Considering that water makes up about 71% of the Earth’s surface, it is hardly surprising that there are many mysterious marine creatures associated with our vast seas and lakes. Of all such creatures, no other has continued to capture the vivid imagination of the human mind more than the maidens of the sea, more commonly referred to as mermaids.
Mermaids are the only marine version of half-human, half-animal legend and myth. Since time immemorial, legends involving mermaids have permeated the folklore of many cultures worldwide, from Europe to Africa and Asia alike and have even been chronicled in maritime cultures.
Origins
According to records, the earliest known mermaid legends started in Syria around 1000 B.C. It is said that to mourn and atone for accidentally causing the death of her human lover, the Syrian goddess Atargatis dove into a lake to take on the form of a fish.
Early depiction of Syrian goddess Atargatis
However, the other gods loathed for her to give up her great beauty. This resulted in a compromise where only her bottom half turned into that of a fish and her top half remained in human form. The legend also briefly alludes to the existence of a merman, the male equivalent of the mermaid. Thus, it is presumed that mermen co-exist with their female counterparts despite not being mentioned much in folklore and legend.
On a less mystical note, the origin of the mermaid has been attributed to ordinary marine creatures, such as manatees, dugongs, or sea-cows (now extinct). It is said that the romanticised legends involving mermaids have been constructed around early sightings of such creatures by sailors. The rationale behind such an explanation is that marine creatures such as the ones mentioned above appear to cradle their young much like how a human would carry a baby. It is likely that sailors, glancing at such a scene from a distance, would mistake the creatures for mermaids.
Appearance and Legends
Since the time of the Syrian legend, mermaids have typically been depicted as mesmerising aquatic creatures with the head and torso of a female human and the tail of a fish. This is generally the case in most legends across all cultures. The following are but a few of the notable ones.
Early depiction of Thessalonike
A popular Greek mermaid legend relates to the sister of Alexander the Great, Thessalonike, who is said to have transformed into a mermaid upon her death. She is known to haunt the waters of the Aegean Sea, luring sailors with her beauty and testing them with a question which would cost them their lives if they answered wrongly. She would ask only one question; “Is King Alexander alive?” to which the only correct answer would be, “He lives and reigns and conquers the world”. Any other answer would not be acceptable to her and spelled doom for those who failed her test.
A mermaid tale from Scotland recounts the narrow escape of the Laird of Lorntie. It is said that the Laird chanced upon a beautiful naked maiden who appeared to be drowning in a lake near his house. He was about to gallantly jump into the lake to rescue her when he was pulled back by his servant who warned him that it was a mermaid. Furious to have her sinister plan to lure the Laird into her watery prison thwarted, the mermaid screamed at them. When she jumped back into the dark abyss of the lake, her true mermaid form was revealed.
The love story of Suvannamaccha, a mermaid princess with gorgeous features and a golden tail, can be found in the Cambodian and Thai versions of the Ramayana. In short, the mermaid princess was distracted from her original task to spoil Hanuman’s plans to build a bridge to Lanka (the island fortress capital of the legendary demon King Ravana) as she ended up falling in love with him instead.
Artist’s impression of Suvannamaccha and Hanuman on a mural inside Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok
However, not all mermaids are shimmering visions of femininity. The following examples from different parts of the world offer some alternative spins on this fish-human legend.
Ningyo of Japan
Early illustration of Ningyo of Japan
Far from the alluring vision of a beautiful mermaid, this creature from Japanese folklore is said to take the form of a giant fish with a human face and a monkey’s mouth. In some accounts, it even possesses horns and fangs. It is believed that eating a Ningyo will grant eternal youth and beauty but it comes with a heavy price as catching a Ningyo could result in terrible storms and misfortune that could befall an entire village.
Early drawings of Mami Wata
Mami Wata of Africa
Translated to mean “water spirit”, Mami Wata has been described either as a mermaid or a water snake and even at times, as a combination of both. She is never fully human although it is believed that she can take on human form. She is found in many African folk stories where she is associated with healing, fertility, and sex.
