The History of Mermaids Isn’t What You Think it is
By: Nicol Valentin
Tags: Religion, History, Culture, Spirituality, Sexuality

Don’t you just love mermaids? What a life — basking in the sun, playing in the water. When you're a mermaid every day is a magical summer vacation. There’s just one little drawback. Traditionally mermaids were not the kinda girls you’d want to hang out with, and you’d certainly never want to be one.

How did they get their sullied reputation? Well, to find out we’ll have to go back to the beginning of mermaid culture.

The Mermaid and the Satyr, Ferdinand Leeke 1917

Where did these watery beauties come from?

Lots of early cultures had mermaid stories. The first recorded version comes from around 1000 B.C. It seems back in the days of gods and goddesses there was some fooling around going on. ( Have you ever noticed how much trouble those people caused?) One story says the goddess Artargatis fell in love with a shepherd boy, and when things didn’t go as planned she threw herself into a lake, transforming into the first mermaid. Other stories claim they were the offspring of gods who fell in love with water nymphs.

European stories seem to have their roots in the stories of the ancient sirens. According to the Greeks, sirens were half woman, half-bird. Mysterious and powerful, they were said to be the offspring of a muse and either the sea god Phorcys or the river god Achelous. In Homers Odyessy, Odysseus is forced to go past an island of sirens. Luckily, Circe warned him the beautiful songs of these women could bring him to ruin. He, therefore, had his sailors plug their ears while they tied him to the mast. Seems his curiosity got the better of him; he just had to hear their lovely music. Of course, Circe was right,` Odysseus tried his hardest to get his men to set him free.

Hylas and the Nymphs, John William Waterhouse 1896

Mermaids and the Church

In the middle ages, sirens could be part bird, fish, or snake. All three were said to be pretty darn sexy, no matter what their lower halves looked like. However, the watery version soon started to win out. Water was a female environment, and women's constitution was considered cold, moist, and oh so needy. Water, therefore, was the perfect place for sirens and the like. There was one drawback. Wouldn’t living in water bring out a woman's worst qualities? Why if all women are ruled by their passions, the lust of a water-dwelling woman would be so ravenous she would surely be a danger to the purity of men. This thinking began to prevail until by the middle of the 12th century the transformation from siren to temptress mermaid was complete.

Now it just so happens that the 12th century was a very religious time, and so the church grabbed on to the mermaid idea and ran with it. After all what better example of concupiscence and lust could there be? Books like the Bestiaire Divin written in 1210 began to expound on the mermaid's character flaws, calling them prostitutes and whores. Even saints like Jerome and Ambrose got in on the act, warning men the creatures would sneak onto ships, whisk away innocent men and force them into sex. Try to refuse and you’d be turned into mermaid dinner.

Mermaid, Elizabeth Jerichau Baumann 1873

A Symbol of What NOT to be

Artistic depictions reinforced this image of the sexual predator, even in churches. They hoped these representations would remind men to take care of their souls and flee from immoral desires. Mermaids were shown as temptresses with long flowing hair and naked breasts. Some held Split tails parted and help up by their sides as an invitation for men to give in to their carnal desires. One 15th century artist even positioned a fish strategically between the split, insinuating it was about to travel into her vagina. Yet another image has two serpents coiling around the tail, mouths attached to the mermaid's breasts. According to St. Bernard the idea was an epic failure:

Again in the cloisters what is the meaning of these ridiculous monsters, of that deformed beauty, that beautiful deformity before the very eye of the brethren when reading? Such endless forms appear everywhere, that it is more pleasant to read in the stonework than in the books, and to spend the day admiring these oddities than in meditating on the law of God.”

Nuremberg Bible image of mermaids tempting the men on Noah’s Ark

One more addition to the mermaid's worldly nature was her comb and mirror. Whereas the sirens carried musical instruments to aide their divine singing, mermaids were much vainer. An image in the Nuremberg Bible shows one combing her long wavy hair and admiring herself in the mirror. Combs were a symbol of promiscuity in antiquity, and long flowing hair a sign of a wanton nature. Obviously, this mermaid was seeking the ruin of some holy men.

Howard Pyle, The Mermaid 1910

An Ever-Evolving Personality

Eventually, the role of religion in peoples lives began to lessen and the mermaid's image began to change. By the 16th century, they were being used in political propaganda, while the 17th looked at them from a more scientific view. Art and literature of the 19th century repurposed them into symbols for tragic love affairs while focusing more on their pagan origins.

Throughout the changes, mermaids seem to have an enduring — and even endearing — quality. Their ability to inspire creativity by harnesses our dreams and desires will keep us forever fascinated.

Sources:

all images Wikimedia

Mermaids The Myths, Legends, and Lore Skye Alexander

https://www.wired.com/2014/10/fantastically-wrong-strange-murderous-sometimes-sexy-history-mermaid/

http://northstargallery.com/mermaids/MermaidHistory2.htm

https://theconversation.com/why-we-cant-resist-the-lure-of-mermaids-80086

http://www.sirenasmediterraneanacademy.com/en/the-academy/history-of-mermaids/

https://www.livescience.com/39882-mermaid.html