Mermaids (Society/Folklore/Literature/Tales/Fabulous_Creatures/Mermaids)
up MermaidsA mermaid is a legendary creature that has the head and torso of a human being and tail of an aquatic creature, usually a fish or dolphin. Mermaids are not exclusively female rather the word is inclusive of mermen, who are less commonly sighted. Mermaids, here the term is specifically female, have beautiful singing voices and like the siren sometimes use it to lure ships to their doom. (contrary to popular opinion sirens and mermaids are not the same... a siren is half bird not half fish). Mermaids will also use their beauty and voice to entice individual human males to come to them. Sometimes this seems to be malicious and the hapless man is drowned but sometimes the mermaid is seeking a mate from among mankind as opposed to her own. Sometimes a human male managed to force a mermaid to join him on land and become his wife. Such liaisons were most likely doomed since an enchantment was required to give the mermaid human legs and the breaking of some taboo or promise would allow the mermaid to resume her natural form and escape. Mermaids sometimes had other compacts with humankind and the breaking of these compacts had dire consequences. For example a mermaid cared for Padstow (in Cornwall) harbour but when an impetuous youth shot at her she vanished not only relinquishing her duties but cursing the harbour. This according to folklore is the origin of the death bar, a sand bank that makes entering Padstow by sea risky. Written by Rebecca Sutton, copyright, printed with permission.EntriesMermaid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid Wikipedia article on mermaids including a section on mermaids in fiction. Mermaid http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/mermaid.html Mermaid entry at the Encyclopedia Mythica. Nommos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nommo Mermaid like deities worshipped by the Dogon tribe of Mali, article from Wikipedia. Mermaids - Myths and Legends of Cornwall http://www.connexions.co.uk/culture/html/mz.htm Legend of the mermaid of Zennor. The Mermaid http://www.obsidianmagazine.com/Pages/mermaids.html Article on mermaids from Obsidian Magazine. The Mermaid http://pagesperso-orange.fr/cryptozoo/fabuleux/mermaid.htm A brief article on the mermaid myth from the Virtual Institute of Cryptozoology. Water Spirits and Mermaids: The Copperbelt Case http://www.ecu.edu/african/sersas/Siegel400.htm A draft paper on African water spirits. BBC - h2g2 - Mermaids http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2766413 Guide to mermaids including mythology, modern science, literature, and anatomy. The Mermaid Myth http://www.wellesley.edu/Psychology/Cheek/Narrative/myth.html A brief article defining mermaids and several mermaid tales (some on-site). Galway's Medieval Mermaids http://cgi-bin.iol.ie/resource/ga/archive/1995/Nov30/old.html Description of a medieval stone fragment depicting a mermaid. Mermaid Mummies http://www.pinktentacle.com/2006/08/mermaid-mummies/ Weblog article on the mummified mermaids of Edo-period Japan. Water Spirit Legends http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/water.html Legends about mermaids, water sprites, and demons from various cultures. Humanity.org - Mermaid Tales http://www.humanity.org/voices/folklore/mermaids/ Collection of mermaid legends from different cultures around the world. Mermaid Myths http://www.hans-rothauscher.de/dugong/mermaidframe.htm A brief history on how the mermaid myth arose from dugong sightings. Related categoriesMermaids Half human (head and torso) and half fish or dolphin-like (an aquatic tail instead of legs), mermaids are traditionally folklore legends as are mermen and other related merfolk. Modern fiction has Neigbour categoriesCentaurs Popularized in Greek mythology, the half-human and half-horse (or half-beast) ideal has existed since ancient times. Greek legend places the centaur as the Dragons Fairies Unicorns In folklore unicorns have cured the sick, made poison harmless, and sightings have foretold events. These tales and lore go back to ancient times. They have appeared to be not unlike the horse, Werewolves This category is for tales, lore and history of werewolves, and other werecreatures. (This section is quite beta and buggy, have patience. Thanks) Thumbnails powered by Thumbshots |