Stories about mermaids have been around since time immemorial. I would like to know what is the earliest confirmed evidence about the origins of the mythological creature called mermaids?
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3 Answers
Among the earliest known mermaid myths is that of the Assyrian goddess Atargatis, also called Ataratheh or Derceto. She fell in love with a shepherd, accidentally killed him, and ashamed of what she had done she jumped into a lake. But the water could not conceal her divine beauty, and while she became a fish below the waist she became a woman above it.
She predates the Greek Nereids, Tritons and Sirens, and also Thessalonike, Alexander the Great's sister.
She is said to have originated around 1000 BC, but the earliest representation of her that I have found a reference to is on coinage in Hierapolis in the 4th century BC, and the earliest I have found showing her as part fish and part woman is on a coin from as late as the 1st century BC.
The preCeltic peoples of Ireland & Scotland, especially those on the surrounding islands regarded selkies as simple people who preferred to live in the water.
The Kunapippi Sisters who created the Dreamtime landscape of Australia emerged from the sea according to Aboriginal tales at least tens of thousand years old.
Shades of Elaine Morgan's opus, the Aquatic Ape!
I want to say "the sirenes" who would call sailors to their shore only to cause their ships to be wrecked.
answered May 21, 2016 at 19:55
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This does not provide an answer to the question. Once you have sufficient reputation you will be able to comment on any post; instead, provide answers that don't require clarification from the asker. - From Review– blehMay 22, 2016 at 3:27
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4@bleh Actually, this does provide an answer to the question ("the sirenes"). It may not be a stellar answer, but it's an answer nonetheless.– yannis ♦May 23, 2016 at 9:32