"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>.