Merrows of Ireland
Whilst female merrows are portrayed as beautiful half-human fish creatures with long flowing green hair, male merrows are described as hideous, terrifying and more fish than man. Merrows are able to survive on land and can live underwater when they have a magical cap called a “cohuleen druith” on.
It is said that male merrows are so cruel and terrifying that merrow women would seek out human men instead. Unfortunately, merrows ultimately have to return to sea and it is common for them to eventually abandon their human families in favour of the water.
Marakihau carving at Wairaka Meeting House, Whakatane
Marakihau of New Zealand
Based on New Zealand’s Maori folklore, Marakihau is a taniwha (guardian) of the sea who has a human head and the body of a very long fish, as well as a long, tubular tongue. It is said to have a fondness for destroying canoes and swallowing large quantities of fish.
Iara of Brazil
An illustration of Iara
According to the Brazilian folktale Iara (Lady of the Waters), this mermaid-like creature originated from a water snake, but was subsequently immortalised in folklore as an immortal woman with green eyes and brown skin. She is infamous for luring sailors either voluntarily or forcefully, to become her lovers and live in her underwater palace. Many accidents in the Amazon, especially those involving disappearances of men, have been attributed to Iara.
Rusalka of Russia
Whilst it is widely accepted that Russian mermaids are hauntingly beautiful, people are divided as to the nature of the Rusalka. Some claim that they are benevolent water nymphs which appear in springs to water crops but some swear that they are the revengeful spirits of girls who have died violently. These malevolent spirits have translucent skin which gives them a ghost-like appearance and long hair which is used as a tool to lure men and children to their watery deaths.
Melusine of Medieval Europe
France, Germany, Luxembourg and Albania have various folk tales about Melusine, a female spirit who is said to sport a serpentine tail and on occasion, wings. She is commonly described as a wilful maiden who sought to destroy her father in order to avenge her mother but ended up being cursed with a serpent’s tail as punishment from her mother. France is especially connected with the Melusine legend as the royal French house of Lusignan claims to descend from her.
It is interesting to note that over time, the imagery of mermaids has evolved from a rather sinister look to a more benevolent one. Nowadays, mermaids are likely to be seen as innocent and sweet, if not helpful to human kind in many cases. This is likely due to the prevalent influence of the most famous tale in all of mermaid mythology – Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. This tale has served as an introduction to the mermaid legend for children and adults alike. In addition, the Disney film that bears the same name has also heavily reinforced the benevolent image of the mermaid in the minds of many.
Popular interpretation of Melusine
Sightings
It is said that magical fish-like female figures first appeared in cave paintings in the late Paleolithic (Stone Age) period some 30,000 years ago, when humans gained dominion over the land and, presumably, began to sail the seas. Since then there have been many mermaid legends and a few dozen historical claims of supposed mermaid sightings.
Historical Accounts
The earliest published record of a mermaid sighting dates back to 586 A.D. when early Arab and Greek medieval sailors claimed to have seen them. Similar reports have continued right into the 1900s.
Even the famous explorer, Christopher Columbus, reported a sighting of three mermaids in the ocean off Haiti, in January of 1493. Apparently, what he saw didn’t match his expectations and he went on to record his disappointment at discovering that they were not as pretty as claimed and even said that the creatures he encountered looked like men.
Other notable examples of such sighting include;
- A claim back in the 1600s that a mermaid had entered Holland through a dike, and was injured in the process. Apparently, after she was nursed back to health, she opted to stay in Holland where she learned to speak Dutch, do household chores and converted to Catholicism.
- Captain John Smith, a sea captain off the coast of Newfoundland described his 1614 encounter as “saw a mermaid swimming about with all possible grace.” He also indicated that she had very attractive features, namely, large eyes, a finely shaped but ‘somewhat short’ nose, well-formed longish ears and long green hair. In fact, Smith admitted to being very taken with her but couldn’t get past the fact that she was a fish from the waist down.
