Mermaids in Your Culture

[Anahita]

So, when I first posted my introduction (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5768-Hello-from-Iran)here, I guess I sparked some interest on the topic of mermaids in different cultures. Awesome for me, because I LOVE mermaid mythology (or mythology in general, really) and how different cultures view them. Some have real nitty-gritty mermaids you wouldn't want to be caught alone at sea with, some have lovely little benevolent things that you'd hope to run into if you were stranded somewhere.

So after trying to check to see if this type of thread was already posted somewhere else, I took the suggestion from a few of the wonderful respondents and started this one up.

So, what are some mermaid mythologies in your culture? What are some mythologies you've heard from other cultures that you find fascinating? What are some things in mythologies in other cultures that you're confused by? Etc.

I'll start it off here with mine.

In Iran, there's a couple of mythologies about mermaids. They tend to be from the Persian Gulf rather than the Caspian Sea, I can imagine the presence of dolphins and dugongs has at least a little something to do with it. The two types of "mermaids" we have are "sea-people" and "sea-faeries". "Sea-people" is the generally older term associated with them. "Sea-faerie" is a bit more recent. They can both have tails, but then again, they can also both be without tails. I guess it just depends on who is telling/translating the story. The general assumption (at least nowadays for "sea faeries") is that they're tailed in the water, but time out on land dries their tails into legs.

Unlike the sirens and mermaids depicted in some Western cultures, we Persians welcomed the sight of a mermaid. They were viewed as good luck; being friendly beings who would bring about calm and safe waters. "Sea faeries" seem to not talk, but rather use sign language with humans. "Sea people" can talk, but are, at times reluctant to do so; instead withholding their words until they deem the listener worthy of them. They come in both genders (so they don't need to steal sailors to make more of them) but they can and do sometimes come to land to find themselves husbands and wives and make little sea-human-people-faerie babies, or however you'd like to call that.

So yeah, I hope this starts off something! I'd really like to hear from you all the interesting mermaid stories/myths you have where you're from!

[Mermaid Momo]

My grandma always told me stories about mermaids. These mermaids were the unborn babies of pregnant women thrown over slave ships while making their way to the u.s. if you see one, they'll try and convince you to come to their country under the sea where you'll live forever with them.
Abother one is that mermaid queens will show up if you toss a shiny quarter into a murky pond or lake where cat fish live.

[Nashoba]

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/article/mermaid-tales-from-native-tribes-abound-124105

This does a pretty good job of explaining Native mers. The snake body is very common.

[Gem Stone]

I grew up with mermaids being creatures of unbelievably bad cases of PMS. one minute, they could save you, but the next, they could kill you. the mermaids that I grew up hearing about weren't gorgeous, drop dead, beauties at all. they were strong, powerful, and dangerous creatures that could sink your ship as quickly as sing you to your death. or they could save your ship from a storm, either by calming it or keeping your ship afloat. you could leave a mermaid a gift by leaving something shiny in the shallows. if it was gone the next day, the mermaid accepted your gift and would keep an eye on you when you swam in that water. if it was still there, the mermaid didn't care or didn't think you were worth the trouble of watching. but above all else, mermaids were the ultimate reason on why you lost that great fish on your line. that fish you fought for an hour, caught sight of once or twice as it jumped in the air trying to free itself of the hook, and when you finally reeled in an empty line, no hook or weight, it was said the mermaid cut your line to save the fish from being eaten. the must protect their homes and all that live in their seas

[Mermaid Matanzas]

In Florida, mermaid are more of an icon for tourists rather than a culture we have. We have Weeki Wachee Springs and quite a few aquariums with mer-performers. For some cultural significance, here in St. Augustine mermaid mythology somewhat exists. Christopher Columbus wrote a journal entry on seeing fat, clumsy mermaids, which were probably manatees. The idea of seeing a mermaid though still fascinates tourists and locals alike! There is a new café that opened up I think last week called The Mermaid Café around St. George St. somewhere and I plan on going soon!

[Mermaid Veruliya]

My grandma gave me a heart shaped aquamarine necklace when I was little, and told me it was the mermaids favorite stone. She said if I went to the water with it it would tell the mermaids I wasn't to be feared, and they'd accept me one day haha :) so I always wore it, and on my 16th birthday my parents got me 1ct aquamarine ear studs that I always wear! I mean, I'm obviously old enough to realize, but it's still the sentimentality of the stone and the ancient meanings :)

[SeaGlass Siren]

I'm from Canada but my family is from Vietnam and my ancestors are Chinese.

Vietnam borrows mythology from France about mermaids because of the French revolution there. They are called nguoi ca, literally human fish, but they look like the traditional european mermaid. in china, a mermaid's tail can change colour from red to purple. Depending on what colour, the tail is supposed to smell "happy or sad". That's right, SMELL of "happiness or sadness" . Sometimes the mermaids are water dragons from the waist down. And if you capture one it's good luck. There's a few stories that talk about sailors capturing a mermaid for their years almost like in European folklore but the tears turn into pearls. Those mermaids wear clothes too so when they walk on land you can't tell if they're a mermaid until you lift up their dress (to reveal a tail. So they can walk even if they have a tail)

[SeaGlass Siren]

The only story Vietnam has is the translated version of Hans Christians the little mermaid. :/ Vietnam is more famous for ghost stories anyway...

