DexRicon
10-07-2013, 03:12 AM
I'm sure this has been asked before many times. Indeed I've asked myself many times. However recent in-depth discussions with my [somewhat] new wife have found me with new insights into why I'm such a merphile.
Ignoring the obvious answer that I was about 3-5 when Splash and the Little Mermaid came out and a bunch of psychological issues were then set, I always wondered if there was more. Why do they continue to hold my interest as other childhood fandoms become of idle nostalgia? It certainly isn't prurient...or entirely so, as I don't have pictures of Princess Leia or Wonder Woman cosplays on my computer.
The conclusion I've come to (for now) is that the inherent dichotomy in the mermaid is incredibly interesting. The mermaid, perhaps more than any other mythological creature, is of two worlds but really never belonging in either of them. In the water she's a force to be reckoned with, but our limited understanding of the ocean forces mermaid characters to be essentially bored and lonely with underwater life. On land the interesting mermaids are always a little out of place, if not often forced out of place by an errant and unwanted transformation from legs to a tail. In many ways I see myself in that thought, having always felt out of place no matter where I was.
So what about everyone else? Why mermaids? Why the costumes or interest? What keeps you coming back to this particular mythological creature as vampires, werewolves, and all manner of other types of fiction await you?
Ignoring the obvious answer that I was about 3-5 when Splash and the Little Mermaid came out and a bunch of psychological issues were then set, I always wondered if there was more. Why do they continue to hold my interest as other childhood fandoms become of idle nostalgia? It certainly isn't prurient...or entirely so, as I don't have pictures of Princess Leia or Wonder Woman cosplays on my computer.
The conclusion I've come to (for now) is that the inherent dichotomy in the mermaid is incredibly interesting. The mermaid, perhaps more than any other mythological creature, is of two worlds but really never belonging in either of them. In the water she's a force to be reckoned with, but our limited understanding of the ocean forces mermaid characters to be essentially bored and lonely with underwater life. On land the interesting mermaids are always a little out of place, if not often forced out of place by an errant and unwanted transformation from legs to a tail. In many ways I see myself in that thought, having always felt out of place no matter where I was.
So what about everyone else? Why mermaids? Why the costumes or interest? What keeps you coming back to this particular mythological creature as vampires, werewolves, and all manner of other types of fiction await you?