Betsy Tuitavuki

Professor Stephenson

ENGL 2710

11 November 2020

Merfolk & Mermaids

When one hears or mentions mermaids, an initial thought is often of Disney’s ​The

Little Mermaid ​or even the Hans Christensen original. As a child, upon watching the Disney

movie, mermaids became my favorite mythical being. And it continues to be, thus it being the

focus of this paper. While the movie was created in 1989, the folklore of mermaids dates way

back, all the way to 200 B.C. The first recorded story is of the sea god Oannes, who had the

body of a fish, and though he sported a fish head, his human head was underneath, his feet

conjoined with a tail (Mighetto). Many communities have adapted and intertwined the

mermaid, merfolk as a whole, into their culture and folklore. Therefore, the lore that will be

discussed comes from various cultures while still connecting to each other in one way or

another.

Starting with a less detailed and known mer-creature, the Marakihau of New Zealand

mythology is more devious than most. Told orally and presented in wooden carvings done by

the Indigenous Maori people, the Marakihau are essentially seen as a sea monster (Oslyn).

With the head of a human and body of an ugly fish, the creature is known to wreak havoc to

the humans on land. From eating excessive amounts of fish, leaving none for the humans, to

demolishing canoes and boats, it is seen as the guardian of the sea (Finklea). We can assume

that when boats are destroyed or there being a lack of fish, the Marakihau is to blame. While

not much was found while I researched, I think this story is meant to be more fun than
meaningful. I thought I’d find a good amount of sources/stories since New Zealand is by the

pacific ocean, but they were scarce.

In Africa, the Mami Wata (mother water) is a known and celebrated water spirit.

She’s described as very beautiful but alluring. Mainly portrayed as having a woman body

waist up, and her lower body a fishtail (Drewal). As a kind of origin story, though the author

of the article noted that the water spirit had originated farther back, Mami Wata came about

when a Portuguese explorer asked an african sculptor to carve a mermaid for him. The

explorer handed him a model from the European stories to use as a reference. The sculptor

took note of this but had “‘africanized’” (Dewal) it, including two crodilies who were known

to be water spirits in Sapi culture.

When slavery ensued- forcing millions to be separated from their homeland, they

brought the belief of Mami Wata. Soon, she’d appear through other communities in the

Americas, Brazil and Dominican Republic among others. Her

roles vary, as some look to her for good fortune while others

sought her for help in fertility (Dewal). In some stories, Mami

Wata is a shapeshifter, specifically turning into a snake

charmer. With the Igbo people, diviners and priests use her

powers to help someone with a physical or mental illness. Her

lore alters in different tribes and cultures, even specific parts of

her. Among the Sherbro people, Mami Wata’s thick hair

symbolizes her beauty and healthiness (Dewal). The people even change their looks to appear

like her, weaving black cotton into their own hair to get it as thick as hers (Dewal). And this

attribute has a different representation among the Mende people who see her thick hair as

“organic growth and fertility” (Dewal).

on how someone saw her. In the 20th century, while parts of Africa had gotten colonized,

Mami Wata’s snake charmer persona grew popular, appearing in paintings and arts. During

the 1970’s, some worshippers had even said she looked like a christian saint and remodeled

her in that way. Years later, she was used as a target to “denigrate and demonize indigenous

African faiths” (Dewal). They had symbolized her as an icon of sin and immortality.

I think Mami Wata’s significance comes from her importance in African culture.

Many diverse african cultures emphasized the significance and power of water. Not just as a

nourishment for physical survival, but used spiritually and artistically. She’s taken shape in

many artistic forms, capitalized but most importantly used as a way of expression for artists,

as a muse (Dewal). With the terrible events of slavery, many enslaved worshipped her for

comfort and strength. She is not just a one-dimension idol, she is complex and real in many

ways to those who devote themselves to her.