[Mermaid Syrena]

SeaGlass Siren: My ancestors are Chinese, too! :)

[Mermaid Dottie]

That's so cool that you're from Iran. ^_^ My Dad lived there for a while, and brought back some Farsi and some interesting items.
I live in the united states, but my ancestry is mainly Scot-Irish(with a hint of Brit thrown in here and there). There are two types of sea-living people in the isles; Merrow-folk (literally Sea-People), and Selkies.
Selkies are men and woman who look like seals usually, but when they shed their skin, can walk about on land. If someone finds their seal-skin and hides it, the selkie is trapped by that person. However, if the selkie ever finds their treasure, they are compelled to don it once again and return to their ocean home.
Merrow have a similar item. It's said that the merrow are human from the waist up, and fish from the waist down. They have a red Cap or Cape that they wear, and if someone captures and hides it, the merrow is bound to them. But if they find it, they must return to the sea, the same as a selkie.

[SeaGlass Siren]

SeaGlass Siren: My ancestors are Chinese, too! :)
:) tell us more about Singapore syrena!

[Echidna]

in china, a mermaid's tail can change colour from red to purple. Depending on what colour, the tail is supposed to smell "happy or sad". That's right, SMELL of "happiness or sadness" . Sometimes the mermaids are water dragons from the waist down. And if you capture one it's good luck. There's a few stories that talk about sailors capturing a mermaid for their years almost like in European folklore but the tears turn into pearls. Those mermaids wear clothes too so when they walk on land you can't tell if they're a mermaid until you lift up their dress (to reveal a tail. So they can walk even if they have a tail)

Do you have a source?
I've delved deeply into chinese folklore and ghost-stories, but never found anything related to mermaids as in European tales
(not even in Pu Song Ling's anthologies). I thought them to be "imported", as Japan, Vitnam, etc did.

The closest thing to a western mermaid in Asian folklore would be Nagas, I suppose.
There is also Nüwa+Fuxi, the snake creator gods, linked to water.
Strangely, it's never really been explained what exactly they were.

Then there are the snake spirits, which have similar traits
12992

All in all, I think most of these beings don't have a pendant in european myth, and vice versa, just as the asian dragons differ a lot from the western ones.

[Echidna]

Likewise, in Romanian culture, mermaids of the greek fashion are not known.
Their name, as in all languages derived from roman, is "sirenă", which already shows the concept isn't native and doesn't date back to dacian origins, as other romanian folklore figures do.
Water spirits/faeries are known though, with all the usual traits faeries usually display :D

What I think very curious is the fact that in greek, mermaids are called "gorgones", so they're linked to snake spirits!

[Aziara]

Not sure how old this particular little story is, as I only found it after a quick web search and never heard of it before. She is called the 'Cajun Mermaid', but she's half crawfish, not fish. http://bingoman.wordpress.com/about/life-in-the-swamp-the-cajun-mermaid/ Edit: Bah, it's a new made-up legend. Still a cute story though.

[AniaR]

We have Selkie stories here, women who swim as Seals and then shed their seal skin.

We also have Sedna, an Inuit Godess up North, Godess of all the arctic creatures. There are several versions of her story. It's usually along the lines of her and her dad getting into a fight about her marrying someone while they're out in a boat, and he knocks her overboard. She tries to get back in, but he chops her fingers off. So she lived in the water as a God and her missing fingers became the animals. Sometimes she's portrayed in Inuit art as a woman (the stories make no mention of a mermaid tail) but most of the time she's actually shown as a mermaid with a parka and tattoos!
http://torontoist.com/attachments/QuinParker/20090827inuitart1.jpg


There are other arctic mermaids, I forget what they call, but they tap on the water side of ice, so people will hear it, bend down to listen... and they attack!

Here's a weird myth from the antartic, the Ningen: http://pinktentacle.com/2010/01/ningen-humanoid-sea-creatures-of-the-antarctic/

[Anahita]

Wow, thank you all for the stories! Some of them are so sad, and some of them really have me thinking. It's fascinating that at least two of the stories deal with innocent people going over board and in a sense, getting a new incarnation from it.

[Merman Dan]

Not sure how old this particular little story is, as I only found it after a quick web search and never heard of it before. She is called the 'Cajun Mermaid', but she's half crawfish, not fish

Kind of like the Caribbean mermaid (http://spiderwick.wikia.com/wiki/Merfolk) in the Spiderwick Filed Guide? (Which I used as he basis for part of my sargassum tattoo)

[Mermaid Kelda]

The Australian Aborigines have lots of deities, responsible for forming the earth and the rain and the water etc. There's one called Yawkyawk who looks quite a bit mermaidy (also a lot like a manatee, though I don't think we get them on the coast of Australia - just dugongs).

13030

Here's a paragraph I found explaining her:

"They believed that at night, the mermaid could grow legs and roam the earth. They also believed that she could take on other forms; the favorite of which was a dragonfly because it gave her the power of flight.
Yakyawk was also had the special, life-giving powers. For example, any woman who drank from her watering hole would immediately become pregnant. She had the power to control water; bringing rain to allow plants to flourish. But she could also bring storms on the ocean when she became angry."

Other than that, I'm sure all the convicts and settlers who found themselves here brought their mermaid tales with them, probably helped by the dugongs and dolphins!

[SeaGlass Siren]

Do you have a source?
I've delved deeply into chinese folklore and ghost-stories, but never found anything related to mermaids as in European tales
(not even in Pu Song Ling's anthologies). I thought them to be "imported", as Japan, Vitnam, etc did.

The closest thing to a western mermaid in Asian folklore would be Nagas, I suppose.
There is also Nüwa+Fuxi, the snake creator gods, linked to water.
Strangely, it's never really been explained what exactly they were.

Then there are the snake spirits, which have similar traits
12992

All in all, I think most of these beings don't have a pendant in european myth, and vice versa, just as the asian dragons differ a lot from the western ones.

