Mermaids

by Skye Alexander

  Often considered a sign of vanity, the mermaid’s mirror is a symbol of something else as well. Like magic mirrors everywhere, it gives her clairvoyant skills and lets her view the future. Thus, her mirror represents the ability to see through the “veil” that mystics say separates the visible and spirit worlds.

  Creators and Destroyers

  Historically, mermaids represented danger. It wasn’t until the Victorian era that they started appearing as fantasy friends in children’s books and as nubile Lolitas on the walls of gentlemen’s chambers.

  Most legends and folklore portray mermaids as temptresses who lure human beings—mostly men—into the water and drown them. Other tales warn seafarers of the mermaid’s capricious nature—she simply can’t be trusted. She might protect sailors on their ocean voyages or brew up ferocious storms to sink their ships. You just never know.

  The mermaid’s song, mythology tells us, is one of her most seductive and deadly attributes. Ever since the Greek Sirens tormented Odysseus, mermaids have been singing men to sleep—permanently. Mermaids’ enchanting voices mess with seamen’s minds so intensely that they run their ships aground or jump, delirious, into the sea and perish.

  But mermaids aren’t all bad. Many of them, such as Japan’s Benton, bring good luck and happiness to people. The Africans’ Mami Wata provides food, shelter, and prosperity to human beings. Other mermaids, such as Oshun, heal the sick. The Warsaw mermaid serves as the city’s protectress and benefactor. Folklore says that mermaids can grant wishes, too.

  Mermaids follow in the footsteps of the ancient goddesses, who provided water for crops and food for people. But they also caused devastating storms and floods. The goddesses gave and the goddesses took away. The mermaid’s dual nature actually adds to her allure. The combination of desirability and danger makes her infinitely intriguing—and for men who enjoy a challenge, she’s irresistible.

  Wise Women

  Today’s mermaids may epitomize the “dumb blonde” image or appear as cute, cuddly playmates. But myths and folklore often present them as wise women with the power to heal, teach, and guide human beings. Ancient Sumerian myths say mermaids educated people and taught them science and the arts. The Babylonian merman Ea shared his knowledge of agriculture and architecture with humans. The Caribbean mermaid Lasirèn takes people underwater and gives them special powers, including psychic ability.

  In myth and psychology, water symbolizes the emotions, intuition, and the unconscious. Because the mermaid lives in the water, she has access to these areas, whereas humans often ignore them. The mermaid plumbs the ocean’s depths—and the unconscious—bringing up treasure she finds at the bottom. Spiritual teachers and therapists advise that in order to be happy, healthy, and wise, we must get in touch with our emotions and our inner selves. The mermaid’s ability to breathe underwater and to gracefully ride the ocean’s waves indicates that she understands this very well.

  Some legends describe mermaids with snaky appendages rather than fishtails. In mythology, snakes represent wisdom, transformation, and regeneration. To Hindus, serpents symbolize the life force. Folklore tells us that mermaids can shapeshift, too, changing themselves into fish, seals, snakes, birds, or humans—they’re not limited to a single lifestyle or worldview. But no matter what form her lower body takes, the mermaid epitomizes the power to move between the worlds and to show us how to do it.

  Changing the Mermaid’s Image

  Nothing stays the same forever, and that goes for mermaids as well. Early mermaids evolved from the great water goddesses of the world—mighty feminine forces who governed the rise and fall of the tides, the flooding of the rivers, and the aquatic life that provided food for humankind. Like those goddesses, mermaids were viewed as dynamic and powerful creatures with tempestuous natures.

  In the Middle Ages, the mermaid showed her bawdy side by separating her single tail into two parts, shamelessly revealing her female secrets. Despite their blatant sexuality, these split-tailed seductresses appear as decorations on medieval churches and cathedrals throughout Europe, the British Isles, and Ireland. They even adorn Bologna’s fourteenth-century Fontana di Nettuno, which commemorated a pope’s appointment.

  During the Romantic and Victorian periods, in the latter part of the nineteenth century, mermaids mellowed into sensual sweeties reminiscent of the ancient Greek nymphs. Rather than terrifying men, these lovely lasses gazed demurely from the paintings of John William Waterhouse, Frederic Leighton, and others, promising pleasure without pain.

  Today’s mermaids are fun-loving and friendly. The frightening, destroyer sirens of the past have been ousted in favor of pleasure-seeking playmates. Their youthful abandon, grace, and sense of freedom invite us to lighten up. They remind us to enjoy life and glide through the waters of life, rather than struggling. Perhaps these bathing beauties are just what we need now to help us escape from the stress of the modern world and our anxiety about the future.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I wish to thank the mermaids currently posing as lovely ladies at Adams Media, especially Paula Munier, Andrea Hakanson, and Katie Corcoran Lytle, for making this book possible. I’m also indebted to my supportive sister Myke and my circle of women friends who embody the best qualities of mermaids, and who (so far as I know) haven’t drowned a man yet, though I’m sure they’ve considered it.

