March 25, 2024 • 9 mins
Dive into the history and mythology of mermaids. Explore ancient tales and modern interpretations of these half-human, half-fish beings, tracing their roots across civilizations. Join us on a mesmerizing journey through the depths of human imagination and storytelling.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Do you like riddles, Well, I have one for you.
What's so big that it stretches further than the eye
can see. It can change colors from turquoise to brown,
to green and even black. It can gobble you up
and spit you out. It can be angry or calm.
Any guesses could be a massive sea monster, a wily octopus,
or the mythical kraken. Nope, but these are all good guesses.
(00:26):
The answer is the sea. Did you know water covers
three quarters of the world's surface. That's huge, and that
means there's a lot of living things underneath the water
that we can't see here on land. We can see
all sorts of amazing things. So what amazing things are
underneath the sea? Well, thanks to sailors, fishermen, marine biologists,
(00:46):
submarine crews, and other explorers, we know a lot more
about the sea and what's in it than at any
other time in history. We've discovered underwater cities and sea
life and shipwrecks. We found fossil treasure chests and planes
that disappear decades ago. We've developed amazing things like sonar,
(01:07):
radar and underwater vessels to dive deeper and explore further.
But to this day we've not reached the bottom of
some of the deepest seas in the world, and we
haven't discovered all there is to see in the vast
underwater kingdom. So that means where there is unknown or
a mystery, there is folklore. Since the beginning of time,
(01:28):
people have been connected to the sea. For ancient people,
the sea must have seemed very big and mysterious and scary. Indeed,
people eventually built boats and started sailing across the seas.
They saw strange creatures jumping out of the water or
bumping into their boats. They heard spine tingling screeches on
the wind, or witness large shapes bobbing on the waves.
(01:51):
What could these things be? Where they ghosts or monsters
or gods? Well, since ancient humans didn't have any means
to go deep under the sea to discover these answers,
they had to find an explanation using what knowledge they had,
and that's where sea legends and folklore began. People crafted
stories and carved images to make sense of the sea.
(02:12):
Over time, these tales, miss legends, and images spread around
the world and became part of folklore on every continent.
One of the earliest and most enduring tales of all
time is that of the mystical mermaid. Many people across
the world can describe a mermaid a beautiful creature, half woman,
half fish, with long flowing hair and glittering scales, and
(02:35):
we know this because of images of them that have
been carved into stone in ancient temples or sketched in
books dating back centuries. As far back as the nineteenth
century BC, people believed that life came from and started
in the sea. In the city of Babylon, which means
the Gate of the Gods and is now part of Iraq,
(02:56):
people prayed to a half human, half fish sea goddess
called atre Gadis, who was the ruler of life and fertility.
They carved her image on stone templates, wearing a mural crown,
a crown shaped like towers, walls, and fortresses instead of flowers, arches,
and crosses like crowns that came later. Sometimes she was
(03:17):
carved with a human face on a fish body, other
times as half human half fish. Adergaidis was married to
a god named Haddad, and they were the gods who
protected the city of Babylon. Ader Goddess also ruled over
the city's religious and social life, as well as the
creation of new life. But how did a gadis come
(03:39):
to have the form of a fish? While one ancient
myth states that the goddess originally had a human form
but then drowned herself in a lake, thus turning into
half woman half fish, she was ashamed for having fallen
in love with a handsome man and giving birth to
a baby girl, something that was apparently forbidden for divine
(04:00):
non human goddesses. Over the centuries, people traveled and traded
with people in other cities and countries. The myth of
Ader Goddess spread throughout the Middle East and Europe. The
early Greeks, who had originally depicted their goddesses as birds
with human faces, later changed their goddess images to mermaids.
(04:20):
Thus the mermaid legend grew and more tales blossomed. Mermaids
gained the name like sirens or water nymphs. Their image
changed into dangerous sea maidens, luring unsuspecting ships and sailors
to their doom. They were no longer the praised city
protectors of the past, but like the original goddess Ader Goddess,
(04:42):
they still possessed magical powers and liked music and song.
