As mentioned in my previous blog post, while visiting the International Mermaid Museum in August, I really enjoyed all their informative signs about mermaid mythology tied in with ocean ecology teachings. As the museum’s mission statement says, “All oceanic countries have mermaid lore thus providing a thread of connectivity and commonality between and through both community and culture.” As a thalassophile, I am drawn to mermaid beliefs and was fascinated by so many different cultures’ lore. It took me quite some time, but I transcribed all the signs for those that don’t have an opportunity to visit the museum, as well as for myself to remember the wonderful experience I had there!
Mermaid Mythology:
Adaro are malevolent creatures from the Makira part of the Pacific Ocean’s Solomon Islands. They are dangerous as they are a result of a person’s spirit that is an evil ghost after a person dies. They look like mermen with ear gills, a tail, a dorsal fin, and a swordfish bill on its forehead. Often found traveling in waterspouts and near rainbows, they use flying fish as a weapon to kill innocent fishermen.
Ocean Ecology:
Swordfish are fast open-ocean billfish reaching lengths of up to 16 feet and weighing over 14oo pounds. They use their bill to club and stun prey. Found migrating through warm tropical waters, they are a popular sport fish. Sawfish are part of the ray family that reach up to 25 feet long. They are a critically endangered species found only in shallow waters of North Australia and Florida where they shake their ROSTRUM or bill through the sand to find prey.
Quote: “Beauty is power, a smile is its sword.“ ~John Ray
Mermaid Mythology:
Kananaka was a mermaid who lived offshore of Lahaina, Maui. It is believed that when foam is near the seashore or the mouth of a stream, the mermaid is present. If the mermaid was in the loko (fishpond), fish would be bitter and not good to eat. This is Kananaka’s hula.
Ocean Ecology:
Butterflyfish pair off and become territorial on a section of reef. There are 129 species of butterfly fish with 25 species in Hawaii. The dark spot on their tail is a false eye, an example of AUTOMIMICRY, thought to confuse predators on their direction of travel, by one part of the body looking like the other.
Quote: “If your thighs touch, you’re closer to being a mermaid.“ ~Anonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Wahine Hi’ u i’a in Hawaiian translates to woman with a fish tail. Namaka is the Hawaiian goddess of the sea. She creates surf, tides, currents, waves, swells, and even tsunamis. Her younger sister is Pele, the fire goddess. As opposites they clash, which is why Pele lives high atop the volcanoes and Namaka threatens her with huge waves. When Pele’s lava reaches the sea, it is Namaka who puts out the fire.
Ocean Ecology:
Sunfish or Mola mol is the heaviest bony fish in the world, weighing up to 2200 pounds. The fish is found in tropical and in TEMPERATE, or occurring in the middle latitude, waters around the world, but it is sometimes seen along the Washington Coast. It is an odd shape with its head and tail contiguous. Its main body is flat, which is why it may be confused for a mermaid.
Quote: “How would you like to stand like a god before the crest of a monster billow, always rushing to the bottom of the hill and never reaching its base, and to come rushing in for a half a mile at express speed, in graceful attitude, until you reach the beach and step easily from the wave?“ ~Duke Kahanamoku
Mermaid Mythology:
Neptune, the Greek god of the sea, became jealous when mermaids—known for guiding ships to safe passage—fell in love with sailors. In retribution, Neptune banished the mermaid to the depths of the ocean. As the mermaids wept in exile, their broken-hearted tears crystallized. Eventually, the waves would push them to shore so their lost love could keep them as tokens. This is the reason beloved sea glass pieces are often called Mermaid Tears.
Ocean Ecology:
Sea Glass is made from broken glass that is tumbled along the ocean floor where the sharp edges rounded. The high alkaline nature of the sea adds to the frostiness of the glass through HYDRATION—a process where soda and lime leach out. Fresh water beach glass has a shiny patina compared to saltwater sea glass. It can take between 25-50 years for a piece of glass to develop a frosty and smooth edge. Much of the sea glass found today dates to when the ocean was used as a dump. Beachcombers know that the low tide is the best time to hunt. The color, size, and shape you find determines its rarity and value.
Quote: “A woman knows the face of the man she loves as a sailor knows the open sea.“ ~Honore de Balzac
Mermaid Mythology:
Thessalonike was a Greek princess from Macedonia. Legend says she was the sister of Alexander the Great. When he died, she tried to drown herself but instead became a mermaid. After, she would ask sailors she met if Alexander was alive. If they said “He lives and reigns and conquers the world” she would let their ships safely travel. If their answer was wrong, the seas would become rough, she would turn into a gorgon and try to sink their ships. Medusa with her hair of snakes was one of the three gorgon sisters. In Latin, Medusa means jellyfish.
Ocean Ecology:
Sea Jellies, once called Jelly Fish, are found all over the ocean from shallow to deep waters. Most have stinging cells on the TENTACLES—a flexible mobile organ—that trail behind their bell-shaped bodies. The stinging cells may paralyze their prey. On humans, they can cause mild irritation to complete anaphylaxis and death. A group of sea jellies is called a smack.
Quote: “But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore, she suffers so much more.“ ~Hans Christian Andersen
Mermaid Mythology:
Selkie in Irish, Scottish, Icelandic, and Scandinavian folklore, are women of the ocean who live inside a seal skin. When they come up to the rocks, they slip out of their skin or shapeshifts, to dance or bask in the sun. If a man steals her skin while she sleeps, she is forced to become his wife and live on land. If she already has a family in the ocean, she never gets to see them again.
Ocean Ecology:
Seals have over 33 species, including sea lions, walruses, fur seals, and true seals (known as earless seals since they don’t have ear flaps). Known as PINNEPEDS, they are a widely distributed and diverse group of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic marine mammals. The freshwater Siberian Baikal seal is the smallest. The largest is the southern elephant seal with the male’s prominent trunk-like nose. Walrus are the only seals without fur, although they have mighty whiskers and tusks.
