Mermaid Sightings in the World

The ocean holds a lot of mystery and to date, a huge part of it is still unexplored. To date, we have explored less than 5 percent of the ocean. (http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/exploration.html)

The vast and mysterious was believed to be the dwelling of the mysterious creatures. Before the Age of Exploration, folklore emerges in Europe of a mythical maritime creature which has half a body of fish and half of a woman or man. Mermaids are often described as a creature with extraordinary beauty, who likes to sing and comb their crown of glory. Mermen, however, are usually wilder and uglier than mermaids and have little interest in humans.

The legend of mermaids is present in Africa, Asia and Europe, which has contrasting depictions of a mermaid. In the legend, a mermaid was either depicted as a good or bad entity. In Trinidad and Tobago, sea-dwelling mer-men "were known to grant a wish, transform mediocrity into genius and confer wealth and power. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailors%27_superstitions) While in other cultures, mermaids were considered as bringer of bad omen and aggravating it. Death-defying events, like shipwrecks, flood and drowning were at times linked to mermaids.

Mermaids are also equated with the enchantress sirens in the book of Homer, the Odyssey. These femme fatale creatures used their enchanting voice to lure the sailors astray onto rocky shoals and sandbars. In the modern times, the tale of a mermaid was introduced by Disney to kids in the character of Ariel, who was an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s, The Little Mermaid.

The character of Ariel is far more different from the tales in Breton ballads, in Slavic and Greek mythology. Ariel is a defiant, yet lovable character who falls in love for a human prince. She defied her father’s order and risked bargaining with Ursula, a wicked witch for her beloved. Similar to most fairy tales, the good wins over the evil.

There are vast of tales regarding mermaid sightings by inhabitants in coastal towns and the seafarers. One story, dating back to the 1600s, claimed that a mermaid had entered Holland through a dike, and was injured in the process. She was taken to a nearby lake and was soon nursed back to health. She eventually became a productive citizen, learned to speak Dutch, performed household chores and converted to Catholicism. (http://www.livescience.com/39882-mermaid.html)

Many Cornish people, particularly sailors, have claimed to have seen or heard a mermaid and belief in them was once widespread. There are many stories or mermaids seen on the rocks and of mermaids sitting weeping and wailing on the shore.( http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/origins532-a-mermaid-and-a-magic-comb.html)

In 2009, a report surfaced claiming that a mermaid was seen on the shores of Kiryat Yam. A guy with his group of friends declared to have seen a woman in a peculiar sitting position. The group claimed that they had seen the creature’s tail when it jumped off the water. The story eventually vanished without a hard evidence.

The most recent story of a mermaid sighting is an intriguing one. In 2012, a TV special called "Mermaids: The Body Found" renewed interest in mermaids. It presented the story of scientists finding proof of real mermaids in the oceans. ( http://www.livescience.com/39882-mermaid.html). As per Livescience.com, the video was convincing but sadly, a fake one.

Do you have a story to tell about mermaid sightings?