The Origins of Mermaids

Mermaids have been present in several cultures for thousands of years. From Poseidon’s children to Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘The Little Mermaid’, there have been multiple representations of these beautiful but deadly sea creatures. Civilizations that had no contact with each other had their own versions of mermaids, so, what caused all of them to create the same mythological creature?

• Fear of the Sea

Mermaids represent the duality of the sea; how it can be both beautiful and deadly at the same time. This is why most stories about mermaids are either romantic or horrific. Initially, mermaids were a metaphor for the ocean and symbolized all the terrors it could bring; the unknown dangers of the ocean and uncharted waters. Since most sailors didn’t actually know how to swim, mermaids became the reason why so many of them didn’t come back.

• Religion

Early civilizations were built around bodies of water like rivers or seas. Several early religions would use myths and legends as a way to warn people of the dangers that lay outside of cities. The first examples of mermaid-like creatures were actually how civilizations portrayed their Gods with the Babylonian God Ea being the first to be described as half human half sea creature. However, the first historical representation of a mermaid came from the Assyrian goddess Astargatis, who after accidentally killing a human dove into the ocean to hide from humanity. She turned into a fish but insisted on keeping her beauty, hence becoming the first ever mermaid.

• Culture

Varying cultures appropriated mermaids but had different connotations for them. Greeks and British people feared mermaids and saw them as forces of evil who would tempt sailors with their beauty only to later drown them. Persian culture as well Irish believed mermaids were good souled and shy creatures that would sing to the sailors in order to guide them back to land.

There are countless stories about mermaids that you can find in almost any civilization that lived by water. If you wish to read about mermaids and other fantastic tales, pop by our online library www.hublmedia.com and check out our selection of fantasy and adventure books!