Quote: “The difference between a miracle and a fact is exactly the difference between a mermaid and a seal.“ ~Mark Twain
Mermaid Mythology:
Ben-Varrey are beautiful mermaids from the Isle of Man. The homely males are called Dinny-Mara. Both are kind to humans. In one story, a young mermaid stole a doll from a girl. When her mer-mother discovered the theft, she gifted the little human girl with a pearl necklace in apology.
Ocean Ecology:
Oysters are the most consumed BIVALVE in the world with a shell divided front to back into left and right valves connected at a hinge. The Olympia oyster is native to the Northwest and was mostly wiped out during the gold rush. Most local oysters are grown in the mud and harvested using a dredge. Westport’s Brady Engvall developed suspended culture to farm oysters on wire above the mud. Oysters take 2-3 years to grow to market size.
Quote: “All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster’s autobiography.“ ~Federico Fellini
Mermaid Mythology:
Aphrodite was born from sea foam and shown in a scallop shell. She is not technically a mermaid, but is the Greek goddess of seafaring, love, beauty, and pleasure.
Ocean Ecology:
Scallops symbolize love and beauty. They swim using jet propulsion by clapping their shells together. This animal is mostly farmed, or raised in aquaculture, versus wild caught. Scallops are aquatic MOLLUCKS—a family that includes slugs, snails, and octopus—with compressed bodies in hinged shells.
Quote: “When mermaids sleep in oceans deep inside their coral caves, they lay their heads on seaweed beds, rocked softly by the waves.“ ~Anonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Finfolk were mermaids from Ireland and Scotland’s underwater kingdom of Finfolkaheem. As shapeshifters, Finfolk could appear and disappear changing from fish to human, or in between as merfolk. Proof of their existence is sought by CRYPTOZOOLOGISTS—those who search for legendary animals. No matter their shape, they were beautiful and attractive to humans, which was not good since they could capture their youth for their own immortality.
Ocean Ecology:
SCUBA is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. In 1942, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Émile Gagnan designed the Aqua-Lung. Westport Winery and Lahaina Divers founder Blain Roberts, received the Scuba Schools International Platinum Pro Award alongside Cousteau in 1991.
Quote: “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.“ ~Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Mermaid Mythology:
Pania, on New Zealand’s northern island, swam with the sea creatures by day and rested in a stream at night. One night she cast a spell on Karitoki, son of a Maori chief. They then married in secret and she returned to the sea each morning. No one believed he has a beautiful bride. An elder told him that women from the sea could not return to the ocean if they ate cooked food. So he placed food in her mouth as she slept. When an owl screeched a warning, Pania rushed to the sea, never to see Karitoki again. People say the sea near Napier is protected by their son whose name is Moremore. He disguises himself as an octopus, shark, or ray.
Ocean Ecology:
Sharks date back 420 million years. There are over 400 species from the 8 inch dwarf lanternshark to the 60 foot whale shark. Tiger, great white shark, mako, thresher, and hammerhead sharks are APEX predators or at the top of the food chain without natural predators of their own.
Quote: “Sharks are beautiful animals, and if you’re lucky enough to see lots of them, that means that you’re in a healthy ocean. You should be afraid if you are in the ocean and don’t see sharks.“ ~Sylvia Earle
Mermaid Mythology:
Millalobo was the mythical king of the sea in Chile. Rather than being a species of its own, it is the offspring of a human mother and a sea lion father. Millalobo married a woman, fathered a son and two daughters, Sirena Chilota and Pincoya. His son Pincoy was a merman who brought lost sailors back to land. Pincoya with her long blonde hair and blue eyes was said to be the most beautiful woman on earth. When she sits on a rock looking towards the ocean, it is a sign of great fishing, while there is a death of fish when she faces the land.
Ocean Ecology:
Sea Lion have ear flaps which makes them pinnepeds. There are 33 species of EXTANT—in existence—sea lions and 50 extinct species. The largest is the Steller sea lion which is a near-threatened species in the north Pacific. Females weigh 700 pounds and males up to a ton, or 2000 pounds, about the weight of a hippo. Sea lions have a lifespan of up to thirty years.
Quote: “She is a mermaid but approach her with caution. Her mind swims at a depth most would drown in.“ ~J. Iron
Mermaid Mythology:
La Pincoya is the mermaid of abundance and plenty in Chile. A golden-haired beauty, her fair skin contrasts with a glistening fish tail from the waist down. She sings haunting love songs in the evening that mortal men find irresistible. She is beloved by fishermen since she fills the sea with fish and shellfish when she dances on the beach facing the ocean. When she dances to the land, the fish disappear. Residents of the island of Chiloé sing and dance to share their joy since La Pincoya is attracted to happiness and favors them with good fortune.
Ocean Ecology:
Sea Rose is the egg skein of the Spanish Dancer, a NUDIBRANCH. Nudibranchs are a group of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shells after their larval stage. As a Spanish Dancer crawls, its mantle curls up creating a blistered edge. Its scientific name, Hexabranchus sanguineus, means blood-colored six-gills. In the water, it flutters like a Flamenco dancer’s skirt.
Quote: “I must be a mermaid, Rango. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.“ ~Anais Nin
Mermaid Mythology:
Sirena were famously reported by Christopher Columbus in his journal on January 9, 1493. He details seeing three mermaids while sailing near the Dominican Republic. He wrote that they are “not half as beautiful as they are painted.” It is commonly held that sailor’s sightings of mermaids were wishful thinking, poor eyesight, or false identifications of a variety of sea creatures.
Ocean Ecology:
Dugong & Manatee are in the order of Sirenia. They are the only marine mammals that are vegetarian. They are in danger of extinction. The moment of EXTINCTION is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species. Dugongs stay in saltwater while Manatees reside in both saltwater and freshwater. Dugongs mate for life and Manatees are polygamists. Manatee live up to 40 years and Dugongs up to 70 years. Manatees have horizontal, paddle-shaped tails like beavers. Dugongs have a fluke tail like a dolphin.
