| Mermaid | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Real Name |
Mermaid |
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First Appearance |
European/Asian/African Folklore |
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Created by |
European/Asian/African Folklore |
Origin[]
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are sometimes associated with perilous events such as floods, storms, shipwrecks, and drownings. In other folk traditions (or sometimes within the same traditions), they can be benevolent or beneficent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans. The male equivalent of the mermaid is the merman, also a familiar figure in folklore and heraldry. Although traditions about and sightings of mermen are less common than those of mermaids, they are generally assumed to co-exist with their female counterparts. The male and the female collectively are sometimes referred to as merfolk or merpeople.
The Western concept of mermaids as beautiful, seductive singers may have been influenced by the Siren of Greek mythology, which were originally half-birdlike, but came to be pictured as half-fishlike in the Christian era. Historical accounts of mermaids, such as those reported by Christopher Columbus during his exploration of the Caribbean, may have been sightings of manatees or similar aquatic mammals. While there is no evidence that mermaids exist outside folklore, reports of mermaid sightings continue to the present day.
Mermaids have been a popular subject of art and literature in recent centuries, such as in Hans Christian Andersen's literary fairy tale The Little Mermaid or in the Neverland Mermaids in Peter Pan. They have subsequently been depicted in operas, paintings, books, comics, animation, and live-action films.
In The Shadow Over Innsmouth, there is a grim variant of merfolk lore via The Deep Ones. Man-fish creatures are subservient to their patron gods Father Dagon and Mother Hydra. They have an affinity for intermarrying with humans and promoting the worship of The Old Ones.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
Any published appearances of mermaids before January 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Notable appearances can be found here and below:
- Peter and Wendy (1904)
- The Little Mermaid (1836)
- The Fisherman and His Soul (1888)
- The Sea Lady (1901)
- The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie (1910)
- The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915)
- Moby Dick (1851)
- The Scarecrow of Oz (1915)
- The Sea Fairies (1911)
- The Shadow Over Innsmouth (1936)
- Wet Magic (1913)
Public Domain Film Appearance[]
- The Mermaid (1904)
- Siren of the Sea (1911)
- Neptune's Daughter (1914)
- A Daughter of the Gods (1916)
- Queen of the Sea (1918)
- Venus of the South Seas (1924)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- The Unseen #14
- The Hand of Fate #21
- Meteor Comics #1
- Funny Pages #6
- Fairy Tale Parade #5, 7
Notes[]
- A list of mermaid characters on this wiki can be found here.
- In the Pokemon anime, Ash Ketchum's friend Misty appears as a mermaid in two episodes: "The Misty Mermaid" from Pokémon: Indigo League and "Cerulean Blues" from Pokémon Chronicles. In addition Primarina, a Water/Fairy-type originally from the games Sun & Moon, is based on both a mermaid and a sea lion.