"Mystical Waters"

Have you ever just fallen in love with the beauty and mysteries of the water? Since child hood, there’s no other place I rather be then the beautiful deep blue ocean. My favorite pastimes would be the vivid unforgettable memories my family and I spent near the water. For some reason, no matter what kind of argument had taken place before hand, or how moody any of us were, when we were all together at the ocean, our hearts, and minds were filled with nothing more than just happiness, peace and love.  The activity, I most enjoyed was just soaking in the cold water, and letting the tidal waves brush against my body, and just cause me to drift away, of all my problems and worries. The mysterious magical powers and calmness within the waters, would just take whole of my emotions. But time after time of visiting the ocean, one unanswered question began to grow in the back of my mind. Was there any other mystical life hidden away with in the waters? Beyond the obvious life of the fishes, sea anemones and turtles; something more like the legend of the mystical mermaid.

"Mer..What?"

John William Waterhouse, A Mermaid, 1900 Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photo courtesy Royal Academy of Arts, London

The Legend of the Mermaid has been a part of numerous folk tales, literature, mythology, movies, children cartoons and even in poetry worldwide. For the most part, these various tales describes the mermaids as being half woman and half fish. The mystical mermaid can sometimes be often called "Sirens". Essentially believing that appearance wise, mermaids are beyond beautiful and a true work of art. In some cultures though the mermaid is also believed as being in another form such as half man and half fish; merman. The mermaid myths date back to Ancient Greece and to the Middle East where archeologists have found bronze moldings of mermaids that are as old as 3,000 years. The stories and myths, about these mystical creatures differ from country to country. In the roots of Africa the legend states mermaids as being water Goddesses. In China, on the other hand, mermaids are seen as personalities and believed to be a part of nature; such as wind, water, rain storms, lightning, and animals. Even though, archeologists have discovered moldings of mermaids, scientists have never really documented mermaids as being a mere reality. Meaning that through out history, scientists have never been successful in proving that mermaids truly exist. Despite, the unproven myths for century’s people have witnessed sightings of mermaids. As the author of North Star Gallery states, “One of the first references to humans encountering Sirens is found in Homer's ancient epic, the Odyssey, written around 800 B.C." The Greek hero, Ulysses encountered these creatures during his voyage.  Ulysses had been warned by the sorceress, Circe about the beautiful sea nymphs and there evil yet undeniable singing abilities, that would lead men and their boats to their deaths. Circe gave Ulysses the advice to plug his and his men’s ears with wax, to ignore the mermaid’s voices. Thankfully, because of this advice, he did not fall for their taunting ways and made it through safety. Another one of the most famous and first sightings documented in history; was that of Christopher Columbus. On January 4, 1493, during his enduring voyage to America, he reported to have seen mermaids playing about jumping out of the water. As the website, Beautiful Mermaid Art states, "He says, "They were not as beautiful as they are painted, although to some extent they have a human appearance in the face..."" Throughout the decades, the history and tales of mermaids have developed tremendously. In fact, in the present day, sightings of mermaids still continue to occur. Although sightings continue and the legends have had a long for told history, no one person can truly prove the fact that these goddesses are not just a fantasy.

Work Citied:

Beautiful-Mermaid-Art: Real Mermaid Timeline. 2005-2007. Web. 23 November 2010. <http://www.beautiful-mermaid-art.com/real-mermaid.html>.

North Star Gallery: Sirens. 2002. 23 November 2010.             Web.<http://northstargallery.com/mermaids/mermaidhistory2.htm>.

Unexplained-Mysteries: Mermaids.2001-2010. Web. 23 November 2010. <http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/viewarticle.php?id=156>.