- Right around 1830, Scotland was swamped with media attention over a claim that a young boy had killed a mermaid by throwing rocks at it. Although it is said that the villagers buried the mermaid, who looked like a child of about three or four years old but for a salmon’s tail instead of legs, no historical evidence was found that could support this fishy tale.
Modern Sightings
There aren’t many modern reports of mermaid sightings but in 2009, a news report of a mermaid sighted off the coast of Israel in the town of Kiryat Yam caught much global attention. It is said that the mermaid, who resembled a young girl crossed with a dolphin, briefly appeared around sunset and performed a few tricks for onlookers right before disappearing into the night. The frenzy over the sighting reached such a fever pitch that the local council offered a monetary reward of 1 million dollars to anyone who could conclusively prove the existence of mermaids.
No one ever claimed the reward although many attempts were made. In fact, an NBC film crew attempted an expedition around Kiryat Yam to try and film the mermaid in 2010, but was unable to produce any strong evidence despite strong insistence that mermaids are real from the head of the research team.
In 2012, a TV special called “Mermaids: The Body Found” which was presented in a fake-documentary format reignited interest in mermaids. It was so convincing that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which was represented in the film, deemed it necessary to issue a statement officially denying the existence of mermaids.
Conclusion
No solid evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found yet mermaids or mermen continue to occupy the collective consciousness of nearly all seafaring people. And it is not just seafaring people who keep the mermaid legend alive. Although their tales may be ancient, their legend remains relevant in modern times as you can see their image in many contemporary forms; from literature and film to your morning coffee at Starbucks!
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Since young, I used to read and hear about mermaid in books and so forth. All I knew ,mermaid is a creature with heard and upper body of a female human. But do not know further than that until I read this interesting and facts about it in this blog. Many cultures have their own versions of mermaids, There are indeed so many folklore stories, legends and myths of mermaids from different countries and each defer from each other all around the world. Mermaids have fascinated people for centuries and inspired many sightings by individuals. Do it really exist , no one could tell. There is no evidence that mermaids exist outside folklore, reports of mermaid sightings continue to the present day. Well, it seem that mermaids have been a popular subject of art and literature in schools . They have even been depicted in operas, paintings, books, films and comics. Interesting read.
Thank you Rinpoche for this interesting sharing.
I believe there are mermaids living in the ocean and they are part of sentient beings. Just like many other creatures that we hear and read about it. Due to the bad pollution of the world, even though if there are mermaids living inside the ocean, i do think it’s hard for them to survive. What human had done to the world is truly destroying the livelihood and harmony of all beings. If mermaids still exist today, i think they will stay far far away from human.
I love to read about mermaid since young. Whether its existance or not, many mermaid story has found in different country.
In buddhism , we beliave naga existance look like mermaid have same form , half snake or fish with human upper body.
We should respect all being existance living hormony without hurting each others in this planet.
I grew up knowing about the legend of Melusina and the little mermaid but I never thought that these stories could be true. But having now more information about different mysteries worldwide, such as the little people, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW2aZPVtrdo for example, I believe that we don’t know about many beings around us.
We should always be respectful of our environment as the mermaid could be part of the nagas, who live close to water and become angry if we don’t respect our environment and mess it up. Please read here more on nagas: Apology to the Naga Realm https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/apology-to-the-naga-realm.html
The existance of mermaid may be possible, it could be one of the extremely rare creatures just like bigfoot and many other creatures that exist around the world, and as the article mentioned, there are 71% of the earth surface is made out of water, and the depth of water is even deeper than the mount everest, so means how much of the sea that we have discovered? And how much more we dont know?
But having said that, this have always been my question whenever i read about articles on sepcial creatures like this, the sighting of these creatures is always dated many many many years ago when technology is still very laid back, now with such advance technology, how come there is no witness or photo captured with these creatures? Or did they extinct already or they also becoming more advance in hiding themselves already?