Early sailors reported hearing strange sounds like music on the
waves and guessed it could be the mermaids singing. Who
or what else could it be. Today we might suggest
the sounds were coming from pods of whales, but since
the sailors didn't know about whale communication or have sonar,
(05:05):
they believed in singing mermaids instead. However, unlike the goddess Adergatis,
mermaids of legend were said to be mortal. They lived
about three hundred years, had no soul, and eventually turned
into sea foam instead of going to heaven. And since
mermaids were depicted as beautiful creatures, it was assumed they
must be vain. Artists painted beautiful scenes of mermaids lounging
(05:29):
on rocks, surrounded by objects of vanity such as hair brushes, combs,
and mirrors. Myths soon popped up, stating that if a
human captured and hid these mermaid objects, the mermaid would
become human and could be tricked into marriage. However, if
the mermaid found the hidden objects, she could transform back
into a mermaid and return to the sea. Perhaps because
(05:54):
of these myths of humans stealing the mermaid items, alluring
them in human form, and marrying them. Mermaids then gained
the reputation for spitefulness against humans. Tails said that if provoked,
mermaids could cause floods, storms, and other sea disasters. A
mermaid spotted during a sea voyage was considered an omen
(06:15):
of shipwreck. Other legends told of mermaids luring men into
the water, where they drowned or were forced to live
under the sea forevermore, never returning home. Some miss however,
stated that mermaids could also show compassion. If something nice
was done for them, such as rescuing them from a net,
they could bestow gifts or blessings. And it wasn't just
(06:37):
sailors who reported seeing mermaids out to sea. Famous explorer
Christopher Columbus reported seeing mermaids while sailing in the Caribbean.
Today we might guess he saw manatees instead, which could
nurse their young like female humans, and from a far
cain look to have a human face. Mermaid folklore was
still going strong in eighteen thirty seven, when Danish author
(06:58):
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a book called The Little Mermaid,
and it became an instant classic. Approximately one hundred and
fifty years later, Walt Disney made a film by the
same name, popularizing the mermaid for a new generation of
children worldwide. Today, you can see mermaids depicted on modern
day coat of arms, including those in Britain, Warsaw, and Germany,
(07:19):
as well as the University of Birmingham. However, if you
see a mermaid with a serpent tale, two fish tails
or wings, it's called a melusine and is very common
in French folklore. So now we know about mermaids, but
what about mermen. Well, Murman are not as common in
folklore as mermaids, and they can be shown as handsome
or grotesque. The legend of Murman started in Babylon and
(07:43):
became connected with the sea god Aa, the god of water, wisdom, culture,
and civilization. He was also the creator and protector of
man and the world. However, some state that the Mermann
legend refers to EA's servant. Later, the Greek myth of
Triton was born. Triton was a sea god and the
son of Poseidon. Poseidon had a human form, but Triton
(08:04):
was half man, half fish, hiding or blowing a kant shell.
Sometimes he held a three pronged trident. He lived in
a golden palace at the bottom of the sea with
his parents, and acted as Poseidon's messenger. Triton was called
both a mighty and dreadful sea god, and could blow
his conk shell so loudly that it raised her flattened
waves and scared away mythical giants. He was said to
(08:27):
have green hair and blue skin, with barnacles on his
mighty shoulders. Various Scandinavian countries, including Iceland and Norway, have
legends about mirman with black hair, long beards, and dusky skin,
with a man's torso and a fish tail. One British
folklore writer said that Merman were often uglier and rougher
(08:47):
in the British Isles, although how she came to this
conclusion is unknown. Today, Mrmann are depicted in comics, movies
and films as handsome, strong, and courageous, such as in
the TV show Man from Atlantis and the superhero movie Aquaman.
They are featured in the popular game Dungeons and Dragons
and in the hugely successful Harry Potter movies, where Murr
(09:08):
people live in a lake near Hogwarts So what do
you think about the legends of mermaids and Murman? Do
you know any legends where you live. If you could
have one special power as a mermaid or Murrman, what
would it be. We'd love to hear your opinion when
you click on the link in the show notes. We
hope you enjoyed this episode about mermaids and Murhman. Be
(09:29):
sure to tune in next Monday for a new episode.
