Ever wonder where the myth of mermaids came from?
The oldest mermaid myth is related to the Syrian goddess Atargatis. Nearly every culture, from Europe, to Asia, to the Americas contains myths about mermaids. Some mermaids were benevolent creatures, granting wishes to sailors who helped them. But to many seafarers seeing a mermaid meant bad luck, an omen of a storm or shipwreck. There are also tales of the mermaids' enchanting song enticing sailors onto rocks where their ships were smashed to pieces.
Mermaids are known for falling in love with handsome men. They would often pull the object of their affections beneath the water, causing the man to drown. In Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid it is said that they forget that humans cannot breathe underwater, while others say they drown men out of spite.
Representatives of unexplored worlds, mermaids have been sexual symbols with their classical characteristics of physical beauty and a sexy voice, personifying the obstacle of a dangerous temptation.
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