Focus on Mermaids

Q: Why do mermaids wear seashells?

A: Because B shells are too small and D shells are too large.

In Greek mythology the person-with-a-tail was always a man. Perhaps this evolved from the Babylonian god Oannes (see Mermaid Fact 1 below). Females associated with water always had legs!

Venus, Aphrodite's Italian cousin, is sometimes shown riding in a shell attended by cherubs. The best known version of this image is Botticelli's "Birth of Venus". You must have seen this picture it turns up everywhere! This is considered the definitive picture of a mermaid, yet again she has legs.

Two of the symbols of Venus were the comb and mirror, which the true mermaid later inherited. They are the source of the common image of the mermaid sitting on a rock and combing her hair while gazing to a mirror.

The mirror was so closely associated with Venus that today we use it as the symbol for the planet Venus and for "woman". That circle with a small cross on the bottom is in fact a stylized mirror of Venus.

For more on mermaids in mythology visit Mermaid Mythology.

In classical mythology sirens were originally bird-women. That is the source of their beautiful songs - they had the voices of birds.

The sirens used their songs to lure sailors to their island. The sailors would jump overboard and swim to land, or sometimes entire ships would be wreaked on the sharp rocks surrounding the island. Any sailors that survived the rocks died of thirst. They were too enchanted by the sirens' song to leave the island or look for food or water.

According to different authors there were two, three or eleven sirens. Some say they were ugly, some beautiful. All agree they were dangerous.

Odysseus was warned about the sirens by Circe. He had his men stuff wax into their ears to keep out the siren's seductive song. Meanwhile, he had himself lashed to the mast so he could hear it without being able to jump overboard. He also told his men to ignore any orders he gave until they were well past Siren Island.

How the sirens became mermaids is a bit of a mystery. However, it is from them that mermaids inherited their beautiful voices and their desire to destroy sailors.

The word "siren" has entered the English language to mean any woman who uses her charms to deceive and destroy men.

If you want to read more about mermaids in mythology visit my site.

The first mermaid was actually a man! The Babylonian god Oannes was often shown as a man with legs and a fish's tail. He was described in writing as having the head and body of a fish, but under the fish head was a human head and under the fish tail were human feet.

Oannes brought civilization to man. He was a mystical god who dispensed wisdom and taught writing, law, the arts, agriculture and various sciences.

Mermaids have a proud heritage that they continued throughout mythology and folklore.