Mermaid

It’s time for another mythological creature and this time it’s an aquatic one. Say hello to the mermaid!

The mermaid is usually depicted with the head and torso of a beautiful woman and the tail of a fish. The creatures appear in folklore all around the world with different variations in name. For example are the sirens of Greek mythology very similar, although they appear to be more evil than the common mermaid. A siren can look like a half bird half woman or like a mermaid. Both creatures like to sing and lure people to their deaths in the sea. Not all mermaids are evil however. The Danish Author Hans Christian Andersen wrote in his fairytale The Little Mermaid that some mermaids simply forget that humans can’t breathe underwater… But seriously though how distant are you if you don’t notice a person you drag under water is drowning?!? Andersen’s fairytale was later made into a very popular cartoon by the Walt Disney Company. Unfortunately the brutality of the original story lacked in this version. (What a surprise) 

A fun fact is that the merbeings aren’t always considered creatures of myth, but are in some cases considered cryptozoological. For example more recently in 2009 there were many sightings of a mermaid like creature in the coastal town Kiryat Yam in Israel. Wittnesses claimed the mermaid made aerial tricks like a dolphin before returning to the depths. These claims made news in a lot of countries and even the cryptozoological and paranormal travel show Destination Truth went to Kiryat Yam to try and see if there was any truth to the story after the town had promised a 1 million dollar reward to anyone who could provide solid proof of the mermaid’s existence!