Mermaid character from Slavic mythology. What do real mermaids look like? Beautiful brunettes with fishtail

03.03.2016 05:11

When we hear the word “mermaid,” many of us think of a cute little mermaid girl with big, kind eyes from a Disney cartoon. Even if we don’t think specifically about the cartoon, we still often associate the image of a mermaid with at least a gentle creature surrounded by an aura of magic. Have you all read Andersen's fairy tale?

However, in the minds of our ancestors, such a character as a mermaid had nothing in common with the little mermaid Ariel - with the exception, perhaps, of being female. Moreover, having studied the beliefs of our ancestors, we can conclude that mermaids are not at all kind and by no means harmless creatures.

What do mermaids do?

It is believed that these mystical creatures lead approximately the same lifestyle as living people. Like all girls, mermaids cook, do laundry, bathe and do other everyday things. Mermaids in particular love to preen themselves - they say that you can often see mermaids sitting comfortably on a rock, combing their long hair. In addition, mermaids can even play weddings; a mermaid can become the wife of a merman. And they, like people, have children, whose cries can sometimes reach people’s ears.

But along with ordinary activities, mermaids spend a lot of time having fun. These creatures love to frolic, inventing various entertainments for themselves: running, playing, swinging on tree branches, swimming, dancing in circles, weaving flower wreaths, grimacing, screaming and making various sounds, joking and laughing, for which in Russian folklore they are sometimes called “ jokes." However, the fun of mermaids is quite specific, and the person who meets them is unlikely to have fun. In fact, mermaids are very dangerous for people, and their sexy and cheerful image largely echoes the characteristics of the ancient Greek sirens. Which, as you know, attracted sailors with wondrous songs, luring them into traps. This is roughly what “Russian” mermaids do.

Why are mermaids dangerous?

As already mentioned, cheerful mermaids, or, as they are sometimes called, “devils,” have their own idea of a sense of humor. Having met a man, the mermaid begins to make fun of him in her own way. She can start tickling him to death, or she can charm him with her songs and a bewitching smile, after which she can lure him into the water and drown him.

You'll be lucky if the mermaid just makes a person get lost in the forest. Sometimes, having led a person into a remote place, the mermaid may simply run away laughing, leaving him to his fate - but in this case, he will at least have a chance to escape. By the way, mermaids treat women and men differently. If they are probably jealous of women, and when they meet, they tear off their clothes and chase them out of the forest with sticks, then they shamelessly flirt with men.

Do mermaids do anything good?

It is worth noting that many beliefs claim that mermaids are aggressive only towards adults. They usually treat small children well, and therefore can save little ones lost in the forest from danger, scaring wild animals away from them.

In addition, the image of a mermaid is associated with fertility. It is believed that they appear in the fields during the ripening period of grain, and in those places where the mermaid’s foot has stepped, more grain will be produced.

How to escape from the witchcraft of mermaids?

First of all, it is worth saying at what time it is considered The chance of meeting a mermaid is especially great. Legends tell us that mermaids can be seen especially often on Spiritual Day, Trinity Week and the holiday of Ivan Kupala. And, as noted above, mermaids are, in principle, more common during the ripening period of rye.

But if you do meet a mermaid, it is believed that you need to throw a scarf or any other piece of fabric at her. If you don’t have a scarf with you, then you should tear the sleeve off your shirt and throw it at the mermaid - it’s better to be left without a sleeve, but alive, than to lie on the river bottom in intact clothes.

In addition, when meeting, you need to poke a mermaid with a needle or pin - it is believed that even if there are several mermaids, then after one such poke they will all run away screaming. Better yet, just lower your eyes and not meet the mermaid’s gaze. And, of course, you shouldn’t go into the wilderness with an unknown girl. This, by the way, good topic, to compose horror stories for men, isn't it?

And it is also important to remember that you should always be very careful in your expressions when you are quarreling with loved ones. If you curse your offender in your hearts or send him to hell, then after such words the mermaids may attack him and drag him into their lair. Where they will torture a person until he is saved by prayers and giving alms to the poor. So swear carefully! And best of all, don’t swear at all, don’t curse anyone and, of course, don’t give in to the advances of unfamiliar half-naked girls.

Your Anastasia Cherkasova,

Mermaid. It seems that even those who are very vaguely familiar with Slavic mythology have heard about mermaids. The image is recognizable, present in many fairy tales, literary works, you can see it in the paintings. In the North we believe that mermaids still exist to this day. There are so many stories told about them! But what are they, real mermaids?

