One of the most famous legends around the world, are the mermaid legends. These mythological creatures have been part of the folklore of various countries since ancient times and this is how we can find many versions that relate their existence in a mixture of myth and reality, attributing supernatural powers that range from healing abilities or granting wishes to an irresistible voice. with which they attracted sailors.
However, no one knows exactly what its origin was, but it is believed that it would have been the sailors who created the mermaid legends, because in many of their travel stories they mention these beautiful sea maidens. Although the surprising thing about these stories is that despite coming from different parts of the world they usually have many similarities. Which makes us wonder, do mermaids really exist?
Although currently most dictionaries and related literature describe the mermaid as a beautiful half-woman, half-fish creature, originally the best-known versions that come from Egyptian mythology do not describe them as such. It is said that they were beings similar to the force called Ba, a hybrid with a human head and torso, but with a bird’s lower part that used to inhabit a rocky island.
As in Greek mythology, it also says that they are half-bird women, but one of the mermaid legends He says that they are daughters of Achelous (god of the river) and Melpomene (a muse of harmony and modernly of tragedy). Other versions say that they could have come from Achelous and Sterope; and there is also a version where they relate that they come from the blood of Acheloos. But what all the versions agree on is that they all talk about her beautiful voice and her musical skills.
But as you can imagine, there are other mermaid legends around the world and that we invite you to know below:
Derceto in Syria
The first of the mermaid legends they take us back to ancient Syria 1000 years BC and the fact of representing them as we currently do is due to the legend of Derceto. Who is said to have been the world’s first known mermaid legend. The story tells that she was not born a mermaid, but she was a powerful priestess who offended the goddess Venus (Goddess of love) and is in revenge she inspired love towards a shepherd named Caistro. From this love a girl named Semiranis was born. But Venus decided to change the love she felt for Caistro. She thus abandoned her daughter and she decided to kill the man she had loved. Ready to commit suicide for what she had done, she threw herself into the sea, but the gods did not allow her to die and turned her into a mermaid.
The Ningyo in Japan
It is a dark story, which is about a monster with the body of a fish, the face of a human, but with the mouth of a monkey and teeth equal to those of a fish. He has golden-colored scales and emits a soft sound, pleasing to human ears. Some of the myths say that if they catch and eat the Ningyo they can have eternal youth, others say that trying to catch it can unleash storms on the villages forever. If the creature was not hunted and was found on the shore of the beach, it was a sign that wars were approaching.
They say that a fisherman brought home a strange fish to cook it and invited his friends to eat with him. One of his guests peeked into the kitchen and saw the beast that had the face of a person, for this reason he was scared stealthily and warned everyone not to taste the meat. So it was when the feast was given. One of the drunken men arrives at his house and gives the meat that he did not eat to his daughter, the little girl calmly ate it. When the man regained his sanity, he remembered what he had been told, but it was too late.
Since then the father was afraid of what could happen to his daughter, however, the little girl grew up as a healthy and beautiful young lady, who even got married. The strange thing was that since then she did not age anymore, her husband deteriorated with the passing of the years and she remained young. Time after becoming a widow, she fell in love again and got married again, but she kept repeating the same thing, still young and a widow over the years. One day she decided to become a priestess and travel the entire planet; When she returned to her town, the woman died with at least 800 years.
The Mermaid in Guam.
Legend has it that a magical family existed a long time ago, what they wished for was always fulfilled. In a few years a baby named Sirena was born, while she grew up her passion was always swimming, for this reason she was always playing in the city river. One day her mother asked her to run an errand for her, but the young woman forgot and continued in the river, the mother seeing that time passed and her daughter did nothing, annoyed, she wished she would turn into a fish, but the grandmother who was With the mother I try to counteract the desire by saying: that a part of her remain human. And so it was Sirena transformed, scared she wanted to go home but her body wouldn’t let her.
The grandmother reprimanded the mother for what she had done, and although she tried to reverse what she did, it did not work. Her sad daughter says goodbye to her as she goes into the water never to return.
The Melusine in France
This is one of the mermaid legends that comes from medieval Europe and places us in the story of a woman with a serpentine tail and in some versions they bring wings. Legend has it that King Elynas went hunting one day, where he met a beautiful maiden with whom he fell in love. It turns out that the girl was a fairy and the king insisted that she marry him. Although she accepted, on the condition that if they had a baby they could not leave the house or be bathed, since the union of a mystical creature and a human is dangerous. Time after the king accepted, the fairy conceived two girls, Melusina, Melior and Palestine. It wasn’t long before the man reneged on the deal, this was the reason for the fairy to leave his side.
When the girls became young ladies, they asked their mother, why didn’t they grow up with their father? The fairy tells them and the girls were furious, to the point of looking for his father and locking him in a cave. Her mother was angry at the lack of respect and punishment for both of them, but Melusina fell under the curse that sepertine queues would appear every Saturday. Another story of Melusina, relates that she married a young man, to whom, the girl put the condition of not entering the room on Saturdays, it turns out that one day, the husband breaks the promise and observes the appearance of the hybrid, despite this the siren forgave him.
This mermaid from French legend, they say is connected to the royalty of Lusignan, according to them, they are descendants of the fairy. Even the most recognized brands such as Starbucks coffee have it as a logo.
The Lara in Brazil
In South America you will find the beautiful, mysterious and dangerous Amazon jungle of Brazil, characteristics that also define the Lara. She was formerly known as a water snake, but legends say that she was a woman with dark skin and green eyes who liked to attract men who sailed to be her lovers and perhaps disappear them. Well, they say that she is to blame for many of them jumping into the water and not returning from the sea.
the legends of the sirens they are curious, they may not be like in the movies we have seen, but they are still very interesting. What is your favorite? Do you think they really existed?