What are Mermaids?

Answer 1

A mermaid is a legendary creature with a female human head and torso (if it's male, it's called a merman) and the tail of a fish, which inhabits the water. Some sailors claim to have seen mermaids; what they actually saw (if anything) are probably manatees. Others consider this unlikely and regard the mermaid as a composite of sexual symbolism, among other things. The idea that a person could confuse a manatee with something resembling a human female is considered absurd

They lure humans with their beautiful singing, which carries with it an enchantment. They create storms which wreck ships. They are often seen vainly combing their hair, admiring their reflections in mirrors

Answer 2

Okay, I can not compete with that long answer. However, I would like to offer another explanation for the enduring belief in Mermaids/ Mermen.

There was an episode of Charmed about 2 or 3 years ago or so, where the story surrounded the life of a Mermaid who had fallen in love with a human. Ultimately the underlying story was (when Phoebe accidentally turned into a mermaid) about love, and the pull of the sea was freedom from all pain.

I think that is why the myth survives. There are times in everyone's life that one can not deal with the stress in their life. the sea in comparison seems so peaceful. to be able to live there, would seem like a dream, at those times. That pull could be so intense that someone would want the peace and be able to ignore the gruesome myths.

Anyway that is my thought.

Answer 3

I think it was PT Barnum who had the Figi Mermaid? supossedly found in the Figi area. this was a fishes upper body with a woman's legs.

However, typical mythology shows a mermaid as a woman's upper body with a fishes tale.

Columbus stated several times in his voyages to the new world that there were mermaids int he waters of the then NEW World. Common science has accepted these accounts as sightings of manatees or duogongs or sea cows. All names for the same creature. They are roughly the same size as a short human, with mammal water tails and swim along the surface of the water, usually sticking to the shallower areas of the coast feeding on the kelp and sea weed found there.

The mermaid was not contained to specific culture mythology. Greece had the sirens, a vile creature who would lure men to their deaths by singing beautifully and then drowning them. And never described sirens the same as a typically accepted mermaid.

The biggest group that proliferated the mermaid tales were sailors and how they viewed the beauty of the sea and thier possible ideas of Atlantis, another sea farering city of myth.

Answer 4

Some people believe that fishermen mistook porpoises for mermaids when out on long fishing trips cos they were lonely. Victorian showmen also glued the head of a cat to a fish and called it a mermaid to bring in the crowds. And of course there was the little mermaid who was half woman, half fish.

Answer 5

A mermaid (from mere in the obsolete sense 'sea' + maid(en)) is a legendary aquatic creature with the head and torso of human female and the tail of a fish. The male version of a mermaid is called a merman. Various cultures throughout the world have similar figures. They were known to sing sailors to their deaths, like the siren, or squeeze the life out of drowning men, while trying to rescue them.

The Sirens of Greek mythology are sometimes portrayed in later folklore ; in fact in some languages the name sirena is used interchangeably for both creatures. Other related types of mythical or legendary creature are water fairies (e.g. various water nymphs) and selkies

Answer 6

Mermaids are species of half-human half-fish type(usually the upper part is human), seen especially in myths(mythical creatures) . They believed to be existed in the middle of evolution. There are many controversies in their existence, some people says that it is the 'mantee'(a kind of fish) that was mistaken as mermaids by the sailors(as this fish looks like humans in the upper part of the body and it carries/holds its baby's like humans) , but according to the scientists there is no proof to their existence (and more over humans have different respiratory system compared with fishes).

Answer 7

mermaids are mythical creatures that are said to be half human and half fish kinda.they can breathe above water and under water. the top of their body is just like a humans, the bottom half is like a fish they have a fish's tail

Answer 8

Mermaids were seemingly half woman half fish who would seduce sailors and seamen into the water where she would lure them into a cave and kill them for the bounty of the creature unseen who ruled the water many eons ago.

Answer 9

mermaids were half woman from face to waist and the bottom half was fish
they always had long blonde curly hair which sat at the bottom of their waists
they would attract sailors at sea and drown them

Answer 10

Maids (ladies) made out of mer, like what one of the wise men gave to Jesus :P

But if you want a proper answer, Seacows were thought to be mermaids and if you want a fairy tale answer they are half lady half fish who sing and make sailors get drowned