Real Life Mermaids

For as long as humans have been on this Earth, there have been tales of mer creatures. Fantastical beings living right along side of us, hidden in the depths of the sea, lakes and other bodies of water. From the Syrian goddess Atargatis to Ea, the Babylonian god of the sea. Of course Atargatis, goddess of the moon and water, being the very oldest of mermaid legends. While Ea was later adopted by the ancient Greeks and Romans to become Poseidon and Neptune. Both deities being approximately 4000 years  old. Then you have Naiades, also known as water nymphs. The most famous nymph, of course, being Calypso from Homer’s The Odyssey. 

The most recent siting of these majestic and fantastical creatures was in 2012. Construction crews in Zimbabwe, while building dams, refused to complete their work. They claimed that local mermaids, known as mamba muntu, were violently harassing them. Fearing for their lives, the construction workers abandoned their work, vowing never to return to the job site. 

In 2009, Shlomo Cohen and his friends discovered a mermaid while visiting a local beach in Kiryat Yam, Israel. Shlomo Cohen, said, "I was with friends when suddenly we saw a woman laying on the sand in a weird way. At first I thought she was just another sunbather, but when we approached she jumped into the water and disappeared. We were all in shock because we saw she had a tail." There is currently a $1 million reward for anyone that can provide definitive proof of the mermaid’s existence. 

One of the more famous sitings is of the Deerness Mermaid in Orkney, Scotland. In 1890, over the course of several summers, various passerbyers spotted the elusive creature. One witness stated that the creature was approximately 7ft in length, dark black head, and its torso was a “deep pale white color”. The creature would regularly show itself to visitors to the Newark Bay. 

During the 1600’s, in the Netherlands, an injured mermaid was found by a group of villagers. Seeing her injuries, the villagers brought her to one of their homes, nursing her back to health. Once recovered, the mermaid chose life on land instead of returning to the sea. She chose to make a new life with the villagers who saved her from certain death. 

Last, but certainly not least, there are Selkies. 

A Selkie is part seal, part human. In the water, they appear as a normal seal, but once on dry land, they peel of the seal skin and a perfect human body emerges. According to legend, a female selkie can attract a male selkie by shedding 7 tears into the sea. Also, according to legend, a male selkie will seduce human women, usually the wives of fishermen. Selkie women are said to be loving and caring wives, but always yearn for the sea. 

There seems to be hundreds of mer creature legends from all over the world, dating back to the beginning of time. Though they vary widely, they all have one common shared truth. That fantastical creatures do exist and can take many different forms. So be open to new things, new experiences, and always keep a look out for the strange, the elusive, and the enigmatic. And if you get the chance, be sure to check out the Paranormal Database (link below).

https://www.livescience.com/5642-mermaid-sightings-claimed-israel.html

https://www.paranormaldatabase.com/reports/mermaid.php

http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/mermaids.htm

http://www.leprechaunmuseum.ie/blog/post.php?s=2017-07-20-mermaids-marriage-and-mischief