Prologue
Do you believe in Mermaids? People may laugh if you say yes but, deep down, you either do, or want, to believe. You may have even seen one in your past. You weren’t sure what it was, but you know it had a tail and a woman’s face. Mermaids sightings have been reported for centuries and why not?
In ancient Syrian (~ 1000 BC), there was a goddess who went by the name of Atargatis. She was a fertility goddess whose cult eventually spread to Greece and Rome and was associated with water (especially lakes) and fish. Often depicted in mermaid form, Atargatis is perhaps the “original” mermaid. Legend has it that she dove into a lake to become a fish, but only her bottom half was transformed.
In Old English language, “mer” means “sea,” and “maid” means woman. Mermaids become ”women of the sea.” Following the same line of logic, a “mer” man (merman) would be a “man of the sea.” Both names make perfect sense and describe their fishy lifestyle quite simply. Mermaids and mermen are half human, half fish creatures.
Sirens conjure images of lovely mermaids sitting on rocky shores, singing out a mesmerizing song to draw sailors to the rocks and cliffs. Folk lore, as well as ancient myths, support this notion, but the sirens of Ancient Greecewere actually bird-women (half woman, half bird). Eventually these bird women, known as harpy’s, were transformed into mermaids in some of the later stories, However, they kept their beautiful, bird-like voices, in order to draw the mariners to their doom.
Many famous people, including Christopher Columbus and Henry Hudson, have reported mermaid sightings. Further, if you consider three quarters of the Earth is covered by water and ninety five percent of our oceans remain unexplored, it’s not that difficult to believe there could be mermaids lurking in the deep.
Further consider this: The most-watched telecast in Animal Planet’s history is: Mermaids: The New Evidence. It delivered 3.6 million viewers, shattering the network’s ratings record. Yes, it turned out to be a hoax, but the point was made with the huge rating.
So, open your mind and let your imagination ‘imagine’. People have reported seeing spaceships, aliens, Big Foot, aka ‘Sasquatch’, Nessie, the Loch Ness monster, ghosts, demons and ghouls. Add mermaids to that list and you’re going to love this book.