Quote: “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.“ ~Christopher Columbus
Mermaid Mythology:
Siyokoy are vengeful mermen from the Philippines with scaly green skin, fins on their arms, and webbed fingers or tentacles. Unlike most merfolk, they have feet instead of tails, with gills on their torso. Siyokoy are particularly horrendous creatures of the sea with a penchant for dragging humans into the deep to devour them. Their most unique skill is their ability to control water. They can turn tides, dissolve clouds, change water to ice, and calm or disturb the sea. Their female counterparts, Sirena, are beautiful, friendly, and nurturing to humans. Both are members of the Bantay Tubig, the Filipino version of merfolk.
Ocean Ecology:
Cowry shells are called porcellana in Italian, which is the basis for the word porcelain, due to the shells glossy appearance. The cowrie has a mantle it can deploy to cover its shell or withdraw inside when threatened. Hawaii’s tiger cowry is known for devouring invasive species, especially soft corals. Long used as a form of CURRENCY or money, the shell was used in trade around the world.
Quote: “One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.“ ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Mermaid Mythology:
Morgens are Welsh water spirits that drown men, luring them to their death with their sylphlike beauty or glimpses of underwater gardens and buildings made of gold and crystal. The morgens are eternally young. In Cornwall, the mermaids were said to walk on land as easily as swimming at sea, allowing them to entice men to join them in the ocean. In one story, a fisherman adopts a morgen baby, only to lose her when she grows up and returns to her parents’ underwater cathedral.
Ocean Ecology:
Caverns make scuba diving in Hawaii popular. This exciting underwater geology is formed by PYRODUCTS or lava tubes, a natural conduit formed by flowing lava beneath a hardened lava surface. One well-known dive site is First Cathedrals, aptly named for the light filtering through the upper" window and the rock alter in the center.
Quote: “Always be yourself unless you can be a mermaid. Then always be a mermaid.“ ~Anonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Li Ban was Irish. After her family drowned, she lived in an underwater cave for a year. As a result of THERIANTHROPY—the ability for a human to change into an animal—when she came to the surface, she was half woman and half salmon. Her dog took on the form of an otter. Together they roamed the seas for 300 years. Her lovely voice caused her to be found and brought to shore by a boat. On land she was baptized and named Muirgen, which means “sea born.” Unfortunately, she was not meant to live on land and died, forfeiting her life to have a Christian soul. In old Irish, Li Ban translates to beautiful woman. Muirgheilt is another word for Li Ban. It means sea wanderer.
Ocean Ecology:
Otters in a group are called a romp. An otter’s den is called a couch. They are found in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. As they mature, they learn to open shells on their stomachs while they swim on their backs.
Quote: “Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your soul.“ ~Khalil Gibran
Mermaid Mythology:
Iara was a smart, courageous young woman living in Brazil. Because she could fight better than her brothers, they murdered her and dump her body in the river. The goddess of the moon, Jaci, brought Iara back to life as a mermaid with a dolphin’s tail. As a mermaid, Iara would sit on a rock by the river, combing her hair, lazing in the sun. When she sensed a man nearby, she would sing, luring him into the water. Once she cast her spell, a man would give up everything to join her. She was blamed for many men who disappeared. When Jaraguari fell in love and joined her in her underwater world, her vengeful spirit found peace.
Ocean Ecology:
Dolphins, porpoises, and whales are cetaceans. Ancient Greeks knew CETACEANS breathe air, give birth to live young, produce milk, and have hair—all features of mammals. Yet because of their shape, they were grouped with fishes. There are six species of dolphins called whales. The smallest is the Maui dolphin at just over five feet long. The largest is the killer whale or orca at over 30 feet long.
Quote: “Some of the greatest minds on Earth live in the sea.“ ~Anthony Douglas Williams, Inside The Divine Pattern
Mermaid Mythology:
Jiaoren (蛟人) were not simply mermaids in Chinese mythology. They were believed to weave dragon yarn, a beautiful ivory fabric that could never get wet. In the Jin Dynasty, a mermaid was said to sell her dragon yarn to humans whenever they treated her with kindness. Rich people claimed they owned the precious commodity. The story was told that when Jiaoren cried, her tears turned to pearls. To show appreciation, she might cry into a jar to fill it with pearls.
Ocean Ecology:
Pearls are created in concentric layers of calcium carbonate, the same material as the shell. Two objects are CONCENTRIC if they share the same center axis. The perfect pearl is round and smooth. The highest valued and rare pearls are found in the wild and are known as natural pearls. The term baroque refers to pearls with irregular shapes.
Quote: “The pearl is the queen of gems and gem of queens.“ ~Anyonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Ningyo (人魚) means “human fish” in Kanji, a form of Japanese writing that uses Chinese characters. A ningyo is part human female and part fish. Catching a ningyo was an omen of foul weather and fortune’s lost, so fishermen released them. Finding one on the beach was a sign of war or bad luck. However, eating a ningyo resulted in long life. The most famous story is of Yao Bikuni, the daughter of a fisher, who was fed ningyo. When she grew up, she stopped aging. She survived many husbands, then became a nun, eventually taking her own life at 800 years old.
Ocean Ecology:
Manta Rays are filter feeders. They are well known for their MUTUALISTIC relationship—where each has a benefit—with remora, sometimes called a suckerfish. Eagle Rays have a face like a dog and are not filter feeders. They swim along the bottom to electronically sense animals hidden on the bottom of the sea to find prey. Skates and rays are also cartilage fish. The egg pouch of the skate is called a “mermaid’s purse.”
Quote: “Mermaid, a water woman who chooses imagination over fear.“ ~Anonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Merrow, of Irish-English origin, need a magic cap or cohuleen druith to move between water and land. The green-haired merrow is half human, gorgeous from the waist up, with a fish tail complete with green scales. She even has iridescent white webs between her fingers. They are gentle and generous, capable of close relationships with humans. Yet even if they marry a human, eventually they will return to the ocean, which is why their husbands sometimes hide their magic cap.
