Sunday, September 5, 2010

Mermaids

The mermaid is often confused with the selkie (a magician who can change into the form of a seal by donning a magical skin) and a siren (a water being who lures sailors into rocks with its voice). According to the Dictionary of Mythology by J. A. Coleman (Arcturus Publishing, 2007), a mermaid is:


mermaid

a monster, part woman, part fish

These beings are said to sit on rocks, combing their long hair, and lure sailors to their death. In some versions, they are said to be able to grant three wishes. Some say that they cannot survive on land while others say that some of them married mortals and lived ashore. 

In early versions, mermaids had many birdlike features, including wings.

In Irish lore they are regarded as pagans banished by St. Patrick. Some Greek stories say that the burning timbers of Trojan ships turned into mermaids.


merman

a monster, part man, part fish

the male version of a mermaid.



Generally, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and torso of a human but the tail of a fish. 


Resources:

-The Wikipedia page

-Mermaid Folklore and Mythology

-Mermaids in Mythology and Literature

-The Natural History of Norway, Vol. 2 by Erich Pontoppidan


My favourite paranormal romance books about mermaids include: Sleeping with the Fishes (The Mermaid series, book 1), Swimming Without a Net (The Mermaid series, book 2) and Fish Out of Water (The Mermaid series, book 3) by MaryJanice Davidson


And, of course, my guest coming later on this week, Vivian Arend!


What are your favourite paranormal romances featuring mermaids?


Clara.

5 comments:

  1. I agree with this blog full hardly. When my Mermaid Series and the Selkie Series am working on comes out I think it will help people understand them better when they both end up going head to head in a war started by the Norse Gods.

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  2. Thank you, I will keep you posted about what is happening with it. I like your blog keep up your hard work. x

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  3. Nice to know that there are doing that to our food. I guess anything you eat the skin, buy organic or pesticide free, anything you peel than it is not necessary.

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