Mermaid - character Slavic mythology, guarding fields, forests and waters. One of the most varied images of folk mysticism. The fact that mermaids exist was believed everywhere in Rus', but ideas about what she was like were real mermaid- differed in different places.

Rcreeping creaturescosiness! Authentic northerntales

It would seem that this character is so fantastic that he remains only in fairy tales. But our northern tales claim that real mermaids can be seen to this day.

Mermaids live in water, but can also go outside. They are not very favorable towards people, they should be feared:

We were little, so the old people told us that we shouldn’t swim after the rain, the mermaid washes there. Her hair is long. She will carry away...

They told some pretty scary stories about them:

Mermaids? Yes, I heard. Now there is no one, but before there was a lot of things, they told all sorts of stories.

One woman's son drowned. He was a good swimmer, a good swimmer, and suddenly he drowned. And it was summer, of course. Well, the people: “The water guy dragged me away!” And then, a lot of time had passed, she went to the river to do laundry and saw a girl sitting on a stone, beautiful, but naked, with black, long hair. She scratches them. That [woman] saw her and her heart immediately sank. I was very scared, standing there, not even breathing. I was very scared. Why, it’s amazing! What you! This mermaid, no matter how she looks at someone, how frozen a person becomes, will remain standing, she can do this for a long time, yes. That's where it stands. Suddenly the mermaid turns around and says: “Your son is fine, go home and don’t come here anymore.” And she jumped into the water and left the comb on the stone. But my son’s body was never found, it hurt deeply.

There are still mermaids in the river. They are like a person, their hair is long, loose, they sit on a stone and scratch their hair. And there are breasts. They live in lumpy places. Comes out in the morning and evening.

There were mermaids too. They showed different types: women, men, and cattle. Like a dream. They see them and get sick.

Grandmother died. An uncle from Moscow arrived. I went to the river. In a suit, dressed properly. The girl seemed beautiful to him. He wanted to hug her, so he did so with his hands - and dived into the river. I saw it good girl, beautiful. And he came, it was pouring from him, and he was in a good suit.

We were little, so the old people told us that we shouldn’t swim after the rain, the mermaid washes there. Her hair is long. She will drag it away.

There are still mermaids in the rivers. They say a cursed man turns into a mermaid. They are like a person, their hair is long, loose, they sit on a stone and scratch their hair. And there are breasts. They live in lumpy places. Comes out in the morning and evening. And a butt like a human's. Beautiful, her breasts are like those of a woman. She rinsed the linen and beat it with a hand stick to get the dust out. I see that her hair is long and loose. But they noticed, and she disappeared.

Shishikhas, mermaids, grab you by the legs and drown them. The grandmothers were planting svikla, and the woman went into the water. Someone pulls her, and then there are finger marks on her feet.

They told me that someone was serving in the navy, and she [the mermaid] came out and sang songs. And he liked her so much that he fell in love. And her love is real. And they had a child. What should the sailor do, how can he bring her with him, because she doesn’t know how to speak, and the child doesn’t know how to speak. And they sent him to another ship. She comes and looks where he is. And they show her: he left. I was very sad. And then she tore the child apart and threw herself into the water.

What does a real mermaid look like?Does she have a tail?

The image of a mermaid in books and paintings is quite recognizable - beautiful girl with a fish tail. However, like many spirits of Slavic mythology, they can look different:

They showed different types: a woman, a man, and a beast. Like a dream.

But most often, real mermaids resemble beautiful young girls, naked, with long flowing hair of greenish, light brown or black color, which they constantly comb. Do mermaids have tails? In the North of Rus' it was believed that mermaids were completely similar in appearance to people. After all, they not only sit in the water, but also move on land, they can enter mills, run along the banks of a river or reservoir, and swing on tree branches. In the South of Rus' they said that mermaids live only in water, which is why they have a tail.

Although a real mermaid sometimes looks beautiful and seductive, her whole appearance suggests that this is inanimate person. If you look closely, you will notice closed or dull eyes and pale skin.

There are stories in which mermaids look like real monsters: unsightly, with long saggy breasts, sharp claws, completely covered with hair. It immediately becomes clear that such a creature will not be at all favorable towards people.

How to become a mermaid?