No I don't have sources because this is by word of mouth. The only stories of mermaids from Vietnam is the Vietnamese translation of the han Christian tale. this is what my parents have told me. We haven't heard of any. just like they borrowed the little match girl story, the Cinderella story, and snow white.

Maybe i said it wierd lol; Chinese stories don't come from Europe, but Vietnam's are. Sorry for the confusion .

There was this one book I've read when I was a child that included a Chinese story. The "mermaid" (I call them mermaid because they're maidens and they live underwater but they don't necessarily have tails. Literal translation in my language is "fish people". Digressing) brought a human man to meet her father. I forget what the title was though.. It was a children's chapter book. Blue cover, with three mermaids. I think it was something with siren in the title.

But anyway. Aren't nagas Japanese? :/ I don't know anything about Japanese culture.

[SeaGlass Siren]

And what's up with the snake demons? Snakes are bad in my culture. I didn't even know we had snake gods to begin with! We only pray to Buddha , or god, or the three prosperity gods. China will have more gods but vietnam I know those three ate worshiped the most. And maybe kwan yin but few people worship her.

[Echidna]

Naga stem from India. They are a variant of chinese dragons and mermaids, so to speak.
They are scaly, with humanoid upper parts, and snake/dragons below the waist, though they can turn into full dragon/hydra form, just like the Nöck and other waterspirits of Europe.
They live in splendid underwater palaces, and for a lack of a better term, they are just called "龙" (dragons) in Chinese.


And what's up with the snake demons? Snakes are bad in my culture.
No, not necessarily.
Nüwa is the creator goddess (of mankind) and highly revered, as is her twin Fuxi, and all their offspring.

Snake spirits are considered beautiful and enticing, but needn't be evil at all.
The popular old tale of Madam White Snake is highly sympathetic with the two snake spirits, and depicts the Buddhist monks fighting them as stubborn, arrogant and unpleasant guys
(at least in the original written version, and the earliest modern movie adaptations, which will all show Fahai, the buddhist abbot, as the villain, and the snakes as the heroines).

[Merman Dan]

There's one called Yawkyawk who looks quite a bit mermaidy (also a lot like a manatee, though I don't think we get them on the coast of Australia - just dugongs).

Reminds me a bit of a wobbegong.

[Mermaid Kelda]

Reminds me a bit of a wobbegong.
Yes, the frills around its mouth do look a little like hair!

[SeaGlass Siren]

Naga stem from India. They are a variant of chinese dragons and mermaids, so to speak.
They are scaly, with humanoid upper parts, and snake/dragons below the waist, though they can turn into full dragon/hydra form, just like the Nöck and other waterspirits of Europe.
They live in splendid underwater palaces, and for a lack of a better term, they are just called "龙" (dragons) in Chinese.


Oh that's probably why I've never heard of nagas lol!! We don't delve into Indian culture.

Snakes in my culture are bad. Well.. I was taught they were bad. Can't speak for others. I was taught these things: Adam an eve and the snake (the snake tempted eve and therefore it's bad) and also... They're poisonous and can kill people :| (fully aware that some are not but they can strangle people. I guess most Vietnamese think they're poisonous and therefore are bad)




No, not necessarily.
Nüwa is the creator goddess (of mankind) and highly revered, as is her twin Fuxi, and all their offspring.

Snake spirits are considered beautiful and enticing, but needn't be evil at all.
The popular old tale of Madam White Snake is highly sympathetic with the two snake spirits, and depicts the Buddhist monks fighting them as stubborn, arrogant and unpleasant guys
(at least in the original written version, and the earliest modern movie adaptations, which will all show Fahai, the buddhist abbot, as the villain, and the snakes as the heroines).


Wait are you talking about china or Vietnam? We worship similar deities but culture is very different. I was raised Vietnamese (in language, culture And religion), so although my blood may be Chinese, I only know the things my parents have taught me (needless to say I think a few of their things from china may be wrong)

So to sum it up.. Im sorry but I have no idea what you're talking about. :|

[Azurin Luna]

We have a saga about a mermaid and merman in our history, which also explains why many of our coat of arms of villages has mermaids in them and why this town has faded way in time. It's a kinda sad story though.

The story of the mermaid of Westenschouwen
To the west of the town of Zeeland Schouwen-Duiveland, was until the 19th century the town Westenschouwen. The fishermen in the village earned with fishing so much that the village developed into a town where fishermen and other residents were proud. The fishermen boasted about it a lot. Who could not make the ends meet, had this due of his own laziness!
But there came a day in the course of the history of Westenschouwen will change forever ...
On that day a boat from Westenschouwen catches a huge fish. Fishermen discover that they've caught a mermaid. They look at her, mocking her and decide to hoist the mermaid in the fishing net in the top of the mast.
Suddenly the fishermen see that the spouse of the mermaid, a merman, is swimming closer. The merman begs the fishermen to let her go. They refuse and sail as fast as possible to the mainland. Ashore more people gather to see and begin to throw stones at the merman to chase him away.
The merman swims away, but turns around immediately, to speak a curse over the Westenschouwen. Westenschouwen will perish except the tower, because the inhabitants killed the mermaid. Henceforth the merman returns every night, as a warning to the people.
Westenschouwen was under the influence of the curse and fell in decline. The port bogged down, the fishing declined, ships ran ashore, the people became poor and abandoned, as far as possible, their city.
To this day ...
If you climb the tower the day today, you can still hear the curse of the merman in the mighty sound of wind and waves, "Cruel people of Westenschouwen, you will repent!"

There are a few more sagas with mermaids and mermen in them, some ending good some not so good. But yeah, I come from a land that lies below sealevel with a lot of sailing in it's history.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Luna that's scary ;-;


And at the same time I can see this as an awesome horror movie...

