UNDER THE SEA

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

Mermaids

Mermaids have always been shrouded in mystery, being so alluring, yet ever evading to the public eye. But many people claim to have seen them. Are they like the sailors of the 1800’s, tired, sick and potentially delusional? Or are they lying?

Mermaid sightings go way back. Even Christopher Columbus wrote about seeing mermaids on his voyage.  Could mermaids really exist and what would they be like? In this article I will answer questions about mermaids and share about mermaid history, mythology, pop culture, and media.

1. What is a mermaid?

A mermaid is an aquatic creature that has the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish, instead of legs.  In legends, mermaids are depicted as beautiful women, known for their enchanting song.

2. Are mermaids real?

We can only speculate the answer to this question. Mermaids are considered mythical creatures, but there is still the question of where the myth of mermaids came from. Perhaps there is truth to legend.

It is believed that the sailors of olden days who wrote about seeing mermaids were actually delirious from months at sea and mistook manatees for mermaids. Manatee tails are resemblant of a mermaid tail and when you’ve gone so long without seeing a woman, you might just imagine one.

That may or may not be the case. Mermaids may seem like something out of the imagination, but the majority of the ocean has been unexplored so we can’t rule out their existence.

There is a scientific theory that life originated in the sea and everything evolved from there, eventually to the point of creatures leaving the sea. What if mermaids are the missing link? Perhaps they are our evolutionary ancestors.  While science does not confirm this, it is just something to ponder about.

It is a great mystery. Do we discount all the tales of mermaid sightings as merely lies or delusions?

3. Where do mermaids live?

This is kind of a no brainer. Mermaids live in the sea and inhabit marine areas all around the world, according to legend. But there are also stories of mermaids living lakes and rivers.

Mermaids are also common as spiritual beings, or deities. These mermaids are more metaphysical and cannot be seen, but can be prayed to and communicated with.

Mermaids may also live in Atlantis. The Lost City of Atlantis is a fictional island that sunk and is now submerged. In some stories and movies mermaids live there.

4. What are the recorded mermaid sightings

Mermaid sightings have been reported by many sailors and pirates throughout history. The theory is that they actually were mistaking a manatee for a mermaid, but who knows? Here are a few historical accounts of mermaid sightings.

Christopher Columbus- Christopher Columbus was the first documented account of seeing a mermaid. He wrote that the mermaid was not as beautiful as legend, and had a masculine face. It is believed that it was really a dugong that he saw.

John Smith- There is a story that John Smith, of Jamestown, sighted a mermaid. He said she was graceful and “by no means unattractive.” It is debatable whether it is historically accurate or just the story of a writer.

Edward Teach – Edward Teach was an English pirate who sailed around the West Indies. He was famously known as Blackbeard. He was a huge man and one of the most dangerous pirates around. In a log book it is recorded that Blackbeard made an order to steer clear of a certain area that he believed was inhabited by merfolk.

5. What are the Mermaid hoaxes?

Many people have tried to capitalize on mermaid beliefs. People thought they could profit off selling mermaid hoaxes, tricking the public. Here are a few instances of that.

P.T Barnum- Phinneas Taylor Barnum is the founder of the Barnum and Bailey circus. He was an American showman known for promoting hoaxes. One of those hoaxes was the “Feejee Mermaid.” It was the upper half of a dried monkey sewn to the tail of a fish. This was on display in the 1840s and created a mermaid craze in New York. Barnum teamed up with Levi Lyman, who posed as a naturalist to sell the mermaid to the public. It was a success and Barnum took it on a tour in London.