Why are real mermaids so hostile to people? Because they themselves were once people, but they died too early or “wrongly” (became a victim of a crime, committed suicide, died tragically) and became “hostage” dead. They said that a dead (especially drowned) child can become a mermaid, young girl, a young woman, or anyone in general who died during a special week of the year - Rusal. Mermaids drag people swimming to the bottom at inopportune times and without the blessing of people; when they meet on the shore, they can attack and tickle to death, suffocate with their long hair, to lure women washing clothes on the shore into the water. Those who died due to the fault of these spirits also become mermaids. To prevent the souls of dead young children or girls from becoming mermaids, special rituals were observed during their funerals.

Why are mermaids dangerous?

Despite the rather romantic ideas about these spirits, they do not like living people and strive to destroy them in order to replenish their ranks. Mermaids are especially active and dangerous during Mermaid Week in May-June, during the flowering period of rye. That's when they most often show up to people. During this period, people were advised not only to refrain from swimming in bodies of water, but also to go near water in general and take walks in the forest.

When meeting mermaids, it was necessary not to look at them - it was best to turn your gaze to the ground. There were also conspiracies against these spirits. They were also advised to pay them off - throw them some item of clothing, combs, jewelry.

Mermaids still exist today, and our ancestors knew this very well. The spirits of nature surround us to this day. All Slavic mythology testifies to this. By studying it, we rediscover the world of environmental spirits.

The image and prototypes of mermaids

Opinions differ about what mermaids are. For some, these are the spirits of drowned women, for others - unbaptized children or young unmarried girls. Some even say that children who are cursed or who die during Mermaid Week become mermaids. There is also a version that girls who drowned themselves because of unhappy love became mermaids (which makes them similar to Western undines). In general, there are a lot of options. But, despite so many versions, people agree on one thing: mermaids - evil spirits who drag away or kill children and sometimes adults.

But since Slavic people quite populated large area, beliefs and images vary depending on the land. Moreover, even the names change. So, for example, Mavka is the same mermaid, but in Ukrainian; in the Belarusian language they were called vodynitsy or kupalkas. There are a lot of characters associated with mermaids, because the very image of a vengeful spirit in the guise of a girl (young or old, beautiful or ugly, depending on the region) was widespread. Mermaids are also similar to naiads, the daughters of Zeus in Greek mythology. They also lived in ponds, but were nymphs. By the way, in the same mythology there are Nereids, sea deities. They are surprisingly similar to mermaids (they even dance in circles at night and sing songs), but they are kind creatures revered in the coastal cities of Greece.

Mermaid habitats

Just as there are many images of mermaids, there are also many versions about where they lived. Moreover, the versions change to completely opposite ones! For example, some say that mermaids live in lakes or rivers, and cover their footprints on the shore with sand so as not to be caught. Some are sure that they live in forests or steppes, on tall trees, where they sway day and night.

Appearance of mermaids

Their appearance was also different. But most often mermaids are young, slender girls with long (sometimes up to their toes) thick hair. brown hair(sometimes completely black or green), sometimes with green eyes. They didn’t braid their hair, they walked around with it down. Some wore wreaths. With clothes, everything is more complicated: some believe that the mermaids did not wear anything, they walked naked (like all undead), but there are opinions that they wore torn sundresses, shirts, sometimes even Wedding Dresses. However, their distinctive feature was that their clothes were most often white.

But there is a completely different opinion. Among some peoples, mermaids are ugly old women with long claws, overgrown with hair, armed with a poker or mortar. Mothers warned their children that mermaids could pound them in a mortar and eat them. Sometimes these old women were also smeared with tar. Most often they lived in swamps or steppes.

Character of mermaids

As is clear from the text above, mermaids are malicious creatures who frightened livestock and people, ruined bonfires on holidays and joked evilly. However, they also have noble traits. Mermaids will never touch babies. They will protect children lost in the forest from wild animals. According to one legend, when a woman threw a piece of clothing to the mermaid (they say, by the way, that they can sew a dress from any fabric), she cast a spell on her that everything would go well for the woman. And indeed, after that everything went like clockwork. Also the fact that mermaids dance in circles - good sign. This means that there will be a good harvest in this place.

Life of mermaids

Despite everything, mermaids could very well have families. Their husbands were the same spirits. Mermaids had children, most often they were represented as infants.

The mermaids entertained themselves all day; at night they danced, sang, and laughed. If they weren’t having fun, they were taking care of themselves: washing, washing and combing their hair. Sometimes they washed laundry, of which they usually had a lot. If they were caught, they most often remained silent or cried, wiping their eyes with their long hair.
You could see mermaids in cities during Rusalya week. There is a belief that at this time they were especially active and therefore walked the streets doing their routine things: shouting male names In order to then kill young guys, they tickled people to death or looked for their lover, because of whom they committed suicide. That is why it was forbidden to swim for a week on Rusalya: the person became cursed and was doomed to eternally wander the earth in the form of an evil spirit.