[Mermaid Oshun]

As Africa is the source of all life on the planet, it is not surprising that the oldest mermaid imagery comes from Ancient Africa and traveled through out the planet with sailors everywhere. The symbol of the serpent is highly revered in Africa and is associated with the rainbow. The hills and valleys are thought to have been formed by the body of the great serpent. Mami wata is the original mermaid imagery from Africa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOQa27gEgjg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlYpgmaP0HA
(A few of the African men in this video try to interrelate the original African water spirits with the current Christianity and surmise incorrectly that perhaps their water spirits are evil or of the devil. The truth is that their religion predates the Christianity which they have recently adapted, and exists outside of the duality of good and evil of the bible. The reality is that she is both. She can malign and she can also be benevolent just as the waters can both bring life and destroy violently.)
She is a woman of the water also known as Yemaya.
13036
Hers is a very maternal energy and she is associated with intuition and is thought to speak with her followers/children through the skill of intuition which she teaches them. She is also a quite vain spirit and bestows beauty upon her followers. Her counterpart, also viewed as a mermaid in one form is Oshun. She is associated more with erotic love and bestows these gifts to her followers.
All of these African spirits traveled the planet with the diaspora. Yemaya is worshiped in Brazil, all of the Americas including Latin America. In Haiti she is seen in her form as La Sirene.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4pyJ9Df27E
The serpent also traveled as an image into the diaspora. The movie the Serpent and the Rainbow about Voodoo in Haiti speaks to the powerful imagery of the serpent spirit for Africans in the Americas. The serpent is associated with the creator spirit Damballah and also with the spirit of the ancestors who dwell in the waters.

For the Native Americans, the winged serpent, Quetzalcoatl is also seen as a symbol of the spirit who controls the portal between the world of the living and the world of spirit
13037

[Echidna]

Wait are you talking about china or Vietnam? We worship similar deities but culture is very different. I only know the things my parents have taught me (needless to say I think a few of their things from china may be wrong)
oh ok, that explains it. You were telling chinese mermaid stories which I'd never heard of, and I'm afraid those are not genuine, but european imports :)

We don't delve into Indian culture.
Since you mentioned Buddha and Kwan Yin being revered in your country, those are from Indian culture.


I was taught these things: Adam an eve and the snake (the snake tempted eve and therefore it's bad)
When you kept saying "my culture", I believed you were referring to Vietnam and/or China.
So I've no idea why you would bring up a story from the bible.
My guess is you have mythologies and religions from all the world pretty mixed up with no clear idea what is genuine or not.
No offense.

Sorry for getting a bit de-raily.
Let's return to mermaid concepts :)

[SeaGlass Siren]

oh ok, that explains it. You were telling chinese mermaid stories which I'd never heard of, and I'm afraid those are not genuine, but european imports :)

Since you mentioned Buddha and Kwan Yin being revered in your country, those are from Indian culture.


When you kept saying "my culture", I believed you were referring to Vietnam and/or China.
So I've no idea why you would bring up a story from the bible.
My guess is you have mythologies and religions from all the world pretty mixed up with no clear idea what is genuine or not.
No offense.

Sorry for getting a bit de-raily.
Let's return to mermaid concepts :)


Because there are multiple religions in the country that make up the culture there. Religion does not equal culture. Just like in Korea where the majority are Christian, and they still have their own Korean practices and that's become a part of their culture. Just like the food that was brought over by the French to Vietnam, it's become a part of ours. Just like when the European settlers came over and took over the native land, that part of north american history and culture. Just like what you said, Buddha and Kwan yin comin from India, the rest of Asia adopted Buddha.

So what you learned although its informative and historical, is outdated. Whether it Is genuine I don't think that's relevant.

Who are you to tell me what is part of my religion or what is part of my culture or what part of them is wrong?

[SeaGlass Siren]

Religions and cultures always change to fit today's world so you can't say "it's not genuine".

One I found it extremely offensive, two it's like Youre saying we should revert back to what was taught originally and not move forward or try to improve.

So
please in the future don't tell people what is right or what is wrong (unless they're committing murder, suicide, robberies or rape) because honestly now you've really pushed my buttons.

[Prince Calypso]

My grandma always told me stories about mermaids. These mermaids were the unborn babies of pregnant women thrown over slave ships while making their way to the u.s. if you see one, they'll try and convince you to come to their country under the sea where you'll live forever with them.
Abother one is that mermaid queens will show up if you toss a shiny quarter into a murky pond or lake where cat fish live.

OMG that right around the same lines as the stories my great grandmother used to tell me!!
She used to say we were descendants of a sea queen who came to land and married free slave. she used to say that's why mad men don't last long in our family.

[Prince Calypso]

As Africa is the source of all life on the planet, it is not surprising that the oldest mermaid imagery comes from Ancient Africa and traveled through out the planet with sailors everywhere. The symbol of the serpent is highly revered in Africa and is associated with the rainbow. The hills and valleys are thought to have been formed by the body of the great serpent. Mami wata is the original mermaid imagery from Africa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOQa27gEgjg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlYpgmaP0HA
(A few of the African men in this video try to interrelate the original African water spirits with the current Christianity and surmise incorrectly that perhaps their water spirits are evil or of the devil. The truth is that their religion predates the Christianity which they have recently adapted, and exists outside of the duality of good and evil of the bible. The reality is that she is both. She can malign and she can also be benevolent just as the waters can both bring life and destroy violently.)
She is a woman of the water also known as Yemaya.
13036
Hers is a very maternal energy and she is associated with intuition and is thought to speak with her followers/children through the skill of intuition which she teaches them. She is also a quite vain spirit and bestows beauty upon her followers. Her counterpart, also viewed as a mermaid in one form is Oshun. She is associated more with erotic love and bestows these gifts to her followers.
All of these African spirits traveled the planet with the diaspora. Yemaya is worshiped in Brazil, all of the Americas including Latin America. In Haiti she is seen in her form as La Sirene.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4pyJ9Df27E
The serpent also traveled as an image into the diaspora. The movie the Serpent and the Rainbow about Voodoo in Haiti speaks to the powerful imagery of the serpent spirit for Africans in the Americas. The serpent is associated with the creator spirit Damballah and also with the spirit of the ancestors who dwell in the waters.

