According to the Standard Dictionary of Folklore: Mythology and Legend, Merfolk (mermaids and mermen) are supernatural beings who live primarily beneath the sea. It is in Hellenic literature that one finds the first literary description of Merfolk.Ovid writes that mermaids were born from the burning galleys of the Trojans where the timbers turned into the flesh and blood of the 'green daughters of the sea.' There are other versions of their birth: The Irish say that mermaids are old pagan women transformed and banished from the earth by St. Patrick. A Livonian folktale says they are the drowned children of an unknown Pharaoh - having met their doom in the depths of the Red Sea.While the common conception ofMerfolk is that they are humans from the waist up, but fishes from the waist down, according to myth that is simply not true.
Instead,
Merfolk are neither human nor fish, but they are mammals that resemble
human/fish combinations.
Mermaids are usually depicted as having scaly
tails, however, many early descriptions of Merfolk mention their
dolphin-like tails. A carving on Puce Church in Gironde, France, shows
a young mermaid with two tapering tails instead of legs. A mermaid's
bewitching voice is said to be able to lure ships onto rocks and men to
their deaths. They are beautiful in their appearance and are also
musically talented, in both their singing and their playing of musical
instruments. Though they spend most of their time underwater, they have
been known to assume human form and come ashore to markets and fairs.
Other names for Merfolk:
Ben-Varry (Manx Mermaids);
Catao (Hiligaynon); Caesg (Celtic -- part trout or salmon); Dinny-Mara
(Manx Mermen); Havfrue (Scandinavian Mermen); Havmand (Scandinavian
Mermaid); Meerfrau; Merefolk (Phillipine Merfolk); Merfish; Merlady;
Merman; Merpeople; Muirruhgach (Merrow -- Irish); Merrymaids (Cornish
Mermaids); Merwife; Morgens; Neck (Scandinavian fresh and salt water
Mermaids); Ningyo (Japanese human-headed fish of immortality); Sea
Maids; Sea Maiden; Sea People; Sea Queen; Siren; Tritons; Undersea
Folk; Underwater Folk; Water Babies; Water Maid.
Names of ancient sea gods:
Amphitrite ('The Great
Embracer' -- pre-Hellenic sea Goddess); Atargatis (Syrian mermaid
Goddess); Lir (Irish sea God); Mami Wata ('Mother Water' -- Nigerian
mermaid Goddess); Nereus ('Old Man of t......
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Rise of the Phoenix:
There are Chinese, Japanese, Russian,
Egyptian, and Native American counterparts of the Phoenix. (Fêng-Huang, Ho-oo,
Firebird, Benu, and Yel respectively). All of these birds are identified with
the sun."A mythical bird that never dies, the phoenix flies far ahead to the
front, always scanning the landscape and distant space. It represents our
capacity for vision, for collecting sensory information about our environment
and the events unfolding within it. The...The surprising realites of mythical creatures
While sailing the ocean near Haiti, Christopher Columbus in 1493 reported seeing three mermaids from a distance. The Genoese explorer was not impressed.Up close, the sea maidens were "not as pretty as they are depicted," he wrote in his journal, "for somehow in the face they look like men."Many scientists now think that what Columbus probably saw was a manatee, an aquatic mammal that resembles a flippered hippo.In a new exhibition opening at the American Museum of Natural His...Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns, Mermaids
The poor, portly manatee, having to endure this gibe time and again: "The early explorers thought manatees were mermaids. Guess they'd been at sea a little too long!"Local tour guides have their own versions of the line and the Internet offers dozens more.Even an estimable literary journal, The Believer, lampooned recently that the female Florida manatee's tail, forelimbs and "prominent nipples" make it "a likely progenitor of the mermaid myth; however, the m...UT professor debunks chupacabra myth
UT professor Pamela Owen can add one more title to her resume: educator, scientist and supernatural investigator. The producers of "Mystery Hunters," an educational TV program for kids, asked Owen to help identify bones reported to belong to the mythical chupacabra. The chupacabra, whose name means goat-sucker in Spanish, is a fabled creature which attacks and mutilates live-stock, sucking the blood of its prey.The bones belong to rancher Devin Macanally who shot the animal while it wa...History of the Unicorn
Today the unicorn is legendary, or mythical. But this was not always so. At one time the unicorn existed--or, at least, was thought to exist. As described in ancient scientific writings and depicted in painting and tapestry, the unicorn was a beautiful horse-like creature with a single long horn thought to have medicinal properties. Respected ancient scholars, such as Aristotle and Pliny, mention them existing in their day. But today unicorns have gone the way of fairies, elves, and trolls. Beli...New TV series explores Celtic monster legends
North Wales film-makers bring ancient monsters and Celtic myths to life in a major new TV series. Celtic Monsters uses animation from Oscar-nominated Joanna Quinn's Beryl Productions to illustrate banshees, dragons, serpents, demons and omens of death including the ankou.The series is produced by Caernarfon-based Cwmni Da and Ireland's Midas Productions.Celtic Monsters was filmed on location in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall and features inter-views with experts and storytellers.C...The mythical 'Toyol' - in a bottle ?
Submitted by Pendekar Timur: Is the toyol – long regarded as a mythical supernatural creature – for real? Hundreds of visitors who thronged the state museum here think so as they scrutinised a figurine kept in a bottle that was on display there. A curious fisherman had found the bottle on Tuesday on the shores of a coastal village, believing that what he saw in it was a toyol. In Malay folklore, a toyol is a goblin-like creature that steals money and commits other mischief or evil at the instruc...Why do magical creatures continue to capture human imagination?
Just when things are looking bleak, elves come to the rescue. When the old shoemaker became too poor to buy more leather, elves sneaked in at night to stitch such fine shoes buyers lined up at his door.And when Santa could no longer grant all children's Christmas wishes, elves took over and ran his workshop all year long. Elves capture the human imagination with their knack for creating a kinder, gentler world, say scholars who study such things."The real world is messy," s...How to explain dragons
Anthony North: We have all heard of the Dragon. Known in culture worldwide, it is usually depicted as a huge reptile or snake with two pairs of legs and wings. Often associated with spirituality, it can also breath fire. In eastern mythology it is often seen as benevolent, whereas to western culture, it is malevolent. Often known as a 'worm', warrior knights fight it, usually rescuing a fair maiden whom it had been guarding. This is the story of george and the dragon.: And the legend is ...
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Phoenix - The Mythological Brid of Fire
The surprising realites of mythical creatures
Sea cow `sirens' fuel mermaid mythology
UT professor debunks chupacabra myth
History of the Unicorn
New TV series explores Celtic monster legends
The mythical 'Toyol' - in a bottle ?
Why do magical creatures continue to capture human imagination?
How to explain dragons