Ocean Ecology:
Shrimp and prawns are the same animal with 1000 species around the world. Some are PHOSPHORESCENT and glow in the dark. The commercial shrimp industry is sustainable and worth over a billion dollars a year. They can be farmed, but the best tasting are caught wild from the ocean. Pink Shrimp fisheries based out of Westport, are a model for the future of environmentally sustainable shrimping.
Quote: “Mermaids don’t lose sleep over the opinions of shrimp.“ ~Anonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Kelpie are Scottish water spirits that transform from horse to human. The most famous kelpie lives in Loch Ness. They are given away by their hair being made of water weeds. Although they are not mermaids, Kelpie mythology is closely linked. In the early 1900’s, some artists began depicting the kelpie as sea woman or mermaid. Like many mermaids, Kelpie has a tendency to drown humans.
Ocean Ecology:
Seahorse live in shallow tropical or temperate waters. They are slow swimmers and use their PREHENSILE tails to hold in one place as their tails are adapted to grasping. Male seahorses give birth to up to 2000 babies at a time. A group of seahorses are called a herd. Sea dragons are the most flamboyant seahorses.
Quote: “Like a mermaid in seaweed, she dreams awake, trembling in her soft and chilly nest.“ ~John Keats
Mermaid Mythology:
Sedna loved her Inuit family home and refused to marry. One man took her away to his island where he revealed he was a bird. When her father found her unhappy, he killed the birdman. They got into his kayak to go home but her husband’s bird friends flapped their wings to create a violent storm. He father, fearful his kayak would sink, threw her overboard. As Sedna clung to the boat, her father cut off her fingers. From these, fish, seals, walruses, and whales were formed. Sedna sank to the bottom of the ocean and became a powerful spirit. Her home is now on the ocean floor. Because she has no fingers, she is happy when others comb and braid her hair.
Ocean Ecology:
Lingcod, sometimes known as buffalo cod or cultus cod, are in the greenling family. They are found from Shumagin Islands in the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. Commercially they are caught by TRAWLERS—boats that drag nets along the bottom of the sea—with the largest fish weighing at 130 pounds. Twenty percent of lingcod have turquoise flesh that turns white when cooked.
Quote: “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.“ ~Henry David Thoreau
Mermaid Mythology:
Meermin is the Dutch word for mermaid. In a story from 1403, a dike in the city of Kampen in the Netherlands had a crack in it, opening the river to the sea. After making repairs, people claimed that they saw a mermaid in the river, swimming without bothering anyone. They decided to capture her and bring her on land, where she transformed into a human with two legs. She tried to escape by jumping back in the water.
Ocean Ecology:
Tsunami is a seismic sea wave. It develops as a result of shifts in the earth’s crust or underwater landslides. These waves move at up to 500 miles per hour. When they arrive at land, their speed creates a giant surge of water like sloshing in a tub. Instead of a clean wave, it is like a flood of fast moving flotsam, including plants, vehicles, and buildings along in its wake. FLOTSAM is debris in the water that was not deliberately thrown overboard, often as a result from a shipwreck, accident, or flood. Jetsam is trash thrown overboard, often to lighten the ships load, or jettisoned.
Quote: “Be a mermaid and make waves“ ~Anonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Ceasg (kee-ask) is a Scottish mermaid that is half woman and half salmon. The seafarer who captures her receives three wishes. Unfortunately, the Ceasq, like some other sea sirens, were known to lure sailors to their death. They were hard to kill since they placed their soul in a shell to hide it from humans. When a mermaid fell in love with a sailor, she would leave the sea and transform into a human. Rather than granting her husband three wishes, she would give him good luck for the rest of his life.
Ocean Ecology:
Salmon are ANADROMOUS, meaning they live in the ocean but migrate to fresh water to breed. There are five native species of salmon on the West Coast: Chinook, Coho, Chum, Pink, Sockeye.
Quote: “I think we're going to the moon because it's in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It's by the nature of his deep inner soul... we're required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream.“ ~Neil Armstrong
Mermaid Mythology:
Nibiinaabe, the Chippewa water spirit, are females with fish tails from Anishinabe folklore and said to be frightened by loud noises. They are also a clan symbol of the Ojibwe tribe. Lumpeguins are little mermaids of Wabanaki mythology. If someone steals their magical garments, they are under that person’s power. They have the ability to create food by turning a crumb into a infinite meal or bread from snow. Sabawaelnu are Mi’kmaq mermaids who control storms. Mi’kmaq people who understand their songs can forecast weather. They are known as water people or Halfway People.
Ocean Ecology:
Sea Turtles are reptiles with CARAPACE—shells that serve as their rib cage. Unlike other turtles, sea turtles cannot retract their head and limbs. The seven species are Green, Leatherback, Loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley, Olive Ridley, Hawksbill, and Flatback.
Quote: “Try to be like the turtle, at ease in your own shell.“ ~Bill Copeland
Mermaid Mythology:
Tlanchana was a woman with a serpent or fish tail. She adorned her crown, necklace, and belt with creatures of the sea, from starfish to shells. Originally, she was an Otomi goddess known as Acapaxapo, said to have divine powers who delivered omens. The Aztecs later named her Altonanchane, which became Tlanchana. They are known as the highest altitude mermaids living in fresh water lakes in the mountains of Mexico. If rejected, she would wrap her tail around a man and drag him underwater to his death. They say she was often lonely and jealous of humans, so locals left her offerings to appease her malevolent nature.
Ocean Ecology:
Sea Star are plentiful with 2000 species from the arctic to the tropics, in a wide variety of colors. Most have five arms and can REGENERATE or regrow lost limbs. Sunflower sea stars are the largest and can have up to forty arms. Sea stars may live up to 35 years even though they have no brain and no blood.
