Water bodies have always inspired myths and legends because of the central role they play in most societies. Myths are different from folktales in that, at one point, people believed myths and they are linked to how early history is told and passed down from one generation to the next. On the other hand, folktales are fictional stories told to either offer a moral lesson, give commentary on society, or explore what it means to be human, and can include fantastical and magical elements.
One enduring myth is that of the mermaid. While there are many mythical creatures that have captured our imagination, mermaids have had quite a strong hold being quite prominent until this day. The idea of the existence of a half human and half fish creature is one that is found in many different cultures around the world. Mermaids were sometimes believed to be divine beings. One of the earliest myths, dating back to 1000 BCE, was that of the goddess Atargatis; it originated from what we now know as modern-day Syria where archaeologists found coins depicting Atargatis as a mermaid.
Whether in myths or folktales, the symbolism of mermaids has never been the same. Sometimes, they were harbingers of bad luck, luring sailors to their demise or forewarning oncoming floods or storms; some other times, they symbolized good luck, fertility, and abundance. Interestingly, a 14th century Swedish mapmaker known as Olaus Magnus drew mermaids and sea monsters to denote dangerous geographic areas. Later on, from the 16th century to the 20th century, European sailors adopted a positive view of mermaids and often used them as the figurehead of their ships. They believed that mermaids could help them have a safe passage and help make navigation easier.
Mermaids were described differently in different cultures; some had one fish tail while others had two. Some looked just like humans but could live underwater, like in the story of Julnar, the sea-born, and her son, King Badr Basim of Persia, which is told in the One Thousand and One Nights. The storyteller, Shahrazad, recounts the story of Julnar, a mermaid who ends up leaving her underwater kingdom and marrying a king on land, giving birth to a future king who can go between the underwater kingdom and the kingdom on land. Thus, she creates a bridge between those two realms; through her story we see how people from different backgrounds can come together and create a mutually respectful relationship.
In Literature and Cinema
The Middle Eastern folktale mentioned above is very different from the well-known European story, The Little Mermaid, which was written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen and published in 1837. The latter recounts the story of a young mermaid who falls in love with a human prince; she drinks a potion to turn her fish tail into legs and in return she becomes mute. In order to remain alive, she has to get the prince fall in love with her; alas, he does not. To regain her fish tail and preserve her life, she would have to kill him; however, she cannot go through with it and dies. This story highlights different themes, one of them is sacrificing oneself for love, and another is how being different can marginalize you.
Due to its worldwide popularity and many translations, this story has had great worldwide influence, and has had quite the impact on other retellings of mermaid tales. In popular culture, when we think of mermaids, the Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, which was released in 1989, comes to mind. While it used Andersen’s story as its source material, it took quite a few liberties in its retelling so that it has a happy ending.
Continue reading “Mermaids (2): Encounters and Revelations”.
References
britannica.com
gutenberg.org
hepca.org/
instagram.com
nationalgeographic.com
oneearth.org
rmg.co.uk/
worldwildlife.org
Braham, Persephone, et al. Scaled for Success: The Internationalisation of the Mermaid. Edited by Philip Hayward, Indiana University Press, 2018.
Bacchilega, Cristina, and Marie Alohalani Brown. The Penguin Book of Mermaids. Penguin Classics, 2019.
Cover Image by freepik