Mermaids

“The mermaid’s song inevitably calls us to the unknown, to the impassionate world of change and possibility. Ultimately mermaids persist in the imagination because they represent a primal human need. to dive deep into the mystery of our un-lived life” - Sue Monk

Brought to this world by Greek god Achelous, the mother of the mermaids is uncertain, but Calliope is the best guess till now. Usually found near Italy around rocky habitats. Numerous cultures have tried to explain the existence of sirens, Irish mythology says the women that were chased by St. Patrick in the transition in Ireland from Old Religion to Christianity later became mermaids. Romans believe that the wood of Trojan’s defeated ship transformed into sea goddesses, or what they call “green daughters of sea”. Every culture has its own theory, but mermaids come from the Greek mythology, which conveys that mermaids used to be the maidens of Persephone. When Persephone was taken away by Hades, Demeter turned them into half bird, with no wings. As they looked endlessly for her and didn't find her, they were given wings to optimize the search, some say they asked for them, others say it was a punishment.

Mermaids are still described as beautiful creatures. At first, they were half bird and half woman, wings and lower body of a bird but torso of a regular woman. They developed the beautiful singing of a bird, and started using it as their main weapon against sailors, they realized their singing was mesmerizing to men, it drove them so obsessed they threw themselves to the sea looking for the astonishing singer.

Vanity grew upon them, and they challenged the muses to a singing duel, which they lost for obvious reasons. As a punishment, they were transformed into half fish and half human. They kept their mesmerizing singing and pride. Some of their most outstanding features include having a third eyelid, sharp teeth, hands webbed, no fingernails, slim and gracious.

Even though they sound attractive, one of the first testimonies given of mermaids states the contrary. In 1493 Christopher Columbus, discoverer of America, wrote in his journal about spotting three mermaids playing in the Caribbean, apparently, they were “not half as beautiful as they are painted”. But, in 1614 traveler John Smith, famously know for the story of Pocahontas, declares to have seen a green haired and “by no means unattractive” mermaid in the coast of Massachusetts. A simple explanation to these statements given by scientist is the delusion of man sailing for straight days or months without good rest, and/or the simple effects of alcohol, specifically the rum that has a tendency to be consumed in ship crews.

Another resolution is the confusion that manatees can bring. Scientist have demonstrated a similarity between mermaids and other creatures such as the manatee, dugong, or the already extinct Steller’s Sea cows. Scientists claim that in long distance they can be confused with the beautiful mermaids because of their related human like face and eyes. But mermaids became more than just a disguised manatee. As the stories began to be told cultural changes and new political laws turned mermaids into icons of representation.

Mermaids represented a lot during the Victorian period, they where these beautiful and sexy creatures that produce madness in man, but still, they couldn’t sexually engage with human men because of their tail. Mermaids were often used as inspiration to paint, they were portrayed covering their breasts with their long hair. Hair became an image of sensuality and femininity. In times where social norms repressed sex, mermaid paintings were the perfect fit for gentleman to stare at naked women, since it was so popular back then. The mermaid hair and tail became a depiction of sensuality and repressed sex.

In 1917 Catholic women started covering their hair. Following, Buddhist nuns joined and began shaving their heads. Hair became a feminine charm, a distraction to men, and back then it was a reason for women to stop showing it. Author of The Woman’s Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects, Barbara Walker, speaks of the mermaid’s hair as representing strength, “the mermaid’s act of attending to her long, lustrous hair signi fies her efforts to nurture and enhance her personal power”. Nowadays most of the Muslim countries still have a law over women hair, and they have to cover it. It has become vastly controversial, feminist women are currently fighting to take away the hijab, it has become an obligatory code of dress.

Mermaids have not only influenced the world of feminism, they have also become a market- ing strategy to some compa nies, one of the best examples is Starbucks. In 1971 Starbucks featured their first mermaid logo with a two tailed mermaid showing her breast. Over time this image altered and now we only get to see her head, hair and some of the tail if you pay attention. The two tailed mermaid is a representation of siren and human sex, and this emblem started with Sheila-na-gig, a figurative sculpture of a woman squatting to show an exagger ated vulva. In 1989 a Sheila-na-gig sculpture was made in a church, this time it was a mermaid splitting her tail in two, ex plicitly making possible human and mermaid sexual inter course. In Christianity the two tailed mermaid became a visual reminder to avoid temptation that would lead to falling in the “mermaids clutches”. It embodies the sins of vanity and lust.

Mermaids sure have a variation of meanings in women, men, and religions, but there also exists a theory from the science field that proposes the idea of mermaids representing something different to each one of us.

Science states that life began in the sea, human embryos are formed in fish like forms to swim through the salty amniotic acid of our mother’s womb. Hence, mermaids can be seen as a reflection of ourselves, and maybe that’s the explanation for our attachment to them, they show us our most inner self.

Psychoanalysts reveal a theory for the justification of only men spotting mermaids. Analyst Carl G. Jung came up with the concept of anima. Anima consists in the inner masculine and feminine side that each human has regardless of their gender. Men are taught to repress their feelings or inner female since child- hood. Psychoanalysts display mermaids as a projection of the fear and repression of femininity inside a men’s head. They’ve also been said to represent the complexity of a woman. Dreadful and frightening sometimes, but they can also be playful, beautiful and kind. Mermaids shows us “the light and dark of the human psyche” (Alexander, 2012).

On the whole, mermaids have several meanings, from a religious perspective, from a feminist perspective, a sailor’s perspective, a Muslim woman perspective, and even for you and me is different. Over time these scenic creatures have evolved with us, and have become a part of a new global mythology. They’ll never end surprising us. They’ve become more than just a cryptozoological animal; they are worldwide icons.