I always believe that there are many more creatures that human beings had never encountered. There are way deeper in the ocean where even human made machine can’t reach. It won’t be surprise that mermaid exist. From ancient time until now, human beings is still finding the fact of the existence of mermaid, just like big foot and aliens. Some even posted some sighting of mermaid. Of course, if we really can see a mermaid in real life, it won’t be like those we saw in cartoon or comics, due to the environment they survive in, it might not even have a perfect human look.
I believe in the existence of mermaid. It may not be as flawless as being shown in fantastical animation movies or cartoons. Instead, I guess it appears in a natural or probably fierce looking creature under the sea. Hoping for more updates from anthropologist!
Human has not explored 100% of the ocean. The ocean is a very large component of the earths surface. Most of it is only very rarely accessed by humans. I believe is anything can possibly exist, therefore mermaids may exist.
To me, mermaids will be suffered more if they exist at this era. Human may use them for entertainment. But one thing for sure was the story of the mermaid brought me a happy childhood with all the wonderful imagination when reading and hears about it.
I don’t really believe that mermaids exist. This is because there is no single physical mermaid was recorded anywhere. Perhaps those people who claimed they saw mermaid could have saw large fish instead and they could have twisted the story around so that more and more people will go to their village and they can earn money from it.
My first imprint of mermaid was a beautiful maiden with top human body with a fish tail at bottom. As I grow older and learned from Tibetan Buddhism, says that mermaid is described as Naga, a spirit with human body and serpent tail of snake or fish. Naga normally stayed in water and there’s many form of Nagas.
On the other hand, I do believe existing of mermaid. There are so many mysterious beings in this world and it’s really hardy catch for explorers to search evidence. Hence, many news were reported as to show is real.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JN8OS7ZDkE
Every creature on earth is unique.
It’s not necessary to prove their existence with science and technology because we all know the capabilities of science is limited.
Believe or not is everyone’s own choice, but to respect every creature and behave well are MUST DOs if we wish to live in harmony and peace.
Mermaid just like any other cryptic that people encountered them but no solid evident to prove their existence. But I believe they are real. Their existence being painted on the cave during the stone age. What being drawn during that time is what they saw.
Some may thought they are Naga but whatever they are we just need to be respectful to them. Do not create harm, disharmony or any negative action. There are many being out there that we may not have seen but doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Just make sure our act doesn’t create or make anyone discomfort.
I don’t believe that mermaid exist. However, I believe that whatever those people think they saw could be from the naga realm since nagas’ form is something similar.
Till today there are no proof nor physical evidence to even suggest their existence. And most of the claims are either through word of mouth or sighting of one person which I do not find credible. The legends could be fabricated by people and spread through word of mouth since many people/sailors travelled around the world very often back in the old days. The different versions could be because some details were heard through the grapevine.
There are legends that had lasted centuries through documented history and some through word of mouth in form of fairy tales.
The mermaid legends and fairy tales are plentiful and generations after generations, the tales of mermaids had been mesmerised by young girls to the beauty and mystery of mermaids. Even the animation movie of MERMAID was such a hit in recent times.
Do mermaids exist and are they real? This is a question no proof can be provided except for pictures drawn through the age of times.
As the existence of mermaids cause no harm, may be good to let the tales continue until the fade of the mermaids no longer exists.
I think we are all intrigued by the legends of mermaids since so many folktales around the world have some form of a mermaid legend associated with it.
Mermaids real or imagined has occupied the minds and imagination of many people. Sailors of old, don’t have it easy, they faced dangers almost on a daily basis, whether from the elements or uncertain circumstances. So one who is a sailor is truly a tough nut, and one who is accustomed to survival, so their level of alertness and awareness had to be that much more acute than normal people.
Very informative and interesting article of mermaids even though it is just legend. I used to read stories of mermaids when i am young which i found very interesting knowing that its just folklore stories..All of us have been fascinated by mermaids for a long time. A few hundred years ago, the myth of beautiful semi-human women living beneath the sea was widely believed .To date, scientists have not able to explain whether mermaids do exist even though they do believe there do.There are alleged mermaids sightings, from around the world. Do mermaids exist ,….no sound prove.and no one has ever been found yet
Our oceans are so vast and deep,mermaids and other sea monsters might exist but no one knows what;s underneath there. I wonder if there is a species of undiscovered mammal swimming around in the ocean. Well may be…..no one knows.
