodcuts were given to the newspapers, and audiences soon flocked to see the beautiful, seductive creature pictured in the woodcut. Instead, they found that the Feejee Mermaid was a grotesque combination of ape and fish, and not at all what they had expected. In actuality, the Feejee Mermaid was most likely the creation of a Japanese fisherman sometime around 1810. Such half fish/half ape creatures were a traditional art form, and were often created for use in religious ceremonies. [4]
Thought the Feejee Mermaid was the most famous, "mermaids" were commonly found in carnivals, traveling circuses and side shows. More recently, in the wake of the 2004 tsunami, pictures of Fiji "mermaids" were spread through the Internet. It was claimed that the photos were creatures that had washed up amid the devastation, but the very same photographs had circulated in 2003, and were no more real than Barnum's exhibit.[5]
Mermaids in Art and Heraldry
Images of mermaids can be found in ancient Greek pottery and mosaic. Many of these mermaids have a split tail; a feature commonly found in ancient concepts of a mermaid's appearance.
Mermaids have long been the subject of painting. One of the best known paintings "A Mermaid", painted by John William Waterhouse from 1895 to 1905. An example of late British Academy style artwork, the piece debuted to considerable acclaim (and secured Waterhouse's place as a member of the Royal Academy).
File:POL Warszawa COA 1.svg In heraldry, the charge of a mermaid is commonly represented with a comb and a mirror, and blazoned as a 'mermaid in her vanity.' Merfolk were used to symbolize eloquence in speech. The official coat of arms of Warsaw, the capital of Poland, features a mermaid wielding a sword and shield. Numerous legends tell the origin of the Warsaw mermaid; the best known describes a mermaid who would tangle the nets of the fishermen. Because of her enchanting singing, the fishermen did not harm her, but a wealthy merchant captured her to display her at fairs. Rescued by one of the town's young men, the mermaid was grateful and vowed to defend the city in time of need.[6]
External links
- American Monsters
- The Cryptid Zoo
- Beautiful Mermaid Art Collections of mermaid art, folk tales and myths.
- Mermaids on the Web annotated directory of 400 websites and 1,250 images
- "The Mermaid" by Heinz Insu Fenkl, from the mermaid-themed Summer 2003 issue of the Journal of Mythic Arts
- The mermaid goddess Derketo from Lucian of Samosata's On the Syrian God (2c. AD)
- Coney Island Mermaid Parade mermaids on parade
- Mermaid picture hoax
- The Doll Palace : Mermaids for kids provides mermaid images in pixel-art (Mermaid Dolls)
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
- ↑ K. M. Briggs, The Fairies in English Tradition and Literature, p 57 University of Chicago Press, London, 1967
- ↑ Radford, Patricia "Lusty Ladies; Mermaids in the Medieval Irish Church Irquas Insight No. 3. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
- ↑ Janson, Thor "Discovering the Mermaids" Oryx, Vol. XV No. 4. August 1980. Fauna and Flora Preservation Society. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
- ↑ Boese, Alex. "The Feejee Mermaid" The Museum of Hoaxes, 2002. Retrieved February 26, 2007.
- ↑ Mikkelson, Barbara and David. "Mermaid to Order" February 11, 2005. Urban Legends Reference Pages. Retrieved February 26, 2007.
- ↑ "History of Warsaw's Coat of Arms" The City of Warsaw. Retrieved February 26, 2007.
