What is a Mermaid?
Did you every wonder where the stories about mermaids come from? The Mermaidsworld website offers an interesting history of mermaids:
A mermaid is a mythical sea creature with a woman’s head and upper body and a fish’s tail. Mermaids were natural beings with magical and prophetic powers in European mythology, similar to fairies. It is said that they loved music and often sang. It is believed that they were mortals and had no soul.
The word mermaid comes from Old English:
Mermaid is a combination of the words “mere” (Old English for sea) and “maid” (a girl or young woman).
Mermaids have also been associated with shipwrecks and treasures:
Shipwrecks are still a common occurrence when ships approach to land. Running aground can occur for a variety of causes, including changes in water levels or navigational errors, but this may explain why sirens and mermaids were supposed to gather in certain areas.
Read more at The Mermaidsworld website.