Thank you for sharing this interesting and informative article.
Interesting article about mermaids and quite fascinating to know of the various types of mermaids in different cultures and folklore. This brings to mind the Nyai Loro Kidul, whose tale was told to me by a friend. Basically, Nyai Loro Kidul is an Indonesian goddess of the sea and despite being categorised as sea spirits actually is generally portrayed like a mermaid with the upper body of an alluring woman and lower part of a fish.
Nyai Loro Kidul is not only called the Queen of the Southern Sea (Indian Ocean) in Javanese as well as Sundanese mythology, but she is also said to be the mythical spiritual consort of the Sultans of Mataram and Yogyakarta, beginning with Senopati and continuing to the present day. Further, she is said to have the ability to take the soul of any who she wished for and based on local folklores, she is known to claim lives of fishermen or visitors that bathe on the beach at her whim and fancy. And apparently, she has a penchant for handsome young men.
A quick online check reveals that Pelabuhan Ratu, a small fishermen city in West Java, celebrates an annual holiday in her honour on April 6 where “sedekah laut” or offerings are annually made in order to appease the queen.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. It is fascinating. I always believe there is mermaid. There are always many other creature exist in the other world. It won’t be surprise that mermaid really exist. I searched from internet before video footage about mermaid, some are really fake, but some are really cannot be explained.
Thank you again RInpoche for sharing, it is very clear explained and described the sightings and the believes from ancient until modern time. _/\_
Many of us came to know about the mermaid likely through the movie many years ago like The Little Mermaid produced by Walt Disney and the recent movie of The Mermaid produced by Hong Kong. Basically, the movies showed that there is a group of living beings like human beings that is needed very much for survival.
Although there is no solid proof that they are existed in this world or only mentioned in the legends, but I personally believe as long as any of the living beings have not become a Buddha, they do exist. They are just like other beings in other realms that we might not able to see especially Gods, Semi Gods, hell beings and hungry ghosts.
Thank you for sharing this interesting and informative of Mermaids.
Our world is so big, is not possible for us to see everything. The ocean is full of mysteries that mankind still unable to solve. If we have not seen a mermaid, doesn’t mean it does not exist. Since mermaid is depicted in many countries folklore, i believe that mermaid does exist.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing so many folklore stories about mermaid, I really enjoy reading it.
Mermaid has lots of similarity with what was described in Tibetan Buddhist text of Naga. Both of them have the upper body similar to the human, and lower body similar to a fish or snake. They live in water, a mysterious creatures and sometimes has super natural power transforming themselves into a beautiful person. I do believe the existence of Naga. There are lots of traditions both in asia and the west has pass down this cultures from their folklore.
There are few resources that has further explained the nature of Naga. I found that the explanation given by one of the forum discussion found in ‘ #3 Dorjeshugden.com’ is the most easy to understand.
1. http://www.3worlds.co.uk/Articles/Snake-Spirits.pdf
2. https://pages.shanti.virginia.edu/relb2054_jea6c/2010/11/06/the-klu-their-roles-within-the-shamanic-and-buddhist-contexts/
3. http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=1355.msg17292#msg17292
“Nagas [kLu] are a class of beings (often snake-like in form) that dwell in a variety of locations ranging from waterways and underground locations and also in unseen realms. These beings have their own perceptions and vary in their enlightened level as do humans and other beings. Nagas are susceptible to suffering created by mankind’s carelessness and basic ignorance of proper conduct in nature and disrespectful actions in relation to our environment. Therefore Nagas often retaliate towards humans when they behave in such ignorant manners. The expression of the Nagas’ discontent and agitation can be felt as skin diseases, various calamities and so forth.
