Flippant tails: mermaid myths, legends, and folklore

Mermaids around the world

types of mermaids

• Ben-varry: On the Isle of Man, the mermaid is called a ben-varry. She generally appears as a benevolent fish-tailed woman, though some few have been known to lure sailors to their doom.
• Dinny-mara: Manx mermen are termed ''dinny-mara'', but they are not normally seen or described.
• Havfrue: The Scandanavian mermaid is beautiful in appearance with long golden hair and carrying a golden comb to entice fishermen. However, her appearance is regarded as an omen of poor fishing and storms. The havmand, the Scandanavian merman, is seldom seen by humans but is considered handsome with green or black hair when he does appear. He lives near the sea shore and is generally helpful to humans.
• Merrow: A mermaid found in Ireland. The females are reported to be beautiful, while the males are green in colour with red eyes and pig ears. All merrows have long fish tails and webbed fingers. They are normally friendly to humans, even to the extent of intermarrying.
• Merrymaid: The merrymaid, as Cornish mermaids are termed, are capricious creatures. Their actions depend solely on their whim at that moment. While some merrymaids rescue sailors from drowning, others prefer to actively encourage sailors to drown. Their siren song as they sit on nearby rocks causes ships to founder and sink.
• Melusine: Refers to a twin-tailed mermaid. These are usually depicted in medieval bestiaries.
• Ningyo: One of many Japanese monsters. They are primarily depicted as human-headed fish, as opposed to the fish-tailed woman seen in Western culture. The fish-flesh of the ningyo grants the gift (or curse) of immortality when eaten, and their blood can be used to cure all ills. Their tears take the form of pearls which are highly prized in magic. The sighting of a ningyo is considered an omen of impending war.