Well, on other days they sat in their “homes”. However, if anyone saw the mermaid, they had to run away as quickly as possible. For example, there is a belief that if you meet a mermaid in the forest, she will probably ask for at least a scrap of fabric for her newborn child. Then you need to throw anything at her: at least tear off the fabric from the sleeve and quickly run home. The mermaids who live in reservoirs did not spend their lives so intensely: they came out of the water, sat on a stone and combed their hair.

Among the same mermaids who lived in the steppe, their favorite pastime was to dance in circles. There are also different opinions about what they did in the fields: some say that they trampled the harvest and spoiled it, others think quite the opposite - they guarded the harvest from strangers.

However, they were evil because they dragged people with them and killed them. And it doesn’t have to be for Rusalya week. They could be found at night in the surrounding area, in fields or in the forest. And then you definitely won’t be able to escape from the mermaids, because they will take you with them and tickle you to death. And after that, the tortured one will become a mermaid himself. But worst option awaits those who live in Ukrainian villages, because these mermaids were particularly cruel: they simply cut off people’s heads. In this way they are similar to their Belarusian neighbors, who turned their heads back and gouged out their eyes.

Mermaids are one of the most significant and popular characters in Slavic mythology. They appear in various works and legends; many stories and beliefs are associated with them. And the image of a young girl who drags people into the forest and tickles them to death is one of the most recognizable in Slavic mythology.

And yet, they are not very similar to Ariel, the little mermaid from the fairy tale, who never even dreamed of harming anyone.

To the question, do mermaids exist? Modern man most often he will laugh and answer that he stopped believing in grandmother’s fairy tales when he was ten years old. However, documentary evidence confirms the veracity of ancient legends.

If we rely on ancient stories and legends, then the appearance of the mysterious sea creatures very diverse, as are their names. For example, in Western Europe the name mermaid was used more often. IN ancient Greece sirens and tritons. IN ancient Rome naiads, nereids and nymphs, but among the Germans of the Nix and Balts, strange fish-like creatures were called buzzers and undines. In Scotland, there were also amazing underwater inhabitants and there they were called silks. The French, without ceremony, called the freaks snake tails.

The appearance of mysterious sea inhabitants different descriptions eyewitnesses vary greatly. Firstly, mermaids are not only female, but also male creatures, and secondly, their appearance is described in completely different ways. From adorable beautiful woman from large, firm breasts, delicate features, long silky hair, white skin and a shiny fish tail instead of legs, to a very frightening creature with green hair, a face covered in a substance similar to coral, ugly gills starting from the lower lip and a vile, with disgusting growths of a tail in the lower part of the body. The likelihood that in different parts Sveta underwater inhabitants may differ in appearance, exists, in exactly the same way as the presence of several species that are immediately different not only in appearance, but also are fundamentally different different levels evolution. Some researchers admit that a person can easily be a descendant of mermaids. It’s not for nothing that they say that the Ocean is the cradle of life.

So that everything described here does not seem like another unfounded version or too bold an assumption, let us turn to the attested descriptions of meetings with mermaids. This will give good grounds for thought regarding the answer to the question - do mermaids exist or not?

Mentions of mermaids in history

So, the first mention found in the Icelandic chronicles Speculum Regale dates back to the 12th century. In him we're talking about about a creature half woman, half fish called "Margigr". According to the description it is absolutely normal woman, except for a large shiny fin instead of legs. Three centuries later in the 15th century, in the book of Sigault de la Fonda “Wonders of Nature, or a Collection of Extraordinary and Noteworthy Phenomena and Adventures in the Whole World of Bodies, Arranged in Alphabetical Order” there is a mention of an incident that occurred in Holland in 1403.

After a terrible storm destroyed the West Friesland Dam, a woman was found entangled in seaweed and thrown onto a coastal meadow. She was released, brought to Haarlem, dressed, taught to knit stockings and go to church. The woman lived in the city for 15 years, ate regular food, and during that time she never learned to speak. She endlessly tried to throw herself into the sea, but it was clearly not meant to be. She died like a common person on the land.