Do you like riddles, Well, I have one for you.
What's so big that it stretches further than the eye
can see. It can change colors from turquoise to brown,
to green and even black. It can gobble you up
and spit you out. It can be angry or calm.
Any guesses could be a massive sea monster, a wily octopus,
or the mythical kraken. Nope, but these are all good guesses.
(00:26):
The answer is the sea. Did you know water covers
three quarters of the world's surface. That's huge, and that
means there's a lot of living things underneath the water
that we can't see here on land. We can see
all sorts of amazing things. So what amazing things are
underneath the sea? Well, thanks to sailors, fishermen, marine biologists,
(00:46):
submarine crews, and other explorers, we know a lot more
about the sea and what's in it than at any
other time in history. We've discovered underwater cities and sea
life and shipwrecks. We found fossil treasure chests and planes
that disappear decades ago. We've developed amazing things like sonar,
(01:07):
radar and underwater vessels to dive deeper and explore further.
But to this day we've not reached the bottom of
some of the deepest seas in the world, and we
haven't discovered all there is to see in the vast
underwater kingdom. So that means where there is unknown or
a mystery, there is folklore. Since the beginning of time,
(01:28):
people have been connected to the sea. For ancient people,
the sea must have seemed very big and mysterious and scary. Indeed,
people eventually built boats and started sailing across the seas.
They saw strange creatures jumping out of the water or
bumping into their boats. They heard spine tingling screeches on
the wind, or witness large shapes bobbing on the waves.
(01:51):
What could these things be? Where they ghosts or monsters
or gods? Well, since ancient humans didn't have any means
to go deep under the sea to discover these answers,
they had to find an explanation using what knowledge they had,
and that's where sea legends and folklore began. People crafted
stories and carved images to make sense of the sea.
(02:12):
Over time, these tales, miss legends, and images spread around
the world and became part of folklore on every continent.
One of the earliest and most enduring tales of all
time is that of the mystical mermaid. Many people across
the world can describe a mermaid a beautiful creature, half woman,
half fish, with long flowing hair and glittering scales, and
(02:35):
we know this because of images of them that have
been carved into stone in ancient temples or sketched in
books dating back centuries. As far back as the nineteenth
century BC, people believed that life came from and started
in the sea. In the city of Babylon, which means
the Gate of the Gods and is now part of Iraq,
(02:56):
people prayed to a half human, half fish sea goddess
called atre Gadis, who was the ruler of life and fertility.
They carved her image on stone templates, wearing a mural crown,
a crown shaped like towers, walls, and fortresses instead of flowers, arches,
and crosses like crowns that came later. Sometimes she was
(03:17):
carved with a human face on a fish body, other
times as half human half fish. Adergaidis was married to
a god named Haddad, and they were the gods who
protected the city of Babylon. Ader Goddess also ruled over
the city's religious and social life, as well as the
creation of new life. But how did a gadis come
(03:39):
to have the form of a fish? While one ancient
myth states that the goddess originally had a human form
but then drowned herself in a lake, thus turning into
half woman half fish, she was ashamed for having fallen
in love with a handsome man and giving birth to
a baby girl, something that was apparently forbidden for divine
(04:00):
non human goddesses. Over the centuries, people traveled and traded
with people in other cities and countries. The myth of
Ader Goddess spread throughout the Middle East and Europe. The
early Greeks, who had originally depicted their goddesses as birds
with human faces, later changed their goddess images to mermaids.
(04:20):
Thus the mermaid legend grew and more tales blossomed. Mermaids
gained the name like sirens or water nymphs. Their image
changed into dangerous sea maidens, luring unsuspecting ships and sailors
to their doom. They were no longer the praised city
protectors of the past, but like the original goddess Ader Goddess,
(04:42):
they still possessed magical powers and liked music and song.