  About the Author

  SKYE ALEXANDER is the award-winning author of more than thirty fiction and nonfiction books. Her stories have been published in anthologies internationally, and her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. She is also an artist with a special interest in mythical and metaphysical subjects. She divides her time between Texas and Massachusetts. She invites you to visit her website and blog (www.skyealexander.com).

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  Index

  A note about the index: The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system’s search function.

  Abode of mermaids, 71–73

  African mermaids and myths, 45, 137–47

  Amphitrite, 16. See also Triton

  Ancient cultures, 77. See also specific cultures

  Anima, 12, 22–23

  Apsu, 79

  The Arabian Nights, 82–83

  Art, mermaids in, 32–36

  Asian mermaids and myths, 45, 153–67. See also Indian mermaids

  Asrai, 107

  Assyria, 78–79

  Atargatis, 15, 19, 28, 78–79, 85

  Attracting mermaids, 39

  Australia, 181–83. See also Yawkyawks

  Aztec myths, 45

  Babylonian water divinities, 79–80. See also Ea (Oannes)

  Bannerman, Anne, 152

  Barnum, Phineas T., 159–60

  Benton (Benzaiten), 154–58

  Birthplace of mermaids, 78–79

  Blue Men of Muir, 103–4

  Brahma, 150

  British Isles and Ireland, 93–109

  Caduceus-like image, 166

  Cambodia, 166

  Captured mermaids, 108–9

  Caribbean mermaid, 194–96

  Celtic lore, 42, 71, 105, 106, 108

  Ceto, 87

  Characteristics of mermaids. See also Look (appearance) of mermaids; specific features

  about: overview of, 55

  bearers of good fortune, 64–65

  deadly seductresses, 60–62. See also Song of mermaids/sirens

  dual nature, 7

  half-fish, half-human, all divine, 15–16

  tempest, storms and, 62–63

  China, 153, 163–66, 167

  Chitapo, 146

  Christianity, 14, 43, 44, 63, 81, 90–91, 125, 208

  Circus mermaid, 159–60

  C. Joybell C., 126

  Classification of mermaids, 52

  Columbus, Christopher, 21, 124

  Combs and mirrors, 67–68, 69, 99, 101, 116, 133, 139, 143, 147, 193, 195, 196, 207–8

  Conch shells, 16, 59, 188, 196

  Coney Island Parade, 7, 197

  Copenhagen, Little Mermaid of, 113–14. See also “The Little Mermaid” (Andersen)

  Cornish legends, 58–59, 99–101, 102, 208

  Countenance of mermaids, 49–50

  Creators and destroyers, 209–10

  Cury, Lutey, 102

  Dagon, 15

  Danto, 195

  Deities. See also Far East; specific continent names; specific deities

  African water, 64

  The Arabian Nights and, 82–83

  Babylonian, 79–80. See also Ea (Oannes)

  belief in, 13

  Celtic goddesses, 42, 105, 106

  fertility, 131

 
; Greek water, 86–88

  half-fish, half-human, all divine, 15–16

  Irish, 100

  nymphs, 17–18, 19, 20, 81, 85–86, 107, 113, 130–31

  reptilian water, 44–46

  Slavic water spirits, 133–34

  Sumerian water, 81–82

  water fairies, 106–7

  Destroyers, creators and, 209–10

  Disney attractions, 199, 200–201. See also The Little Mermaid (film)

  Dissecting mermaids, 50

  Dragons, 154, 158, 161, 163–64, 171

  Dragons, descendants of, 164

  Drowned souls, 14, 96, 99, 118, 129, 131, 150, 188

  Ea (Oannes), 15, 28, 79–80, 86, 210

  England. See British Isles and Ireland

  Enki, 81

  Environment of mermaids, 71–73

  European mermaids, 111–25

  Fairies, 64, 106–7, 135

  Fantasy games, 74

  Feejee (Fiji) Mermaid, 159–60

  Fighting fish, 176

  Figureheads, 65

  Finfolk(aheem), 38–39, 73, 104

  The Forsaken Merman (Arnold), 39

  Fortune, Dion, 136

  Fosse-Grimm, 39, 47, 116, 119

  Freda, 195

  French mermaid (Melusina), 123

  Fuxi, 45, 165, 166

  Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (film), 121

  Germany. See Nixes

  Ghosts, 96, 129–30, 133

  Giants, Monsters, and Dragons (Rose), 46

  Glaucus, 46–47, 91

  Gocta Cataracts, 193–94

  Goddesses for Every Season (Blair), 148

  Goddess Gift (Turnbull), 141

  The Goddess Oracle Deck (Took), 143

  Good fortune, bearers of, 64–65

  Greek lore, 17–19, 29, 31, 46–47, 58–59, 69, 78–79, 85–91. See also Triton

  Grimm, Brothers, 37, 120

  Gwagged Annwn, 106–7

  Hair of mermaids, 49, 50, 65–66, 67, 68–69, 108, 116, 133, 195, 205. See also Combs and mirrors

  Haiti, 124, 194–96

  Havfrue, 116. See also “The Little Mermaid” (Andersen)