this is the culture i was somewhat raised with. my great grandmother used to know all this stuff and tried her hardest to teach me about if when i was young but sadly my grandmother and mother being christians forbid her from a lot of the teachings she tried to instill in me
didn't really help in the end though lol
I'm a pagan and practicing witch and though i don't know as much abut voodoo as i wish i did
i know of Mama Wata and The Goddess Yemaya. I'm actually really interested in learning more about voodoo and Creole and Haitian mythology.

[Mermaid Marius]

This is shrimply fintastic! I was just wondering about African mermaids, as mainstream media rarely depicts them and this has blown my mind! Especially as I find that I share a few personality traits with Yemaya. And she's absolutely gorgeous!

[Mermaid Momo]

this is the culture i was somewhat raised with. my great grandmother used to know all this stuff and tried her hardest to teach me about if when i was young but sadly my grandmother and mother being christians forbid her from a lot of the teachings she tried to instill in me
didn't really help in the end though lol
I'm a pagan and practicing witch and though i don't know as much abut voodoo as i wish i did
i know of Mama Wata and The Goddess Yemaya. I'm actually really interested in learning more about voodoo and Creole and Haitian mythology.
almost everyone (or i should say everywoman) on my dad's side of my family (they live in mississippi, waaaay out in the backroads part.It's very nice, except for the fact there are grave yards in most of the front yards.I hate stepping on graves.:/) but anyway, most of them practice voodoo. I want to learn, bur living all the way in AZ, it's sort of difficult. haha.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Off topic, DRAGGERSPREZ YOUR DRESS LOOKS SO CUTE!!

[Mermaid Momo]

Off topic, DRAGGERSPREZ YOUR DRESS LOOKS SO CUTE!!
Thanks! It's actually mermaid themed with a train that has seaweed and pearls and seashells in it :)

[Echidna]

Religions and cultures always change to fit today's world so you can't say "it's not genuine".

One I found it extremely offensive, two it's like Youre saying we should revert back to what was taught originally and not move forward or try to improve.

So
please in the future don't tell people what is right or what is wrong (unless they're committing murder, suicide, robberies or rape) because honestly now you've really pushed my buttons.

oh my.
You completely misunderstood me.

Folklore is a part of a culture's identity, and can teach you much about it and the ancient people who conceived it.
This is no longer possible if it's muddled together with whole different concepts from different cultures though, much less if you begin to include made-up stories and claim they're myth just the same as the Ilias and Odyssee :(

Many entities from old legends are still revered in the culture in question today, so I think it's quite disrespectful to a culture's identity to mash it together with foreign concepts.

Of course, there also some universal concepts.
Again, you can only discern those if you know which myth is from where, and don't mash them all together for whatever reason.

Because I don't want to derail this thread, this is also the last I'm going to say in this regard.

[Mermaid Oshun]

The Dogon tribe in Africa whose culture is one of the least disturbed by Western influence and retains their folklore from ancient times, claim that their deities actually arrived from the sky in a round ship thousands of years ago. They claim that their round space ship fell into the waters. They claim that the dieties named Nommo were a couple, man and woman, they had horns on their heads and were scaled mercreatures from space. They walked on land during the day but retreated to the waters at night. They claim that they taught them to harvest crops during a time when they were hunter gatherers. This knowledge caused their culture to evolve immediately. They also shared with them astronomical information. For example, the dogon tribe knew astronomical facts such as of the rings of saturn and of the moons of jupiter before scientists discovered these facts. They claim that their mer deities had given them this knowledge thousands of years ago when they came to earth.

Putting this data into perspective. it may be surmised that Mami Wata /Yemaya was the female spouse in the alien couple who arrived to earth and escalated man's evolution to homo sapiens sapiens. The horned mer couple had a child and the trinity were spoken of and depicted in sketches found in Asia, the Middle East as well as in Africa.

[Anahita]

Do you know what they're called in the Middle-East? I've never heard of/seen anything mermaid-y of that depiction...

[Mermaid Momo]

Do you know what they're called in the Middle-East? I've never heard of/seen anything mermaid-y of that depiction...
Do you mean like a naga?

[MaskedNightingale]

So, when I first posted my introduction (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5768-Hello-from-Iran)here, I guess I sparked some interest on the topic of mermaids in different cultures. Awesome for me, because I LOVE mermaid mythology (or mythology in general, really) and how different cultures view them. Some have real nitty-gritty mermaids you wouldn't want to be caught alone at sea with, some have lovely little benevolent things that you'd hope to run into if you were stranded somewhere.

So after trying to check to see if this type of thread was already posted somewhere else, I took the suggestion from a few of the wonderful respondents and started this one up.

So, what are some mermaid mythologies in your culture? What are some mythologies you've heard from other cultures that you find fascinating? What are some things in mythologies in other cultures that you're confused by? Etc.

I'll start it off here with mine.

