by Amy Copeland
Hey guys, it's me, Marina, again. This is a really cool
story. It sheds some insight into another
mermaid culture and race. It also demonstrates the diversity of
mermaids’ personalities. Not everyone is as sweet as me.
Furthermore, it shows how you humans obtain stories about us
mermaids. I think you will like this one.
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Just off the coast of Africa, there lived a beautiful, dark-skinned mermaid named Nadia. She was very mischievous and liked to capture men off of the big ships that sailed in the Atlantic Ocean. Whenever she heard the sailors utter a name, she declared “Give it to me, or I’ll sink you in the sea.” If her demand was not answered, then she would capsize the ship.
The captain of one of the ships was very clever. He did not want to lose any of his sailors, so he referred to them all by object names. The captain shouted out things like, “Barrel, raise up the sails.” Then Nadia yelled, “Give barrel to me, or I’ll sink you in the sea.” So, the sailors tossed a barrel overboard, and the man remained safe. The captain hollered, “Chair, swab the deck.” Nadia chanted, “Give chair to me, or I’ll sink you in the sea.” So, a chair was pitched into the water. The captain commanded, “Net, go stand watch in the crow’s nest.” Nadia shrieked, “Give net to me, or I’ll sink you in the sea.” The men threw a net over the ship’s side, entangling Nadia. Nadia escaped and her determination to steal a man was greater than ever before.
One day, the captain slipped up and ordered, “Kajombo, take the wheel.” Nadia screamed, “Give Kajombo to me, or I’ll sink you in the sea.” The sailors had no choice but to do as she said. As soon as he touched the water, Nadia’s long red dreadlocks swirled around him, encapsulating him in an air-filled bubble. She swam as fast as her fin would allow to the shore of Africa. Coming to the bank, she entered a tunnel, far below the water’s surface, and swam upwards. When she reached sea level, the tunnel opened up into an air filled chamber. Nadia released Kajombo from her long tresses.
Evaluating his surroundings, Kajombo stood speechless. Nadia’s home was filled with the treasures that she had stolen from the ship. However, most of the items were not being utilized correctly. For instance, Nadia wore a cooking pot on her head and used a toothbrush to clean her ears. Nadia entreated Kajombo to marry her. Seeing no favorable alternative, he agreed. While they lived together, Kajombo showed Nadia how to utilize the objects properly, and Nadia taught Kajombo useful things, too.
This continued until Kajombo met Nadia’s sister, Hadiya. Hadiya fell madly in love with Kajombo, as well. Since she could not have him, she didn’t want her sister to have him either. So, Hadiya wrapped Kajombo up in her long orange hair and swam rapidly to the ocean’s surface. She returned him to the same ship from which he had been stolen six years prior. The sailors were overjoyed at his return and listened intently as Kajombo recounted his tales about the mermaids.
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Author’s note: This story is based on an African-American tale. The largest change that I made was moving the setting from an American shore to the coast of Africa. I thought that this provided more diversity to my stories. I changed the sailor’s name from Sam to a traditional African name. In the original story, the mermaid’s name was never given; however, I decided to name her. Furthermore, I added some details about the mermaid’s home. Likewise, I omitted some details about the sailor recounting the tale to his friends. In the original story, the second mermaid was not the first mermaid’s sister. Additionally, in the original version, the sailor has many affairs with other mermaids. I chose to include this story because it provides one idea about how mermaid tales originated and spread among humans.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Just off the coast of Africa, there lived a beautiful, dark-skinned mermaid named Nadia. She was very mischievous and liked to capture men off of the big ships that sailed in the Atlantic Ocean. Whenever she heard the sailors utter a name, she declared “Give it to me, or I’ll sink you in the sea.” If her demand was not answered, then she would capsize the ship.
The captain of one of the ships was very clever. He did not want to lose any of his sailors, so he referred to them all by object names. The captain shouted out things like, “Barrel, raise up the sails.” Then Nadia yelled, “Give barrel to me, or I’ll sink you in the sea.” So, the sailors tossed a barrel overboard, and the man remained safe. The captain hollered, “Chair, swab the deck.” Nadia chanted, “Give chair to me, or I’ll sink you in the sea.” So, a chair was pitched into the water. The captain commanded, “Net, go stand watch in the crow’s nest.” Nadia shrieked, “Give net to me, or I’ll sink you in the sea.” The men threw a net over the ship’s side, entangling Nadia. Nadia escaped and her determination to steal a man was greater than ever before.
One day, the captain slipped up and ordered, “Kajombo, take the wheel.” Nadia screamed, “Give Kajombo to me, or I’ll sink you in the sea.” The sailors had no choice but to do as she said. As soon as he touched the water, Nadia’s long red dreadlocks swirled around him, encapsulating him in an air-filled bubble. She swam as fast as her fin would allow to the shore of Africa. Coming to the bank, she entered a tunnel, far below the water’s surface, and swam upwards. When she reached sea level, the tunnel opened up into an air filled chamber. Nadia released Kajombo from her long tresses.
Evaluating his surroundings, Kajombo stood speechless. Nadia’s home was filled with the treasures that she had stolen from the ship. However, most of the items were not being utilized correctly. For instance, Nadia wore a cooking pot on her head and used a toothbrush to clean her ears. Nadia entreated Kajombo to marry her. Seeing no favorable alternative, he agreed. While they lived together, Kajombo showed Nadia how to utilize the objects properly, and Nadia taught Kajombo useful things, too.
This continued until Kajombo met Nadia’s sister, Hadiya. Hadiya fell madly in love with Kajombo, as well. Since she could not have him, she didn’t want her sister to have him either. So, Hadiya wrapped Kajombo up in her long orange hair and swam rapidly to the ocean’s surface. She returned him to the same ship from which he had been stolen six years prior. The sailors were overjoyed at his return and listened intently as Kajombo recounted his tales about the mermaids.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author’s note: This story is based on an African-American tale. The largest change that I made was moving the setting from an American shore to the coast of Africa. I thought that this provided more diversity to my stories. I changed the sailor’s name from Sam to a traditional African name. In the original story, the mermaid’s name was never given; however, I decided to name her. Furthermore, I added some details about the mermaid’s home. Likewise, I omitted some details about the sailor recounting the tale to his friends. In the original story, the second mermaid was not the first mermaid’s sister. Additionally, in the original version, the sailor has many affairs with other mermaids. I chose to include this story because it provides one idea about how mermaid tales originated and spread among humans.
Bibliography Story Title: Sam and the Mermaid Book Title: Folktales Told Around the World Author: R. M. Dorson Year Published: 1975 Story Link Image Information: "Kim's African Mermaid" by Kimberly Platt and Sarah Skinner. Image Link |
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