In the 17th century, the navigator G. Hudson left an entry in the ship's log, in which he described amazing creature, seen off the coast of the new world. He wrote that one of his crew members suddenly noticed a mermaid overboard. The observer immediately called his comrade and they looked at the creature for a long time. According to their description, it was a woman with bare breasts, long black hair down to her shoulders and a fish tail speckled with black dots like a mackerel. The names of the sailors who observed the mermaid: Thomas Hills and Robert Raynar. Date: June 15, 1608.

Mermaid teen

In the same century, the Spanish journalist Iker Jimenez Elizari published in one of the publications of that time records found in the archives of the church. They talked about the young man Francisco dela Vega Casar, who lived in Lierganes (Cantabria), who stood out among the inhabitants for his excellent ability to swim. According to the source, at the age of 16, the young man left his hometown and went to study as a carpenter in Las Arenas. In 1674, while swimming, he was picked up by a wave and carried out to sea. All searches were in vain.

In February 1679, near the Bay of Cadiz, fishermen caught a strange creature. The creature looked like a tall young man with pale skin and red hair. It had scales along its back and along its belly. There was a brown membrane between the fingers. The prisoner growled, roared and resisted so much that 12 people could barely restrain him. The creature was sent to a Franciscan monastery, where he spent three weeks, during which an exorcism was performed on him. In January 1680, he was taken to Cantabria, where the mother of her son, who had disappeared several years earlier, admitted strange creature your child. For another two years sea creature lived in the village, while eating raw meat and fish, and in 1682 he managed to escape. He dived into sea waters and no one saw him again.

Mermaid's tail

In the 18th century, or more precisely in 1737, the Gentleman’s magazine published an article about a creature caught near the English city of Exter. The fishermen, having lifted it onto the deck, saw a salmon-like tail in the nets and, having figured out what was what, they beat the prey with sticks. When the catch began to groan humanly in agony, the fishermen unraveled the nets and discovered a male mermaid. The upper part of the body was completely human, except that the nose was slightly flattened, unlike in humans. Dead body for a long time was exhibited in Exter as an exhibit.

Another edition of Scot's magazine in 1739 published an equally interesting article that the crew of the ship Halifax caught several mermaids off the coast of the island of Mauritius, fried them and ate them. Team members claimed that the mermaids’ meat reminded them of tender veal.

In the 19th century there were also several high-profile cases involving mermaids. Here's one of them. On October 31, 1881, one of the Boston newspapers wrote that the corpse of a creature partially similar to a human was discovered on the shore. The head and body of the corpse were clearly female. The facial features, eyes, nose, teeth, arms, breasts and hair were all human, but everything below the deceased’s waist resembled a fish’s tail.

And the 20th century was no exception. Not only have they not stopped writing about the existence of mermaids, but on the contrary, the number of such cases has only increased.

Mermaids were also found in the USSR

One of the most interesting and high-profile cases of that time became known only recently when the secrecy was lifted. With representatives water depths The armed forces of the USSR had a chance to meet in 1982 on the western shore of Lake Baikal, where training camps for combat swimmers of the Trans-Baikal Military District took place.

When scuba divers dived to a depth of 50 meters, they more than once had to come face to face with creatures more than three meters tall, as if clad in some kind of shiny clothes. The heads of the creatures seemed to be hidden under spherical helmets, but at the same time the strangers had neither scuba gear nor any other equipment for breathing under water, while they swam with high speed and clearly observed the actions of our combat swimmers.

The commander-in-chief of the exercise decided that it was worth getting to know his mysterious “colleagues” better and ordered to catch one of them. A special team of seven experienced scuba divers and an officer, armed with a thin and durable net, was assembled. However, at the moment when the hunters tried to throw a net on one of the strangers, a certain powerful force impulse instantly pushed the entire group to the surface of the lake. As a result of a sudden ascent without the necessary stops for decompression, all members of the team fell ill with decompression sickness. Three died a few days later, the rest remained disabled.

Residents of the USA also found mermaids

In August 1992 there was also no less interesting case. A group of fishermen from the village of Key Beach (Florida), a kilometer from the coast, noticed “half-human-half-seals” lying on the water with large human-like heads, large eyes and long arms, ending in membranous brushes. The creatures, noticing the approaching longboat, swam to the side, made a circle around the ship and went into the depths. An hour later, the fishermen pulled out fishing net and found that she was cut in several places. Another strange meeting of people and mysterious underwater inhabitants occurred several years ago. IN local history museum The town of Tombstone, located in the southern part of the United States, has a large glass display case. It contains a creature very similar to sea cow, exterminated by people about 150 years ago, but the upper part of this creature is very reminiscent of a human.