In Iran, there's a couple of mythologies about mermaids. They tend to be from the Persian Gulf rather than the Caspian Sea, I can imagine the presence of dolphins and dugongs has at least a little something to do with it. The two types of "mermaids" we have are "sea-people" and "sea-faeries". "Sea-people" is the generally older term associated with them. "Sea-faerie" is a bit more recent. They can both have tails, but then again, they can also both be without tails. I guess it just depends on who is telling/translating the story. The general assumption (at least nowadays for "sea faeries") is that they're tailed in the water, but time out on land dries their tails into legs.

Unlike the sirens and mermaids depicted in some Western cultures, we Persians welcomed the sight of a mermaid. They were viewed as good luck; being friendly beings who would bring about calm and safe waters. "Sea faeries" seem to not talk, but rather use sign language with humans. "Sea people" can talk, but are, at times reluctant to do so; instead withholding their words until they deem the listener worthy of them. They come in both genders (so they don't need to steal sailors to make more of them) but they can and do sometimes come to land to find themselves husbands and wives and make little sea-human-people-faerie babies, or however you'd like to call that.

So yeah, I hope this starts off something! I'd really like to hear from you all the interesting mermaid stories/myths you have where you're from!

I love the sound of those mermaids. :)

[Echidna]

The Dogon tribe in Africa whose culture is one of the least disturbed by Western influence and retains their folklore from ancient times, claim that their deities actually arrived from the sky in a round ship thousands of years ago. They claim that their round space ship fell into the waters. They claim that the dieties named Nommo were a couple, man and woman, they had horns on their heads and were scaled mercreatures from space. They walked on land during the day but retreated to the waters at night. They claim that they taught them to harvest crops during a time when they were hunter gatherers. This knowledge caused their culture to evolve immediately. They also shared with them astronomical information. For example, the dogon tribe knew astronomical facts such as of the rings of saturn and of the moons of jupiter before scientists discovered these facts. They claim that their mer deities had given them this knowledge thousands of years ago when they came to earth.

Putting this data into perspective. it may be surmised that Mami Wata /Yemaya was the female spouse in the alien couple who arrived to earth and escalated man's evolution to homo sapiens sapiens. The horned mer couple had a child and the trinity were spoken of and depicted in sketches found in Asia, the Middle East as well as in Africa.

The Dogon apparently also were aware that Sirius B is a binary star system. They claimed their gods had come from that star system, if I recall correctly.
Sirius was revered as the origin of gods in Ancient Egypt and Sumer, again cultures which knew reptilian/aquatic progenitor gods, who were developers and benefactors of mankind.

These stories are mirrored in China (Nüwa and Fuxi, the aquatic snake couple which came from the sky), and also in Mesoamerican legends (mankind was engineered by a snake god, and a magical snake goddess).

Coupled with the incredible architectural feats (impossible today!) and exact astrological knowledge these ancient cultures achieved, I find it hard not to believe these "stories" are actually based on fact.

[Anahita]

Do you mean like a naga?

I've never heard of naaga referred to as a sea-person like a mermaid. Nor have I ever heard of them having horns or being part of a trinity or in any Middle-Eastern folklore. (Hence why I'm confused.) Of course, I'm used to West and North Indian. Maybe towards the East and Southern regions of India they have this characteristic?

That's very far for a myth to have traveled though and somehow remain intact without having a version of it in the mid-point...

[Echidna]

That's very far for a myth to have traveled though and somehow remain intact without having a version of it in the mid-point...

I've read that Naga (and their supposed descendants, the Dravidians) are the off-spring of the reptilian skygods who came from the West (as seen from India); probably the Sumerian/Akkadian/Babylonian olden gods then, who were all depicted with horns (or at least, horned headdresses).
This characteristic is also seen in Egyptian gods, the horns a bit more stylized and often coupled with other symbols (shining disk, etc).

While there isn't much to suggest the Sumerian gods were mermaid-y, they are sometimes shown with fishtails, and a whole order of them, the Enkiites, are described and named as "serpents" (and also living in/by water).

[Mermaid Oshun]

Caltuna you are absolutely right. Anahita if you can find a copy of the book The Sirius Mysteries by Robert K.G.Temple, you will find sketches of the horned creatures found in China. They were called Fuxi in China where the 3 rulers were half fish and half human. They were said to have taught fishing and writing to man in China
13187
Notice the Fuxi is handing over the square, the symbol of the masons.
13191
In Babylon, they were known as Oannes and also known as DAGON to the Philistines. The word dag means fish. Very similar to the name the Dogon tribe gave themselves. All three cultures believed that these creatures created them. The Chinese say they created man out of clay. Interestingly enough, the God of the xtian bible is also said to have created man out of clay. The Dogons believe that man was derived from their experiments.
13188
13189
So all three cultures believe that these half fish people came to earth, made man or sped man's evolutionary change, taught man culture, and ruled on earth. For more look up Fu Xi or Fu Hsi for their manifestation in China. They were thought to have arrived there around 3322 B.C. To research more about their manifestations in Babylon and Philistine cultures look up Oannes and Dagon. And to read about their history in Africa search the Dogons.
PS
Notice the body of the Egyptian Goddess Isis is always seen as scaled and she is horned
13190
She is part of such an ancient trinity along with her husband Osiris and son Horus..
13193
Notice Osiris wears a headdress similar to that of the Oannes above.
She is also winged which plays into their Aztec representation as winged, scaled/ dragon Gods.
Back to what you were saying Caltuna about the Dogon believing the gods came from the star Sirius. The star Sirius is associated specifically with Isis in her manifestation as Sothis. The dog star Sirius is invisible from the sky for about 70 days each year was thought to return to view in the sky RIGHT ABOUT NOW during these dog days of Summer around August 1st. Interesting we would bring all this up right now just as Sirius is returning to view in the sky! It is an ancient call from deep inside calling to be remembered.