An enticing mermaid comes from Japan, called the Ningyo. Seen as the opposite of

the Western view of mermaids, a Ningyo is known to be very unsightly, typically the upper

half being of a monkey and the lower half of a fish (dhwty). However, there are a few

accounts that have stated that the Ningyo can vary in

appearance. One folktale speaks of the mermaid visiting Prince

Shotoku, telling him about it being punished for entering

forbidden waters, thus turning into what it is now. The ningyo

wanted to atone and asked that the prince build a temple, now

known as the Tenshou-Kyousha Shrine, so that he can show the

Ningyo’s remains to exemplify the “sacredness of life”

(Yasuka). Today, those remains are left in there, and cared for

by families who live nearby.

your life for granted, and specific to this story- don’t break important rules. If we analyze the

meaning of the story, keeping in mind how a Ningyo looks, we can connect the idea that if

you don’t follow the rules, you can become uglier. Not necessarily on the outside, but on the

inside too. And we can even consider the moral that what you choose to do always has

consequences.

My favorite lore of mermaids, or more in this case merfolk, are the Selkies. Prevalent

in Irish folklore, this type of sea creature is part human and seal. When seen in the water

they’re in their seal form, then when on land, Selkies shed their skin and become their human

form (Leprechaun). While there are Selkie men, most stories focus around Selkie women

who, upon getting their seal skin stolen by a man, are obligated to

live with him. Though being known as loving wives, most Selkie

women yearn to return home to the sea. And this is reiterated in

stories. However, there are versions where the Selkie woman

finds her skin and goes back to the sea (Leprechaun). What is

most fascinating is that many clans in Scotland and Western

Ireland claim to be descendents of seal-folk(Waugh). From the

film ​Fairy Faith ​that we watched a few modules ago, scholar

John MacInnes and his granddaughter tell the story of their ancestor who was half seal, half

human (Walker).

Another Irish folklore figure is the Merrow. The women usually have sea-green

colored hair, webbed fingers and flat feet (Leprechaun). The Merrow men however, are said

to look more grotesque; with pig-like faces and long, sharp green teeth. One article described

them as so hideous that “mermaids refuse to take them as a mate, despite their genetic

compatibility” (“MERROW- SEDUCERS OF THE IRISH SEAS”). A distinct feature of the

returning home to the water (Leprechaun), while others describe it as being magical, and the

only way they can swim underwater ​(“Scottish & Irish Mermaids: Merrows, Selkies, the

Water Kelpie & More”)​. Either way, the Merrow have shown up in first hand experiences

and even explained the changing color of Killone lake in Killone Abbey in Ireland

(leprechaun).

I noticed a fair amount of North American Indian mermaid folklore. Similar to the

European mermaids, the Sabawaelnu, specifically

originating from the Mi'kmaq tribe, have upper human

torsos and fish tails as their lower body. They can

control storms and only harm those who don’t respect

them ​(“Sabawaelnu, the Halfway People”)​. Known for

being joyful beings, Sabawaelnus will grant luck to

those people who do respect them. Also being lovers

of singing, the Mi'kmaq people learn and interpret their songs which helps them to predict the

weather ​(“Sabawaelnu, the Halfway People”).

Another, that has become my favorite comes from a light-skinned tribe that had

vanished in Louisiana. The tribe had worshipped a mermaid statue in their temple near the

Pascagoula river. In 1539, a Christian priest had stayed with them. He tried to convince them

to convert to Christianity, and soon they had succumbed. Then one night, the river turned into

a gigantic wave, towering over the tribe’s homes. Atop the wave was the mermaid goddess,

angry as she sang

Come to me, come to me, children of the sea

Neither bell, nook nor cross shall send ye from your Queen
 The people were so enamored with her presence, they dived in after her, vanishing.

The priest supposedly died from grief, claiming the tribe were overcome with darkness,

referring to the mermaid (Waugh).