Quote: “Write your secrets in the sand and trust them with a mermaid.“ ~Anonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Mami Wata, or Mother of the Water, are water deities of Africa and the Caribbean. There is even a religious group called to praise the goddess, where an individual follower is called a “Mami Wata child.” This mermaid goddess is a compassionate healer and mother to all aquatic creatures. She can transform into a woman, fish, or mermaid, depending on her mood. She is often seen holding a water snake or eel around her shoulders.
Ocean Ecology:
Eels snap their jaws as they swim, but they are not threatening to bite. It is how they breathe. There are 40 species of moray, three species of conger, and two dozen snake eels in Hawaii. A group of eels is called a swarm. Wolf eel, common in the North Pacific, are fish and not true eel. They mate for life and grow to almost 8 feet long. The species is MONOTYPIC, meaning there is only one species in the group.
Quote: “The funniest thing about comedy is that you never know why people laugh. I know what makes them laugh but trying to get your hands on the why of it is like trying to pick an eel out of a tub of water.“ ~W.C. Fields
Mermaid Mythology:
Suvannamaccha translates to golden mermaid in a Hindu story from the 6th century. She is a daughter of Ravana, who appears in the Cambodian and Thai versions of the Ramayana. As a mermaid princess, she tries to spoil Hanuman’s plans to build a bridge to Lanka, but falls in love with him instead. Hanuman stays underwater with her until he is called back to complete the bridge. Once complete, Hanuman is needed by the king’s side and never sees his mermaid again. Her image is seen as a sign of good luck. She is known to wear a crown of gold and jewels.
Ocean Ecology:
Crown-of-Thorns is one of the world’s largest starfish. It preys upon and destroys coral reefs. While most common in Australia, it lives worldwide in warm waters from the Red Sea to Hawaii to the Caribbean. It is named for its venomous spines that are said to resemble the biblical crown-of-thorns. Starfish can reproduce by AUTOTOMY or self-amputation and regenerate the lost body part later, usually as a self-defense mechanism.
Quote: “I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me.“ ~T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Mermaid Mythology:
Rusalki are some of the most beautiful water spirits found in Russia and Ukraine. In the spring and summer, they embellish themselves with flowers and green garlands. In the fall and winter, they transform to zombie-like corpses with hollow eyes, shallow skin, and adorn themselves with weeds. They are known to be more dangerous in June when they sing in the night to lure young men to the water as part of their vengeful nature. A famous opera by Antonín Dvořák tells the story of a Rusalka who is in love with a human prince. She drinks a potion to become human. The prince knows if he does not love her that he will die. They are happy for awhile but eventually his love fades and her kiss kills him.
Ocean Ecology:
Coral are the flowers of the sea. They occupy 0.1% of the ocean but are responsible for 25% of the habitat for marine life. Each COLONY—a group of identical polyps—create structure and beauty for divers, habitat for other marine life, and protection for land masses. Each polyp is a sac-like animal typically only a few millimeters in diameter and a few centimeters in height. A set of tentacles surround a central mouth opening.
Quote: “If you sign to the mermaids, they come when you’re drowning.“ ~Tori Amos
Mermaid Mythology:
Parthenope was a siren in Greek mythology. He name translates to “maiden-voiced.” The daughter of the god Achelous and the muse Terpsichore, she cast herself into the sea and drowned when her songs failed to entice Odysseus. Her body washed ashore in Naples, Italy. When people settled there, they named their city Parthenope in her honor. In a nineteenth-century myth, she was a mermaid in the Neapolitan gulf. One day, she met a centaur named Vesuvius. They fell in love, but Zeus, jealous and possessive, turned the centaur into a volcano. Parthenope could only see her beloved without being able to interact. The coast assumed her features so she could rejoin Vesuvius in a love pact.
Ocean Ecology:
Black Coral is typically white, red, green, yellow, or brown, and rarely black. Only after is is harvested, cut, and polished, do you see the black luster. As the state gem of Hawaii, it is used in jewelry. It is a soft, deep water coral that is SUSTAINABLE—able to exist continually—as a harvested product.
Quote: “Dive deep for the treasure that you seek.“ ~Anonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Amphitrite was the eldest of fifty Nereids who toured the oceans riding tame sea creatures in Greek mythology. As Poseidon’s wife, she was queen of the sea, and the mother of Triton, a merman. The three-pronged spear called a trident was the symbol of Poseidon, while Amphitrite wore a crown of crab claws.
Ocean Ecology:
Crab are CRUSTACEANS, a group of 45,000 species including lobster, shrimp, and wood lice. Dungeness Crab, local to Washington State waters, are considered the best tasting. They are caught in crab pots using bait. The Brown Box Crab is a type of King Crab. For protection, it folds its legs in to look like a box. A group of crab is called a cast.
Quote: “You’ve got your own style, now let it shine through and remember no matter what, you got to be you.“ ~Sebastian, the crab, King Triton’s advisor
Mermaid Mythology:
Triton was the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. His lower body is a fish, while human on his top. He was said to blow a shell like a trumpet to tame or inflame the sea. Legends say if sailors got lost of the lake, Triton helped them by creating the island of Thera to prevent drowning. Not all accounts of Triton were positive. When cattle were missing, or a storm killed sailors out at sea, many assumed that Triton was to blame. People knew that they wouldn’t stand a chance if they tried to go head-to-head with a god, so to appease his wrath, they would leave a chalice of wine for him at the shore as a peace offering.
Ocean Ecology:
Triton’s Trumpet, known scientifically as Charonia tritonis, is one of the few predators of the Crown-of-Thorns starfish. This giant GASTROPOD—snail or slug—reaches up to two feet in size, making it one of the largest mollusks on the coral reef.
Quote: “No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently.“ ~Agnes de Mille
Mermaid Mythology:
Nayada is a Russian form of naiad, or water nymph, associated with fresh water fountains or springs as depicted in one of John William Waterhouse’s paintings in 1872. As part of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood of painters, he had a fascination with Greek mythological creatures including undine, mermaids, and nymphs, as well as characters from Arthurian legends. MYTHS are a type of folklore in various societies with creatures that are usually gods, demigods, or supernatural humans.
