The History of Mermaids Isn’t What You Think it is
Don’t you just love mermaids? What a life — basking in the sun, playing in the water. When you're a mermaid every day is a magical summer vacation. There’s just one little drawback. Traditionally mermaids were not the kinda girls you’d want to hang out with, and you’d certainly never want to be one.
How did they get their sullied reputation? Well, to find out we’ll have to go back to the beginning of mermaid culture.
Where did these watery beauties come from?
Lots of early cultures had mermaid stories. The first recorded version comes from around 1000 B.C. It seems back in the days of gods and goddesses there was some fooling around going on. ( Have you ever noticed how much trouble those people caused?) One story says the goddess Artargatis fell in love with a shepherd boy, and when things didn’t go as planned she threw herself into a lake, transforming into the first mermaid. Other stories claim they were the offspring of gods who fell in love with water nymphs.
European stories seem to have their roots in the stories of the ancient sirens. According to the Greeks, sirens were half woman, half-bird. Mysterious and powerful, they were said to be the offspring of a muse and either the sea god Phorcys or the river god Achelous. In Homers Odyessy, Odysseus…
