A Mermaid with Two Tails?
Wrong. Starbucks famous logo is actually NOT a mermaid. Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently in Greek Mythology a “mermaid” with two tails is actually called a siren.
A what?
A siren.
So why would the ever popular coffee drinking cafe decide to use a siren as their logo?
Here’s why.
Way back in 1971 in the cloudy city of Seattle, Washington, the founders of Starbucks, Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin, and Zev Siegel, first came up with their name inspired from a character in Herman Melville’s, “Moby Dick.” Then once they had the name they started brainstorming the logo, wanting to keep with the “sea” theme, they looked through several marine books when a very odd and unique creature started to stick out to them.
That’s right, the siren.
So what’s the difference between a Siren and a Mermaid?
I think Debra Kelly said it best:
“Somewhere along the literary and mythological road, mermaids and sirens got confused into one creature: a half-woman, half-fish creature known for her beautiful singing voice. Originally, it was only the mermaid that was a half-human, half-fish creature, and a singing voice wasn’t mentioned in early myths. Sirens were the singers, and they were actually half-woman, half-bird creatures.”
So now you know…
Starbuck’s logo is in fact a Siren, not a mermaid.