Ocean Ecology:
Agates can be found along streams, old riverbanks, and gravel shoals on beaches. They are also found on mountains and in the desert like the famous Ellensburg Blue Agates. Sizes range from tiny pebbles to large rocks. A microcrystalline form of quartz, agates are semi-precious gemstones formed millenia ago. They are considered to bring good luck and subsequent happiness.
Quote: “She is a mermaid on dry land and the world is her ocean.“ ~J. Iron
Mermaid Mythology:
Cecaelia have the head, arms, and torso of a human and the tentacles of an octopus. They are known as either mermaids or sea witches. In The Little Mermaid, the character of Ursula is a cecaelia who once lived in the royal palace of King Triton, the king of the underwater kingdom of Atlantica.
Ocean Ecology:
Octopus appear in legends as sea monsters. There are 300 species of octopus. The largest is the giant Pacific octopus weighing up to 600 pounds with an arm span of 30 feet. Like most cephalopods, octopus release ink as a defense mechanism. They regulate their color and texture as camouflage. Octopus are SEMELPAROUS, which means they only reproduce once before death.
Quote: “The fact that three-fifths of an octopus’ neurons are no in their brain, but in their arms, suggests that each arm has a mind of its own.“ ~Sy Montgomery
Mermaid Mythology:
Ursula, in the Disney versions of The Little Mermaid, is portrayed as a sea witch with tentacles instead of a tail. In Hans Christian Andersen’s story, the character doesn’t have a name but she is indeed a mermaid, albeit one with a bad reputation. In the movie, the nautilus necklace is where Ariel’s beautiful singing voice is kept after she trades it for legs.
Ocean Ecology:
Nautilus shell chambers are in the Fibonacci Sequence. The Fibonacci Sequence: 3, 5, 8, 13, is where each number is added to the previous. Music reflects that series of numbers. In a scale, the dominant note is the fifth note, which is the eighth note of all thirteen notes that make up an octave. There are six species of nautilus. Each can withdraw into its shell and close the opening with a leathery hood formed from two specially folded tentacles. They are found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean as deep as 380 FATHOMS. A fathom is six feet.
Quote: “The Nautilus was piercing the water with its sharp spur, after having accomplished nearly ten thousand leagues in three months and a half, a distance greater than the great circle of the earth. Where were we going now, and what was reserved for the future?” ~Jules Verne
Mermaid Mythology:
Ariel is based on a character from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale The Little Mermaid written in 1837. Disney adapted the story in 1989 for their animated film. The most famous Little Mermaid sculpture is in Copenhagen, Denmark. There are thirteen replicas around the world.
Ocean Ecology:
Flounder, Ariel’s best friend in the movie, is a Royal Angelfish, not a flounder. The Flounder family includes a variety of flatfish. At hatching, a flounder has an eye on each side of its body. Through METAMORPHOSIS—abrupt body change after birth—one eye migrates to the other side of its body. The largest flounder, the Pacific Halibut, weighed 482 pounds, about the same weight as a black bear.
Quote: “Who says that my dreams, have to stay, just my dreams?“ ~Ariel, The Little Mermaid
Mermaid Mythology:
Mélusine was written in 1393 by Jean d’Arras. In the story, Pressine married the king of Albany, Scotland. Her only rule was the he never see her or their daughters bathe. In excitement at Mélusine’s birth, he breaks his promise. In fury, Pressine puts a curse on Mélusine making her a mermaid. When Mélusine marries, she exacts the same promise from her husband. Sadly, he sees her bathing. At that point her arms become wings and she disappears. Her story inspired the Starbucks logo. The Starbucks’ name comes from a character in the book Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
Ocean Ecology:
Pufferfish are poisonous with enough tetrodotoxin in its organs to kill thirty adults. The poison is 1200 times more deadly than cyanide. There is no known ANTIDOTE or substance to counteract the poison. Puffing up is the fish’s primary defense since their normal slim body becomes too big to bite. It takes the fish over five hours to deflate.
Quote: “Be a mermaid. Swim fast, wear a crown, and dream big.“ ~Anonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Lorelei is from a poem written by Heinrich Heine in 1822. It tells of a beautiful maiden who waited for her lover on a rock cliff on the Rhine River. When he failed to meet her, heartbroken, she jumped to her death. They say her spirit remains, seeking revenge as she sits on the rock, combing her long hair and singing softly. Sailors, so enchanted by her beautiful song, run aground trying to find her. In German, the name Lorelei translates to “murmuring rock.”
Ocean Ecology:
Venus Comb or murex pecten is a snail with spines on both sides of its shell. It is said that mermaids use this shell to comb their hair. Over one hundred spines provide its protection from predators and from sinking into the soft mud on the sea floor. To eat, the animal excretes a softening fluid onto the shells of clams and barnacles, then scrapes it with its hundreds of tiny teeth. BARNACLES are sedentary crustaceans and attach to boats, docks, rocks, and even other animals like whales.
Quote: “Rainbows and mermaids are proof that imagination and beauty go hand in hand.“ ~Anonymous
Mermaid Mythology:
Madison was the mermaid in the 1984 movie Splash, starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. Hanks’ character, Allen Bauer, walking the streets of Manhattan with the mermaid, asks her name. She looks at the nearby street sign and reads Madison. This was the movie of the era that brought mermaids to the masses and launched a trend in baby names. The underwater scenes, filmed in the Bahamas, did not show much of the flora or fauna, and instead focused on a wreck as the stage. Hannah said that it took about eight hours to put on the tail before filming. She said the tail was so fragile, certain parts decomposed in short order.
Ocean Ecology:
Wreck Diving is recreational diving where the wreckage of ships, aircrafts, and other artificial structures are explored. Some vessels are SCUTTLED—deliberately sunk—to create artificial reefs. The boats in photos displayed in the museum were sunk by Lahaina Divers when filming episodes of Charlie’s Angels and Hart to Hart in the 1970’s. Blain Roberts, founder of Westport Winery, and his staff, were stunt doubles in the filming of both shows.
