Of these freshwater mermaid-such as animal (every now and again with ii fish tails, more days with the body of a dragon or serpent) is the character Melusine. Sirens of Greek mythology are sometimes portrayed within late folklore and art as existence physically similar to mermaids. More related types of mythical or legendary creature come water fairies (e.g., various water nymphs) and selkies.

Legend and myth

Tales of mermaids come about universal. A foremost known mermaid stories appeared in Assyria, ca. 1000 BCE. Atargatis, the mother of legendary Assyrian queen Semiramis, was the goddess world health organization loved a human shepherd & in the run flushed him. Ashamed, she climbed into water to require a form of a fish, however the waters would non conceal her divine nature and severity. Thenceforth, she took the form of the mermaid - individual above a waist, fish beneath, though the earliest representations of Atargatis showed her when existence a fish sustaining a human being head & legs, similar to the Babylonian Ea. A Greeks recognized Atargatis under a title Derketo, in which she was typically conflated by having Aphrodite.

Lucian of Samosata inside Syria (2nd century CE) in De Dea Syria ("Concerning the Syrian Goddess") write on the Syrian temples he experienced visited: Mami Wata is a mermaid spirit in the traditional beliefs of many West African peoples. An additional African mermaid is the Jengu of Cameroon.

These are said around Japan that eating the flesh of the mermaid may grant unaging immortality.

Inside a bit of European legends mermaids are said to grant wishes.

Fiction

Mermaids come present within several books & films, becoming one of a virtually all popular animals of pop culture. a number 1 period a mermaid was envisioned in her have culture was apparently the a single in The Little Mermaid of Hans Christian Andersen. This mermaid was embodied around the bronze sculpture inside Copenhagen harbour and lot in the future was sour into the Disney movie of the same name. A Anderson tale was as well portrayed in the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0199214/ Faerie Tale Theatre] series & more (less swell known) picture.

Inside Splash (1984), starring Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks, Hannah played the mermaid world health organization fell soft on by owning a human. She can hike dry land as the man female, however when a body of water touched her legs it changed into a fish-derriere. Great deal of the flick revolves around her humourous tries to conceal her avowedly identity from either her lover. The television series followed known as [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096159/ Splash, Too] within 1988.

Miranda, starring Glynis Johns, is another popular motion-picture show to feature the mermaid. She Animal (2001) featured the nefarious mermaid world health organization seemed to have a taste for mortal flesh & sapphic tendencies.

The processed-for-cable film, [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340842/ Mermaids], starring Nikita Ager, Sarah Laine & Erika Heynatz airy on the Kiss of peace network around 2003. It was just about the trio of mermaid sisters known as Venus, June & Diana world health organization solve their father's slaying.

Advertising characters from television commercials include the Chicken of the Sea Mermaid, who is the cartoon mascot for a brand of tuna and other products.

Mermaids come likewise featured within Hook, Magic Island and the upcoming film adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia. Mermaids & mermen (known as merpeople) are present in the Harry Potter series, specifically in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

L. Frank Baum (creator of Oz) wrote a novel about merfolk, The Sea Fairies.

For several years, a comic book superhero Superman had the romanticist love interest by having a mermaid woman known as Lori Lemaris. A title Lori Lemaris was probably drawn from either Lorelei rock in the Rhine added to maris, from a Latin mare, meaning ocean.

Mermaids come as well invented animals in the Dungeons and Dragons game. It is a females of the merfolk race. A males come referred to as mermen.

Sirenomelia

Sirenomelia occurs as uncommon congenital disorder can result inside a infant by owning legs fused together & the genital organ reduced. Because of the similarity to the legendary mermaids, these are known as "mermaid syndrome" or even "sirenomelia". This affliction is astir when uncommon when conjoined twins and is usually calamitous in the day or even ii of birth because of kidney and bladder complications. There are deuce known survivors of this disorder alive in todays world.

Hoaxes

In the 19th century, P. T. Barnum displayed in his museum a taxidermy hoax that was represented as the Feejee (sic) Mermaid. Others have perpetrated similar hoaxes.

Heraldry
Around heraldry, the charge of the mermaid is unremarkably represented by owning the comb & the mirror, & blazoned as a 'mermaid inside her vanity.' Mainly around Christian Heraldry though merfolk (we.e. mermaids & mermen) symbolized fluency around speech.

The shield & sword-wielding mermaid (Syrenka) is the official Coat of Arms of Warsaw, the capital of Poland.

A individual coat of arms of Michaelle Jean, Canada's Governor General, features two Simbi, mermaid-like spirits from either Haitian vodun, as supporters.