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| Sirens in ] are similar creatures to mermaids. Other related types of ]ical or ]ary creature are water ]s or the ] ''(on land)''. | Sirens in ] are similar creatures to mermaids. Other related types of ]ical or ]ary creature are water ]s or the ] ''(on land)''. | ||
| Mermaids first appeared historically in Assyria, ca. 1000 BCE. Atargatis, the mother of legendary Assyrian queen Semiramis, was a goddess who loved a mortal shepherd and in the process killed him. Ashamed, she jumped into a lake to take the form of a fish, but the waters would not conceal her divine nature. Thereafter, she took the form of a mermaid - human above the waist, fish below, though the earliest representations of Atargatis showed her as being a fish with a human head and legs, similar to the Babylonian Ea, precursor of the Biblical Noah. | |||
| Mermaids are present in many movies, books, etc., and have become one of the most popular creatures of Pop Culture. The first time a mermaid was envisioned within her own culture was apparently the one in Hans Christian Andersen's ], which was embodied in a bronze sculpture in Copenhagen harbor and much later was turned into a ] movie. Other popular movies to feature a mermaid were '']'', starring ] and '']'', starring ]. Mermaids and Mermen (called Merpeople) are present in the ] series, specifically in '']''. | Mermaids are present in many movies, books, etc., and have become one of the most popular creatures of Pop Culture. The first time a mermaid was envisioned within her own culture was apparently the one in Hans Christian Andersen's ], which was embodied in a bronze sculpture in Copenhagen harbor and much later was turned into a ] movie. Other popular movies to feature a mermaid were '']'', starring ] and '']'', starring ]. Mermaids and Mermen (called Merpeople) are present in the ] series, specifically in '']''. | ||
Revision as of 11:17, 24 March 2004
A mermaid is a legendary creature with a female human head and torso (if it's male, it's called a merman) and the tail of a fish, which inhabits the water. Some sailors claim to have seen mermaids; what they actually saw are probably manatees. A freshwater mermaid-like creature having two tails is a melusine, or a Nixie.
In heraldry, the charge of a mermaid is commonly represented with a comb and a mirror, and blazoned as a 'mermaid in her vanity.'
In the 19th century, P. T. Barnum displayed in his museum a taxidermy hoax that was represented as the Feejee (sic) Mermaid.
For many years the comic book hero Superman had a romantic love interest with a mermaid woman called Lori Lemaris (one of Superman's "LL" connections: Lex Luthor, Lana Lang, Lois Lane, Lori Lemaris). The name Lori Lemaris was probably drawn from Lorelei rock in the Rhine added to maris from the Latin mare meaning ocean.
Sirens in folklore are similar creatures to mermaids. Other related types of mythical or legendary creature are water nymphs or the Banshee (on land).
Mermaids first appeared historically in Assyria, ca. 1000 BCE. Atargatis, the mother of legendary Assyrian queen Semiramis, was a goddess who loved a mortal shepherd and in the process killed him. Ashamed, she jumped into a lake to take the form of a fish, but the waters would not conceal her divine nature. Thereafter, she took the form of a mermaid - human above the waist, fish below, though the earliest representations of Atargatis showed her as being a fish with a human head and legs, similar to the Babylonian Ea, precursor of the Biblical Noah.
Mermaids are present in many movies, books, etc., and have become one of the most popular creatures of Pop Culture. The first time a mermaid was envisioned within her own culture was apparently the one in Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, which was embodied in a bronze sculpture in Copenhagen harbor and much later was turned into a Disney movie. Other popular movies to feature a mermaid were Miranda, starring Glynis Johns and Splash, starring Daryl Hannah. Mermaids and Mermen (called Merpeople) are present in the Harry Potter series, specifically in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.