[Echidna]

All three cultures believed that these creatures created them. The Chinese say they created man out of clay. Interestingly enough, the God of the xtian bible is also said to have created man out of clay. The Dogons believe that man was derived from their experiments.
We can add here that both the Sumerian and Mesoamerican myths are a bit more specific;
they mention the first humans were made from the "essence" of a skygod, which was put into the -previously extraced- "clay" of a humanoid apewoman.
Likewise, Sumerian sources mention the skydeities experimented with mixing different species,
and repeatedly tried to engineer a mermaidlike being, which would have resembled them more than normal humans, who eventually went into "mass production".

It's a chilling, and strangely mostly concealed, fact that in ancient egyptian temple crypts, the mummified remains of mixed creatures have been found, which most probably have been biologically engineered.


So all three cultures believe that these half fish people came to earth, made man or sped man's evolutionary change, taught man culture, and ruled on earth.
If someone is interested to see facts presented showing evidence for this,
feel free to read the Earth Chronicles by Zecharia Sitchin.
Keep an open mind though.
I don't agree with many of his theories and ideas, but he has done his research very thoroughly, and the Middle Eastern side of things (which I previously didn't know much about) tied up many loose ends for me.

[Echidna]

@Golden Pearl,
when you mentioned the trinity gods, I immediately thought of Isis/Osiris/Horus, but I couldn't recall any of them being scaled (as Osiris is always shown mummified since he's dead, and Horus is depicted as a Falcon), that picture of her showing the scales is a great find.

I think the world's history is a big mosaic, pieced together by the legends and myths of ALL cultures on the globe, and the more you know about all of them, the better you can see the whole picture.

I've tried to figure it out for ages, but it's just so big, there is always more to learn :D

[Mermaid Oshun]

Yes even when Isis is not scaled as in the statue above found in King Tut's tomb, she has on a scaled "dress"
13199
PS I just downloaded book 1 from the chronicles. Thank you for that.

[Echidna]

Ye, I believed it was just the sheath dress, but on the above picture it's even clearer that it differs from the dresses other goddesses wear.
I'll definitely have to delve deeper into that.



PS I just downloaded book 1 from the chronicles. Thank you for that.
I hope you like it!
It's a bit long-winded at times and not the easiest read (the man is a scholar, not an author :D ),
maybe at some point, we can compare notes.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Caltuna, are you a reptilian believer ? :|

[Echidna]

reptilian believer

and what's that?
Sounds like an internet meme.

Anyway, I tend to believe only in things of which I have verified proof.
I view everything from a purely scientific point.
With the exception of mermaid, and fairy tales :)

[Echidna]

Right, I found this charming little story in German folklore.
(Roughly translated on the go)



During the Twelve Nights (Rauhnächte, the dark weeks of winter when the veil between the worlds grows thin, and the wild hunt is said to ride over the sky), a man went home after late mass.
He carried the blessed little candle from the mass, and he gingerly sought his way back through the forest.
It was around midnight and very dark, and a dense fog suddenly came up, blocking his view.

The man lost his orientation, and ambled around, stumbling over big roots, tearing his clothes on thorns, until finally, he came upon a strange house in the middle of a huge, mossy depression.
The house was so quaint he went closer; its windows were dark holes, overgrown with hanging moss of ivy, and the door was strewn with clam shells.

Since he had lost his way, he decided to go in, and ask for directions;
but when he entered the hut, no one was inside, nor were there any furnishings;
the only thing to be seen were rows upon rows of strange clay pots lined along the walls,
and gravel or shells crunching beneath his feet.
As he turned to leave, he heard a faint, hollow voice calling his name.
"Nephew, is that you?"
He hesitated, recognizing the voice of his uncle, who had vanished without a trace the year before.
The hollow voice called again, and this time the man realized it was coming from one of the pots on the ground.
He went and picked it up; and the voice said unto him:
"Yes, it's me, your uncle.
Last year, I was dragged underwater in the Old Mill Lake by the Merwoman, and drowned.
All these pots you see here contain the souls of people killed by her, which she holds captive.
You are lucky this is the time of the Wild Hunt, so she is out meeting them, but be swift, and flee!
The fog you went through was no mist, but in fact water.
You are here on the bottom of the old mill lake, and this is the Merwoman's abode!
If you didn't carry the blessed candle, you would be dead by now!"

The man's hairs stood upright.
As he stumbled out of the door, he finally saw the crunching things under his boots were neither shells nor gravel, but old, rotted bones and skulls.
He made his way up out of the lake as fast as he could, carrying the pot with his uncle's soul, which he set free once he reached his home.

And this is why one should not be outside during the twelve nights.

[Mermaid Oshun]

They showed the same concept of captured soul jars in the voodoo movie "The Serpent and the Rainbow"

[Echidna]

^^just looked up that movie, because the title sounds awesome.

Doesn't seem to live up to it though xD

[SeaGlass Siren]

and what's that?
Sounds like an internet meme.

Anyway, I tend to believe only in things of which I have verified proof.
I view everything from a purely scientific point.


There was this one episode of CSI (fictional cop show) based on people who believed in reptilians (who were the ones who created man). I decided to briefly look up if these believers existed (because they like to find inspiration from groups of special people like furries, vampires, chimeras, etc.. For their tv shows )
They used the exact same theories you've pointed out about cultures having similar myths about the creators being snakelike... Reptiles. So for like ten hours I've been really fascinated about what been discussed here, that's why I asked.