Round eyes, nose, ears, neck, shoulders, hands - everything is like a person’s. The chest has well-developed ribs, which means that the creature breathes atmospheric air. The lower part of the object is an ordinary fish tail. Even if a person does not want to believe in the existence of mermaids, this exhibit proves that mermaids exist. In addition, local fishermen claim that such mermaids are periodically caught in their nets, but they, considering them mutants, throw them back.

From everything described above, it becomes clear that, most likely, mermaids exist. It is not known who they are. Perhaps a species that develops in parallel and evolves along with humanity. After all, the oceans today have been studied much less than space. Man is looking for intelligent beings outside the galaxy, and it is possible that they have always been near us, we just don’t want to believe in them. It is quite possible that there is a diversity of species among them. This fact may well explain why there is such a difference in the descriptions of these creatures. Perhaps someday a person, having begun to conquer the depths of water, will discover that he is not alone and his brothers in mind have always been nearby, he just had to stretch out his hand.

The first to engage in the enthusiastic study of mermaids was Israel. Many experts claimed that these creatures settled on sacred lands. The story began on a small beach in Kiryat Yam, where a real mermaid was found by several people.

According to eyewitnesses, a woman with scales went ashore every evening for a few minutes. Some visitors did not believe the rumors, mistaking the fact for a hoax or a vacationing tourist.

But the beautiful woman had a green tail visible. When the creature noticed that they were looking at it, it instantly dived into the water, hiding in it. Previously, such a phenomenon had not been discovered in these areas.

The mermaid in ancient myths was always depicted in one image - a beautiful young girl with a scaly tail. This creature may have a pair of legs, and the tails are not only like those of fish, but also those of dolphins, and in some cases, snakes.

Mermaid takes away human life to continue your youth. For this purpose, she goes ashore, sings songs and waits for the victim. Most often observed near small rivers and lakes.

Russian folklore considers a girl to be an indispensable companion to a merman. Since 2012, Kiryat has become home to a large influx of tourists. A prize is offered to the person who brings at least a photo of proof of the appearance of a mermaid. But so far the beautiful maiden has not been caught on camera.

Over all this time, thousands of eyewitnesses of these wondrous creatures have been found. For example, a man fishing while in the ocean clearly heard strange sounds coming from the bottom.

People who were on deck at that moment noted that it was the singing of a mermaid. The girls sang so beautifully that three of the team tried to jump from the ship towards the voice.

Near the shores of Antarctica, several people in different time observed creatures vaguely similar to mermaids. The Japanese call a similar phenomenon with a fish tail “ningen”. But in this case, in Japanese waters there is a creature less human-like due to its extreme pallor. Their body is thinner and elongated, and their tail is elongated.

In Medieval times, a real merman was caught near the mysterious English castle of Orfold in Suffolk. The creature was immediately transferred to the royal museum, where it was provided with all the conditions for existence, but the merman soon escaped.

According to legends, the man did not say a word the entire time, and his only food was fish.

In Diveda, more than ten people simultaneously saw a beautiful girl swimming in the sea. At first she was mistaken for a strange tourist swimming during a thunderstorm, but then they noticed her tail protruding from behind her back. This incident is almost 200 years old, but everyone still knows about it.

Another case associated with the appearance of a mermaid can be considered in Zimbabwe about 15 years ago. The workers at the reservoir were forced to quit their jobs because of the mermaids inhabiting the reservoir; out of fear, the men no longer returned to the cursed place. This case gained popularity in the form of a report published in the local press.

The birth of mermaid children

Do not forget that every mythology was confirmed by real facts. There are different types of fetal mutation, for example, porphyria - real vampirism in humans. But there is also another, not fully studied, siren syndrome, which also contributed to superstitions about mermaids.

Siren syndrome (sirenomelia) is an abnormal embryonic development in which a child's legs become fused in the womb. After birth it has different type: limbs fuse completely along their entire length, or partially.

There are cases when a baby is born with one huge leg, which makes him look like a mermaid. If the operation is not performed in time and the fused limbs are not separated, the baby will die.

Adults who have siren syndrome, even after surgical intervention are not able to move, but they feel good and free in the water.

One of the symptoms of the disease is extreme drying of the skin, which causes discomfort and sometimes pain. Therefore, a person is forced to constantly moisturize his lower part.

It is noted that three times more women are born with this diagnosis than men. Scholars translate between legend and scientific explanation parallel. Perhaps one of the girls with siren syndrome was remotely on the shore, and when she saw other people, afraid of ridicule, she ran away.