Quote: “All my life I’ve been waiting for someone and when I find her, she’s a fish“ ~Allen Bauer, Tom Hanks’ character in the movie Splash
Mermaid Mythology:
Moclips’ mermaid was revealed on May 27, 2012, when the Animal Planet released Mermaids: The Body Found. In the show, a young person allegedly finds a mermaid on the beach in Moclips, Washington. The premise was the scientists seek to learn more about these mysterious marine animals, but the government hides the evidence. The nearby Naval Station in Pacific Beach acts as a backdrop to the story. Many people were fooled by the movie as the disclaimers were few. The producers even went to far as to create a website that was “taken down by the government.” The show was called a MOCKUMENTARY, which is a fictional film, versus a documentary which is factual.
Ocean Ecology:
Razor Clams are found from Pismo, California, to the Aleutian Islands near Alaska. The underwater canyon off of Moclips is one of the best breeding grounds for razor clams. Clams are located by looking for dimples or donut shapes in the sand. Razor clam digging is allowed during certain low tides using clam guns or shovels. There is a 15 clam limit in Washington and diggers must have a license.
Quote: “A mermaid has not an immortal soul, nor can she obtain one unless she wins the love of a human being. On the power of another hangs her eternal destiny.“ ~Hans Christian Andersen
Mermaid Mythology:
Feejee was made famous in 1842, when a Dr. Griffin arrived in New York with a mermaid he claimed to have captured in Fiji to display at the American Museum of Barnum. Flyers of a mermaid with the body of a young and beautiful woman were in stark contrast to the creature on display. In his autobiography, Barnum said it was “ugly, black, and dry…” It was a monkey body sewn to a fish tail. Griffin’s real name was Levi Lyman, and he was an accomplice of Barnum in one of history’s most famous hoaxes.
Ocean Ecology:
Lionfish are native to Fiji and the Indo-Pacific. They are one of the most INVASIVE species—animals places in a non-native environment that they harm—on Earth. One lionfish can reduce juvenile reef fish populations by 79%. Goldfish released into the wild are another example of invasive fish.
Quote: “Fortune always favors the brave, and never helps a man who does not help himself.“ ~PT Barnum
Mermaid Mythology:
Hannah Fraser is the first mermaid working as an underwater performance artist, and model for film, events, focused on environmental activism. By using her unique link to the ocean, she inspires and educates people on the importance of marine life. Hannah is a role model of self-empowerment for young women across the globe who see that she has made her dreams a reality, no matter how unlikely the odds!
Ocean Ecology:
Whale Sharks are the largest fish on earth. They are up to 62 feet long. The skin on an adult whale shark is 4 inches thick and topped with rigid, triangular scales called denticles. They have a lifespan estimated up to 130 years. As plankton feeders they pose no threat to humans. PLANKTON are organisms that are too small or weak to swim against the current and exist in a drifting state. Nekton are tiny strong-swimming organisms that move freely and are not controlled by currents.
Quote: “A mermaid’s gift is to inspire people to rekindle their relationship to nature and a way to communicate the environmental issues that face us at this point. The ocean is the birthplace of life on Earth, and if I can be a visual link to inspire other humans who have become disconnected from this amazing world, I feel I have done something worthwhile.” ~Hannah Fraser
Mermaid Mythology:
Una The Mermaid is the Northwest’s first in tank underwater performer. Her 900 gallon tank was inspired by vintage circus wagons. Una is the founder of the Portlandia Mermaid Parade and Festival. In 2023, she was the protagonist in the docu-fiction art film Siren’s Call. She studies CONCHOMANCY (konk-oh-man-sea)—a form of divination using shells—to read the future or gain insights. As a shell oracle, the Geoduck (also known as the King Clam) represents digging deep into matters, longevity, and fortitude.
Ocean Ecology:
Geoduck (pronounced “gooey-duck”) are large clams found along the West Coast. They are also known as Elephant Clam due to their long siphon or “neck.” They are harvested in the wild and via aquaculture, mostly in Washington State. The longest lived geoduck on record was 168 years old.
Quote: “The Ocean is the mother of us all, and she represents nurturance of life, and cycles.“ ~Una the Mermaid
Mermaid Mythology:
Olive The Alchemist —a person who transforms through a seemingly magical process—is a PADI certified mermaid instructor and founder of the Seattle Mermaid School, the Pacific Northwest’s exclusive portal to experiencing the underwater world of mermaids firsthand. The Alchemist has years of experience in a rigorous, professional-level role as a mermaid character performer with Walt Disney World Entertainment and was 2021-2023 Miss Mermaid Washington.
Ocean Ecology:
Tiger Sharks are solitary and nocturnal apex predators with females reaching 15 feet. They have the largest food spectrum of all sharks with diets that include whales, crustaceans, fish, seals, birds, snakes, turtles, squid, dolphins, and other sharks. Tigers are second only to Great Whites in attacks on humans, although these are rare. They are sometimes preyed upon themselves by orca pods.
Quote: “Without sharks, you take away the apex predators of the ocean, and you destroy the entire food chain.“ ~Peter Benchley
Mermaid Mythology:
Rachel The Sailing Siren is a certified freediving and mermaid instructor who owns Aquanauts Freediving LLC in Las Vegas. Rachel joined the 2023 US National Team for the CMAS Freediving Depth World Championships. She was named Fire Entertainer of the Year 2016, Miss Mermaid Nevada 2022, and Miss Sea Queen of Nevada 2023. She was in Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever, on American Ninja Warrior, and in the Netflix documentary MerPeople. Rachel is lead performer at the annual International Mermaid Museum Festival and is dedicated to teaching ocean ecology.
Ocean Ecology:
Scorpionfish look like the surface where they perch, so via camouflage they can ambush their prey. The titan scorpionfish is ENDEMIC or native and only found in Hawaii. Its Hawaiian name is nohu, which is also the name of the puncture vine. Their dorsal spines have a powerful hemotoxin that when injected is similar to the bite of a rattlesnake or black-widow spider.