It’s amazing that some tribes incorporate their lore of mermaids into their lives, and I

specifically am thinking of the Mi'kmaq tribe who celebrate the Sabawaelnus through their

own songs. I noticed while researching that some tribes even integrated their mermaid figures

onto their tribe symbols. I think the second folktale speaks on the sacredness of mermaids and

its worship. This tale could be used as a warning to not steer away, and to respect their

mermaid goddesses even as other forces try to convince them otherwise.

The lore of merfolk span across many cultures and countries, each with their own

interpretations and history. The most noticeable similarities that connect all mermaid lore is

that the figures originate from the sea, and are part human. The creatures are also magical

beings, some possess powers that can bring harm or deliver humans from harm, while the

ability to transform is what makes them magical. A more subtle similarity is that people can

view mer-creatures in a negative or positive light. This can also include that with these

folklore figures, controversy arises with them. Whether it’s with the figure themselves, or the

context with which they appear, they are judged and can be interpreted/viewed in a bad or

good light.

Basic Selkie stories usually end with the Selkie women finding her seal skin and

leaving her family to return to the sea. ​A paper by John Stephens analyzed the traditional and

reformed take on Selkie folk tales. He pointed out that the basic outline is told from the male

perspective, while the ending emphasizes the women being “self-oriented and

inconsiderate”(​Stephens), even though she was pretty much forced to marry him and kept

prisoner. I think it’s an interesting take, and probably easier to see if exposed to more revised

stories, or having grown up listening to and knowing them. I think in some way the story
signifies the control that men feel they have over women, even ones that aren’t their own

species. It makes sense, especially thinking of the story as the Selkie woman losing her

identity (it being through her seal skin) and being forced to conform, and be submissive.

In regards to Mami Wata, Henry Drewal opened an exhibition for the water goddess.

Deborah Stokes wrote an article about her experience going through the exhibition. She

firstly noted how gendered it all was, stating it was “devoted to the femme fatal at the center

of a vibrant ritual- a script for the male gaze.” Mami Wata’s alter persona as a snake charmer

also played into how people, mostly men, labeled her as this seductress. Stokes mentions that

she was “created in cultures with male-dominant ideologies,” pointing out that she “is a case

study in aroused anxieties and fears about the female body.” Many portraits showcased her as

nude, and when Stokes had interviewed visitors, the thoughts were divided by gender.

Women liked, looked at the portraits that exuded an empowered Mami Wata, while men only

looked at the breasts (Stokes). I think the way that men viewed and pictured her, are the very

ways that people made to go against her and to create this idea that she is from the devil. Her

sensuality, and mystical powers were viewed as sinful thus her being the representation for

impurity and lust.

While not all merfolk discussed were seen as beautiful and tempting, most were. They

were seen as seductresses to men. And I think it’s important to keep in mind that most, or

rather the main focus of many folktales were of women. Sure there are mermen and selkie

men and whatnot, but they aren’t the images that most people want to see, or care to see I

feel. Just the Mami Wata, Selkie, and Merrow I discussed are seen, for the most part, as

beautiful and dangerous. And what I feel is crucial to point out is that being both is not an

uncommon thing when we look at women mystical beings. I feel there’s this huge fascination

with women that mainly men have where they have to be, or are usually a seductive
enchantress-type of being. And those very reasons are used for men, who don’t like their ​type

as a way to be an anti.

I was surprised to see that some cultures have mermaids that aren’t so beautiful but

more scary and threatening. Mermaids like the Marakihau and Ningyo are described as

monstrous and ugly. They bring more calamity to humans than good. Another difference I

noticed was how some folktales were very detailed, and had a lot of sources and stories,

while others had barely any information. I was disappointed that the Marakihau, and

Polyneisan mermaid folklore as a whole, had barely any accounts made. Polyneisan folklore

is more oral than anything but Nonetheless, it reminds me of how there are some cultures

who haven’t spread any of their lore, let alone mermaid if any, except through their folk

groups. So I’m just thankful for the folk groups who are willing to share their beliefs in

mermaids and mer-creatures.

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