Blog Post 1: Habits and Sightings

When I was a kid I love watching Disney movies, and one of my favorite Disney movies is "The Little Mermaid". After watching that movie, several questions came up to my mind and telling me to seek answers for it. So one of the questions that always running in my mind is: Mermaids, do they exist? A simple question, but until now no final answer can be made.

What do they look like?

Mermaids, we usually describe them as beautiful, long haired woman face-like, humanoid on the upper body and fish-tail on the lower body. I've researched articles describing mermaids, well most of them described mermaids as we describe them. In an article entitled, "The Sarvonian Mermaids" from the site santharia.com, Bard Judith said that Merfolk come in male (mermen), female (mermaid) and neuter genders (mer). In this article, describes the mermaids or merfolks are sentient creature and they are not high in intelligence. Their hair comes in a wide range of naturally occurring oceanic colors; black, dark green through pale green, turquoise, blue, lavender, white, and silver. She also state that "Legend of Echra" tells one possible origin of merfolk. "Legend Echra": a human female was cast down to the sea for daring to love the sun.

Few dead mermaids have been found washed up or caught in sailors' net. According to the essay by The Water Mage Ge Wonderwed of Carmalad, the upper bodies of the mermaids are slim, like with a human body. All the skin above the waist are pale greenish or bluish color. Then the body parts of the mermaids were dissected and they found out that the internal organs of it are kinda related to humans and fishes as well. They found one huge lung that occupied the whole chest, their heart are smaller than a human heart.  The digestive passage runs to the mouth, mermaids have lips and tongue like us, they have pointed teeth and an odd sieve-like structure in the throat.

Their spoken name for themselves is 'Baovveche' or 'Mermish'; their spoken language.  Below the water they communicate by whistling, fluting sounds, sub- and super-sonic pulses which humans cannot hear. Mermaids do not wear clothing but sometimes ornament themselves with oily pigments that are water-resistant, with braided seaweeds, and with various bright corals, shells, or naturally-pierced stones. Any other material on their body are use to attract group mating rituals. The mode of their living only circulate with this: swimming, hunting, eating, preening, mating, and playing with whales. What do you expect? They don't have much abilities like us. In terms of defense, they use their muscular tails against large attackers and they use their sharp pointed teeth and even sharper talons when catching fishes.

               "Merfolk’s voices are high and clear, with a musical piping tone to them. I have heard their songs and speech with my own ears, and it is strangely charming, like a small child’s voice mixed with a flute-player’s tune. Sailors who offer them gifts or treat their whale-friends with respect are often able to gain simple information such as the location of fish in the area or whether a storm is coming. " -  The Water Mage Ge Wonderwed of Carmalad.

After reading the statement above, I've come to think that, mermaids are real. But what if the statement above was a lie? A hoax? Well, let's say the said statement above is true, then it's a good thing though for some sailors who will encounter some mermaids. Because mermaids can help them find fish and guide or warn them if there's a storm coming. All they have to do is offer gifts to mermaids or treat well their whale friends with respect. Then while doing that, everybody is gaining something good. It's a good practice also for humans to interact with other creatures by doing something good to them. 

Have you seen one of them?

In the internet, you'll find different articles, videos about mermaids. Also they asked the same question if mermaids are real. Because of that question, several people try to prove that there are mermaids living with us, but also they are some that they don't believe with it. In an article entitled " 'Real' Mermaids? ", from the site livescience.com, Benjamin Radford said that hundred of years ago sailors and residents in coastal towns told of encountering sea maidens (mermaids). Mermaid sightings are told in this article.

In 1600s claimed that, a mermaid entered Holland through a dike, and was injured in the process. She was taken to a nearby lake and soon she was cured. Then she eventually became a productive citizen and even learned to speak Dutch, do some household chores and became a Roman Catholic. Sound convincing? For me, no. It's just so unrealistic, they have fish tails, they cannot do household chores because of that. They'll be having a hard time cleaning the house. Besides I don't think people before can teach her human languages. She's a different creature, doesn't have language that humans can understand. Lastly, I don't think people before would help her, instead, they would freak out because of her appearance.

Another mermaid encounter once offered as a true story is described in Edward Snow's "Incredible Mysteries and Legends of the Sea." A sea captain off the coast of Newfoundland. The captain which is Smith, was felt in love as he gazed on the woman who's swimming, but was disappointed and realized that she was a fish waist down.  

In 1800s They made fake mermaids, for public interests. Those who are willing to pay 50 cents hoping to see a long-limbed, fish-tailed beauty comb her hair were surely disappointed; they saw a grotesque fake corpse a few feet long. It had the torso, head, and limbs of a monkey and the bottom part of a fish. It fooled several people that time. 

Some stories in the article contains hoaxes. Until now there are several hoaxes that are shown on the internet. Like recent TV movie called "Mermaids: The Body Found" renewed interest in mermaids. The story of scientists finding proof of real mermaids in the oceans. It was a fiction,  and it was in a fake documentary format that seemed to be realistic that some people thought it was true. It gained millions of views in Youtube. After that video, lately another video was released: "Mermaids: The New Evidence." 

Well this article seemed to tell us something, that it's all up to you if you're going to believe something or not. In my case, I've only come with few information about the sightings of mermaids, but still atleast I have an idea about mermaids. Although some of the videos about mermaids on the internet are fake, at least it gained us something. Maybe we just don't know the reality behind those videos, maybe there is something true about those hoaxes videos that nobody figure it out because, still no one encountered it. 

--A sea captain off the coast of Newfoundland described his 1614 encounter: "Captain John Smith saw a mermaid 'swimming about with all possible grace.' He pictured her as having large eyes, a finely shaped nose that was 'somewhat short,' and well-formed ears' that were rather too long. Smith goes on to say that 'her long green hair imparted to her an original character that was by no means unattractive.'" 

When I read his description, little by little I'm believing that mermaids are real. Because before, I already read some articles about mermaid sightings, and some of them are same description as this. It maybe coincidental, it maybe not. But for me, it's not coincidental. How can they be coincidental, if different persons wrote different articles about their experience with mermaid sightings? at different time? Well, for now I've been thinking, mermaids are real. For me, they are just somewhere out there under the ocean, hiding from us.