Quote: “The sea, the great unifier, is man’s only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.“ ~Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Mermaid Mythology:
Nikolai was built in the late 1790’s by King Kamehameha’s shipbuilders. It was the second schooner built in Hawaii, and named Tamana after the King’s favorite wife. In 1805, he traded the 45 tons ship for a larger boat. That owner then sold it to Russian Captain Pavl Slobodchikov, and it was renamed the Sv Nikolai. On November 1, 1808, Nikolai was sailing from Sitka to establish a colony on the Oregon Coast. In a squall, the boat wrecked on a reef near Destruction Island. The crew, including the captain’s wife, survived the wreck, thus making her the first non-native woman on the Washington Coast. Some research says the couple were captured by the natives and died in captivity. Other stories suggest upon rescue she opted to stay with the tribe while the captain left in shame.
Local History:
Stan Kurylo was working on a fishing trawler off of Westport in the 1990’s. When they pulled their net, Stan’s side was difficult to lift because of an anchor. Stan and his wife Patricia decided to keep it as a memento on their deck. After touring the International Mermaid Museum they donated it along with the chart marking where the anchor had been found. The museum’s executive director researched and found this anchor to be from the Nikolai. Museum team members built the shipwreck for its display.
Quote: “What an anchor is to a ship, hope is to the soul.“ ~June Hunt
One mermaid that I noticed was missing from the museum is one I discovered locally in Northwestern Washington when I first visited Anacortes in 2019. Known as the “Maiden of Deception Pass,” Ko-Kwal-alwoot, was a young girl of the Samish Nation who was transformed into a sea spirit at Rosario Beach in Deception Pass State Park. Watch and hear the story as told by Samish Indian Nation manager Leslie Eastwood or continue reading one version I found online.
Samish Legend:
According to Samish tribal tradition, Ko-kwal-alwoot (pronounced “Kwuh-kwal-uhl-wut”), a beautiful Samish Indian girl, lived in a village in a protected cove at Rosario Head near Deception Pass, between Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands. Her raven-black hair shined like obsidian and reached below her waist. She was gathering seafood one day, near where visitors sit on the shore, when a young man from beneath the sea saw her. He was very handsome and his skin shone like silver. His eyes were large and luminous. He immediately fell in love with the young woman. But when this man of the sea asked her father for her hand in marriage, he refused for fear she would try to follow her suitor and drown. The young man warned Ko-kwal-alwoot's father that he held great power and that the seafood would disappear unless permission was granted for his daughter to marry. Her father was a chief and not disposed to succumb to threats, especially from a fish. He refused. Sure enough, clams, crabs and the succulent goose tongue that grew on the rocky shore became scarce. The nearby sweet spring water dried up and no longer trickled down the beach. Villagers protested that they were hungry for seafood. Under pressure, Ko-kwal-alwoot's father granted permission for the marriage. They were married at the sea’s edge. The bridegroom wasted no time returning to the water. He had only to beckon to his bride and Ko-kwal-alwoot followed, slipping beneath the waves without a backwards glance. Once again seafood became plentiful and icy, clear water gushed from the nearby spring. Ko-kwal-alwoot returned to her people once a year for four years. Barnacles disfigured her once lovely hands and arms. Her long raven hair was intermingled with long, stringy kelp. Chill sea winds followed wherever she walked and she seemed unhappy out of the sea, away from her husband. Seeing her unhappiness, Ko-kwal-alwoot's people told her she did not need to return to them each season. Since that day, she has been the Samish Tribe's guiding spirit, and through her protection there has always been plenty of seafood and pure, sweet spring water. It is said that if you sit on nearby Rosario Head and stare out across Rosario Strait long enough, and if you believe the legend, you may glimpse Ko-kwal-alwoot's long, black kelp-filled hair streaming in the current just below the surface.
Native Heritage:
A 23-foot-high story pole, a joint project of the Samish Tribe and the Skagit County Centennial Commission, was carved from red cedar (donated by the U.S. Forest Service) by Tracy W. Powell of Anacortes, working under the careful guidance of Samish elders, and erected in 1983. The statue has two sides, one portrays Ko-kwal-alwoot as she lived on land, while the other shows her as she lived in the sea, with kelp for hair and scaly skin. There are story posts around the statue that tell this traditional story with wonderful images, honoring the Coast Salish people. I highly recommend visiting the park, especially Bowman Bay and Rosario Beach on the north end of the Deception Pass State Park. I also encourage you to read about the importance of kelp forests and how warming oceans are shrinking them up and down the West Coast.
I’m sure there are many other merfolk and water spirits missing from this list, though I have to give the International Mermaid Museum a lot of credit for all the research they did and what they put together. I already know of a few more just from the research I did for this blog post, including Amabie, Nyai Roro Kidul, Shinjiki, Jengu, and Undine, but there are so many more mermaids, mermen, merfolk, water spirits, sirens, and mythological sea creatures just from what I found on Wikipedia. Therefore, I would sure love to hear from my readers about any others that are missing. Please leave a comment with the name(s) of these mesmerizing creatures of the sea and tell me what you know about them, or their origins, with link(s) if possible. Thank you!
I also really enjoyed this beautiful artwork called “Timorian” by Marshelle Backes from Montesano, WA, that was hanging in the museum. While looking online for more information on it, I accidentally stumbled upon an article about the Wawata Topu, known as the Mermaids of Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste, or East Timor, is a Southeast Asian nation occupying half the island of Timor, situated near Indonesia and Australia. The island is ringed by coral reefs teeming with marine life. The incredible story of these women fishers and divers is the subject of an award-winning documentary.
I hope you enjoyed this post on mermaid myths, folklore, and people, as well as learning about some of the fascinating creatures that live in our oceans. I always knew I was intrigued by mermaids and water, so getting immersed in all this was fun for me, and the knowledge acquired something that I will treasure forever!