Marina's Magical
Mermaid Myths Introduction~Amy Copeland~
Hello,
human! My name is Marina and I am a
genuine mermaid. I remember the first time I met one of your
kind. He fell off of a ferry and I saved him. He must have
been pretty surprised because he turned white as a ghost, pinched
himself, and kept repeating, "I must be delusional; mermaidsaren't real!" Finally, I was able to convince him that I did in fact exist.
Well, after the initial shock wore off, he and I became great friends. He explained to me that most humans think mermaids are just myths.
From that moment, I resolved to inform as many people as I could about mermaids. That is what I am doing now. After all, mermaids used to believe that humans were just legends. Now we know the truth about your people and you should learn the truth about ours.
Some people try to explain mermaid sightings by rationalizing that people actually saw manatees and imagined that they were mermaids. I have many manatee friends, and I don't mean them any offense, but I do not look like a sea cow.
You are probably wondering about the origin of mermaids. Just like humans, mermaids have many tales about creation that vary from culture to culture. Mermaid historians tell us that mermaids exited as early as 250,000 B.C., your time. The Babylonians believed that a merman god Ea taught arts and sciences to the humans. The Greeks worshipped the merman god King Poseidon and his son Triton. In ancient India, the fishermen praised holy mermaids who played the flute. In old Scandinavia, people feared mermaids because of their terrible tempers.
In reality, mermaids' personalities are as varied as humans'. They can be evil, kind, mischievous, funny, playful, and so on. Also, much like humans, we receive proper educations. You've probably heard of schools of fish. At school I learned the histories of many famous mermaids and mermen. I think humans have heard many of these stories, but they have been misinterpreted as fairy-tales rather than biographies. I would like to share some of them with you.
So, if you dare, submerge yourself in these stories of the deep. Explore the mysteries of the beings that are half human and half fish. Discover for yourself whether mermaids are real or just fantasies. Hold your breath and dive in...
Image information: Photograph of Marina at Stratford Medevial Faire |
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