Mermaid Myths

Mermaid Myths — page 3 — sIrens The Greek writer Homer wrote The Odyssey almost 3,000 years ago In his book Homer introduced the idea of sirens These beings are half woman and half bird and are very dangerous Homer’s sirens live on an island in the sea They sit combing their long hair and singing Their singing tricks humans who hear them into thinking the sirens are beautiful Passing sailors are so enchanted that they sail into the island and crash against the rocks In The Odyssey the goddess Circe advises the hero Odysseus to put wax in his ears to block out the singing Odysseus ignores her because he wants to hear the sirens He orders his men to plug their ears but to tie him to the mast When the sirens sing to Odysseus he wants to jump overboard and swim to the island Luckily he cannot break the ties and this saves him from certain death In Greek myths sirens were not sea maidens but land creatures They were half woman and half bird FAst FAct sirens used their beautiful voices and songs to lure sailors causing ships to crash into the rocks 6 6

Mermaid Myths — page 4 — nyMphs In Greek mythology naiads are freshwater nymphs They live in rivers springs fountains and streams Nereids are sea nymphs Ancient images depict nereids with two legs They look like humans but they live under the sea In Greek myths the god Nereus lives in the Aegean Sea He and his wife Doris have 50 daughters all of them nereids Each daughter represents an element of the sea such as foam waves or salt As kind and generous goddesses the nereids are friendly with sea creatures and ride on the backs of dolphins They also protect sailors and fishermen and rescue those in trouble On the shore people built shrines to thank the nereids One of Nereus daughters Thetis becomes the mother of the hero Achilles Another Amphitrite marries Poseidon the god of the sea Their child Triton becomes a herald for his father Triton also becomes the father and king of all mermaids The name Triton can also describe mermen in general Tritons are powerful sea gods who carry conch shells to raise or calm waves 7 7

Mermaid Myths — page 5 — MerMAIds Around the WorLd What do the Japanese call their mermaids Are mermaids in Ireland different from those in Scotland In all cultures mermaids share some traits For example they are all half human and half fish and they all live in the sea Many stories also involve magic and some relationship with humans However mermaids in these stories vary in looks and personality Their hair may be green blond black or another color They may be benevolent or unkind Some mermaids can marry humans and have children Others cannot live out of the sea MerroWs The Irish call their mermaids merrows or Moruadh pronounced MORE-uh-ach The word comes from the Irish Gaelic words muir meaning sea and oigh meaning maid A merrow has green hair and is very beautiful She wears a red cap usually covered in feathers or a red cape The color red is associated with magic The red clothing allows merrows to walk on land If a merrow loses her red cap or cape she cannot return to the sea 8

Mermaid Myths — page 6 — According to Irish myths merrows often marry human men A FAst FAct merrow’s children have webbed fingers and toes Like their mothers they are drawn to the sea In some stories a merrow’s husband hides her red cap to keep her from returning to the sea Male merrows are much less attractive than the females They have green teeth and red noses They also have a dark side Sometimes they play tricks on passing sailors Other times they kidnap sailors and keep them in a cage under the sea LA sIrene The mermaid from Haiti is called La Sirene She is the queen of the sea and her underwater home is a palace full of treasure La Sirene has a magical voice and plays a golden trumpet She always carries a mirror and a comb Like most mermaids La Sirene loves to receive presents such as jewelry and she adores music and parties sirenomelia or mermaid syndrome is a medical condition in which babies are born with their legs fused together which makes them look like mermaids It is always best to be kind to La Sirene because she has a scary side She can cause violent storms if she is angry At all times La Sirene wants people to honor her If they do she rewards them with riches La Sirene is also a teacher who helps singers musicians and artists to improve their works If La Sirene takes people under the sea she keeps them there for seven years During that time the mermaid queen teaches her captive humans magic If La Sirene allows them to return to land they bring their powers with them A species of algae called Acetabularia grows in shallow tropical water Its common name is mermaid’s wineglass 9

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