But the tv show made Reptilian believers/conspiracy theorists craycray and halluctinating about seeing reptilians living among the people.. It could be an internetmeme but I haven't seen any :|

[Echidna]

Back to the roots, mythology-wise.
I've found a nice tidbit that's usually overlooked in Greek legends.

There are several types of mermaids; some are fishtailed, some aren't; some live in lakes and rivers, others in the sea.
Depending on that, they are called differently; but the big exception among mermaids are the sirens.

Those originally weren't waterdwellers at all; they were winged birdwomen, similar to harpies, and not necessarily attractive, though their singing was famous. The island they dwelled on was surrounded by heaps of bones from the sailors they had lured and devoured.

One day, the Muses, divine nymphs adept in all arts, held a singing contest with the sirens, and the Muses lost.
Ashamed and jealous, the Muses plucked the wings and feathers from the sirens, so they could no longer fly;
they dropped into the ocean, and went under.

They then changed into a new kind of mermaid, and were usually depicted with tails later on.
Maybe this is also the reason why we sometimes see fishtailed mermaids with wings, or associated with air/flying.

At any rate, the list of mythological creatures both aquatic and able to fly/winged is quite long-
Quetzalcoatl, eastern dragons, snake spirits, the Rainbow Serpent, lots of faeries like Mélusine (a winged mermaid or snake mermaid),
the Vouivre, and many others.

[Mermaid Oshun]

About that Sirius connection, they've discovered that the oldest temple on earth was built to worship the Sirius star system.
http://ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/worlds-oldest-temple-g-bekli-tepe-built-worship-sirius-00763 (http://ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/worlds-oldest-temple-g-bekli-tepe-built-worship-sirius-00763)

[dandy113]

Growing up (traditional Chinese family), I didn't really hear anything about Chinese mermaids. The closest I think I've seen would probably be the water fairies in stories like Journey to the West (favorite Chinese drama/story/epic/cartoon ever). They look full human, are depicted as extremely beautiful, and are the wives and daughters of the dragons. Other than this, I haven't really heard any Chinese mermaid stories.

I'm not sure, but I think the snake women part is kind of different from the concept of mermaids. When China adopted Buddhism, we kind of mashed that foreign concept with our Taoist deities a bit.

[Talia]

In Spain we also have the legends about "ondinas", which are kind of water nimphs, or spirits of the water. They are depicted as beautiful women, with fair skin, flowing hair and fine limbs. They do not necessarily have tails, but they usually can be found *naked* around fresh water, in lakes, streams or fountains. They are not kind spirits at all; in fact, they use their nakedness to atract men to them, convince them to get in the water, where they are told they will live forever in hapiness and then they drown them - sometimes they eat them.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Growing up (traditional Chinese family), I didn't really hear anything about Chinese mermaids. The closest I think I've seen would probably be the water fairies in stories like Journey to the West (favorite Chinese drama/story/epic/cartoon ever). They look full human, are depicted as extremely beautiful, and are the wives and daughters of the dragons. Other than this, I haven't really heard any Chinese mermaid stories.

I'm not sure, but I think the snake women part is kind of different from the concept of mermaids. When China adopted Buddhism, we kind of mashed that foreign concept with our Taoist deities a bit.
Eeek!!! I love journey to the west!!!

[Lucinda]

I've actually discovered two coats of arms, here in Finland, with merfolk on them:

Mermaid on the coat of arms for Päijät-Häme (Päijänne-Tavastland):
http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A4ij%C3%A4t-H%C3%A4meen_maakunta#/media/File:P%C3%A4ij%C3%A4t-H%C3%A4me.vaakuna.svg

Merman on the coat of arms for Vyöri (Vörå):
http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%B6yrin_vaakuna#/media/File:V%C3%B6yri-Maksamaa.vaakuna.svg

[Mermaid Freyja]

A big chunk of my family is German and Austrian, and we spent summers boating on the Rhine.
One of my earliest memories of those long days on the water, was the stories of the Lorelei and Rhine Maidens my uncle shared with me.
The most popular tale describes a beautiful siren that sits on Lorelei Rock above the Rhine and combs her long shining gold hair. She catches the attention of and hypnotizes ship-men with her beauty and singing, causing them to get caught in the strong currents and crash on the rocks.
Those currents are very real, and very dangerous. There is also an odd echoing sound that happens when the wind is churning against the water and cliffs at the right time. It's very Mysterious!

In a version from a song based on an older similar legend; a woman named Lore Lay was betrayed by her love and accused of witchcraft. She was blamed for tempting men to their deaths and instead of burning her at the stake, the bishop sends her to a nunnery.
On the way, traveling with three knights, she stops near the Lorelei Rock and asks if she can climb it to look at the Rhine once more. She falls (jumps?) to her death, and the rock echos her name to this day, tempting sailors into the dangerous waters
Lorelei in old Rhine dialect German is "Lureln", and translates to "murmuring".

[Amydne]

Where I was born, in a small part in the north of spain called Navarra, there is also a story about something similar to mermaids. We call them Lamiak (similar to greek lamia), they are beautiful women, with duck feet. They live in the river, and stay at the shore combing their long hair with a golden comb, and they easily charm men. In coastal areas people believe that there are Lamiak living in the sea, who has fish tails (same as mermaids). The river Lamiak (the ones I heard about more) used to seduce men, and if they don't reject the Lamiak (they have duck feet aftel all) then she helps the town where that man belows. If someone tries to steal the golden comb of a Lamiak, she will take revenge, killing the thief if it's necessary. There is nothing like mermen, Lamiak are only women.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Huh. That's pretty interesting.