I feel mermaid is one legend where I believe it is just something mystical and not something real. Mainly because there is not much sighting, and not many people has seen it. I wonder why there are a lot more bigfoot enthusiasts than mermaid enthusiasts. Is it because there are more bigfoot sighting?
What really fascinates me is the mermaid is also mentioned in Cambodia and Thai, even in Japan, as I have only heard from it from Europe stories.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid_of_Warsaw
I was very fascinated with mermaids when I was a kid because I thought it was amazing how they could swim in the oceans like a fish. So I grew up with the belief that mermaids existed and perhaps have become extinct. Now that I have learnt about nagas, I realize that mermaids are most likely from the naga realm.
That is why there have not been any recorded physicial evidence of mermaids. Just like beings from other realms such as spirits, they do exist. Many people around the world give their accounts of their sightings. Some see similar apparitions and some vary. Just because there may not be any physical evidence of these beings, it doesn’t mean they do not exist.
When we realize that the world is so much bigger than the physical one we percieve with our eyes, we begin to see how small and insignificant our existence is in relations to the rest of the universe. All our self created problems become insignificant as well.
Dear Rinpoche,
I am always attracted by the story of Mermaid or mermen. I always there are beings in deep sea because the sea is so deep and vast. I do believe that some they are many species of mermaid in the sea, and , some of them are able to have human legs and walk like us.
From this article, it is an eye opener to me that the legend of mermaid is actually recorded in different countries’ folklore. And , it is recorded as early as in cave paintings in the late Paleolithic (Stone Age) period some 30,000 years ago! Probably, they have existed before human race.
But, from most of the record and sighting, it seems that the mermaid is quite malevolent.
Thank you for the article Rinpoche
With folded hands,
Freon
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this mermaid article. For me I like watching mermaid cartoons when I was a kid. But in real life I still doubt its existence. Maybe it’s because I did not see it with my own eyes or there is no solid evidence of its existence. It is interesting to know the various sightings of mermaid in the various places from olden times.
With folded palms,
Vivian
There are lots of tales of mermaids, some depicting them as malignant, some depicting them as innocent beings. Whichever, it is there has been no evidence of their existence. Are they like the gorillas that were discovered quite recently? Will these beings be found eventually? As at this point in time they are myths but if the Buddhist teachings of the 6 realms exists, then these being may just be around us and like us, are subject to the laws of karma. So,evil or otherwise, once we have faith in the Buddha, then we have compassion for them and not just fear them only.
The Mermaid certainly was depicted as the beautiful and alluring maiden in many legend and folklores. In most of the legends, Mermaid tends to cause harm to human maybe because our presence and invasion disturbed their peace, hence the vengeance. Just like the dragons/serpents, Mermaids are depicted as different forms by various cultures. It somehow goes to show that their existence is more than mere myth. Thank you for this informative article on Mermaids.
In Malay and Orang Asli traditions, the lake Chini, located in Pahang is home to a naga called Sri Gumum.
Her predecessor Sri Pahang or her son left the lake and later fought a naga called Sri Kemboja. Kemboja is the former name of what is Cambodia.
Like the naga legends in Cambodia, there are stories about an ancient empire in lake Chini, although the stories are not linked to the naga legends.
Legends of the ancient empire in the vicinity or under lake Chini were strengthened when pyramid-like mounds were detected in the area.
See:
http://ki-media.blogspot.my/2007/12/ancient-khmer-city-discovered-in.html
Well, as a Buddhist I tend to believe that mermaids are more or less nagas. These magical serpentine beings are believed to be able to take on human appearance and are very powerful and are deeply connected and associated with the ocean, rivers and lakes. It seems that many ancient cultures have some sort of belief in their existence in one way or another. This kinda mirrors that of other unseen beings like spirits and such.
If so many cultures hold such beliefs, then it must be real or some element of truth in it. Nagas are powerful beings who control the weather and the land. Clearing of the land, pollution and huge construction disturb their mind and body. Hence, they may retaliate by creating certain diseases of the skin and so forth. Fortunately, there are pujas as the nagas themselves are partial to the Buddhas especially Chenrezig.