Early sailors reported hearing strange sounds like music on the
waves and guessed it could be the mermaids singing. Who
or what else could it be. Today we might suggest
the sounds were coming from pods of whales, but since
the sailors didn't know about whale communication or have sonar,
(05:05):
they believed in singing mermaids instead. However, unlike the goddess Adergatis,
mermaids of legend were said to be mortal. They lived
about three hundred years, had no soul, and eventually turned
into sea foam instead of going to heaven. And since
mermaids were depicted as beautiful creatures, it was assumed they
must be vain. Artists painted beautiful scenes of mermaids lounging
(05:29):
on rocks, surrounded by objects of vanity such as hair brushes, combs,
and mirrors. Myths soon popped up, stating that if a
human captured and hid these mermaid objects, the mermaid would
become human and could be tricked into marriage. However, if
the mermaid found the hidden objects, she could transform back
into a mermaid and return to the sea. Perhaps because
(05:54):
of these myths of humans stealing the mermaid items, alluring
them in human form, and marrying them. Mermaids then gained
the reputation for spitefulness against humans. Tails said that if provoked,
mermaids could cause floods, storms, and other sea disasters. A
mermaid spotted during a sea voyage was considered an omen
(06:15):
of shipwreck. Other legends told of mermaids luring men into
the water, where they drowned or were forced to live
under the sea forevermore, never returning home. Some miss however,
stated that mermaids could also show compassion. If something nice
was done for them, such as rescuing them from a net,
they could bestow gifts or blessings. And it wasn't just
(06:37):
sailors who reported seeing mermaids out to sea. Famous explorer
Christopher Columbus reported seeing mermaids while sailing in the Caribbean.
Today we might guess he saw manatees instead, which could
nurse their young like female humans, and from a far
cain look to have a human face. Mermaid folklore was
still going strong in eighteen thirty seven, when Danish author
(06:58):
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a book called The Little Mermaid,
and it became an instant classic. Approximately one hundred and
fifty years later, Walt Disney made a film by the
same name, popularizing the mermaid for a new generation of
children worldwide. Today, you can see mermaids depicted on modern
day coat of arms, including those in Britain, Warsaw, and Germany,
(07:19):
as well as the University of Birmingham. However, if you
see a mermaid with a serpent tale, two fish tails
or wings, it's called a melusine and is very common
in French folklore. So now we know about mermaids, but
what about mermen. Well, Murman are not as common in
folklore as mermaids, and they can be shown as handsome
or grotesque. The legend of Murman started in Babylon and
(07:43):
became connected with the sea god Aa, the god of water, wisdom, culture,
and civilization. He was also the creator and protector of
man and the world. However, some state that the Mermann
legend refers to EA's servant. Later, the Greek myth of
Triton was born. Triton was a sea god and the
son of Poseidon. Poseidon had a human form, but Triton
(08:04):
was half man, half fish, hiding or blowing a kant shell.
Sometimes he held a three pronged trident. He lived in
a golden palace at the bottom of the sea with
his parents, and acted as Poseidon's messenger. Triton was called
both a mighty and dreadful sea god, and could blow
his conk shell so loudly that it raised her flattened
waves and scared away mythical giants. He was said to
(08:27):
have green hair and blue skin, with barnacles on his
mighty shoulders. Various Scandinavian countries, including Iceland and Norway, have
legends about mirman with black hair, long beards, and dusky skin,
with a man's torso and a fish tail. One British
folklore writer said that Merman were often uglier and rougher
(08:47):
in the British Isles, although how she came to this
conclusion is unknown. Today, Mrmann are depicted in comics, movies
and films as handsome, strong, and courageous, such as in
the TV show Man from Atlantis and the superhero movie Aquaman.
They are featured in the popular game Dungeons and Dragons
and in the hugely successful Harry Potter movies, where Murr
(09:08):
people live in a lake near Hogwarts So what do
you think about the legends of mermaids and Murman? Do
you know any legends where you live. If you could
have one special power as a mermaid or Murrman, what
would it be. We'd love to hear your opinion when
you click on the link in the show notes. We
hope you enjoyed this episode about mermaids and Murhman. Be
(09:29):
sure to tune in next Monday for a new episode.
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