Shapeshifting is a popular theme in Native American legends—and among merfolk generally—and once the salmon reached their home at the bottom of the river, they changed into people. The boy magically came back to life. The salmon-people, he learned, ate human children who swam in the river—just as human beings caught and ate salmon from the river.

One day while fishing, the boy’s mother snagged her salmon-son on her hook and recognized him by his necklace. She laid the fish on the ground and soon the boy’s head poked out of the salmon’s mouth. Before long, the boy himself emerged from the fish, leaving its scaly skin behind. The boy then assumed the role of medicine man or shaman to his tribe and taught them the “way of the salmon.”

Late in life, the salmon-shaman caught a fish—but not just any fish, it was his own soul. When he killed the fish, he died as well. His tribesmen returned the old shaman’s body to the river, which symbolized the cycle of death and rebirth.

A Tale of a Twin-Tailed Merman

Legends often arise from real-life events, handed down through oral tradition from generation to generation. This colorful story tells of the Shawnee’s migration from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana to the Midwest—guided by a merman.

According to folklore, a strange and captivating creature appeared to the Eastern Shawnee, the likes of which they’d never seen before. The creature resembled a man, but with green hair and a slimy beard, and he sailed across the surface of a great lake astride the back of a huge fish. The man wore seashells around his neck. When the fish leapt from the water, the people could see the peculiar man’s lower body—where his legs should have been they saw two fish-like appendages instead!

In a tantalizing voice, the merman sang of a lush and lovely land beyond the sea, tempting the Shawnee with promises of a better life. So mesmerized were the people that they ceased their usual activities and sat on the shore, listening to the merman. At first they hesitated to follow him, but the charming creature reminded them of the harsh winters and dangers they faced in their present home. He sang sweetly of a warmer land where deer and buffalo proliferated, and eventually convinced them.

The Shawnee climbed into their boats and paddled for two moons, guided by the merman. Finally they reached their new home, a beautiful place with fertile earth and abundant game. The merman bid them farewell, and the people thrived—just as the strange man-fish guide had promised.

Sedna, the Sea Goddess

To the Inuit, Sedna is the most powerful of deities, the sea goddess whose sacrifice brought abundant food to her people. But before Sedna became a goddess she was a beautiful young Inuit woman whom many men fancied. She refused them all and instead married a trickster seabird who promised her a wonderful life on an island. Soon, Sedna discovered that life on the island was nothing like her husband had described—in fact, it was dreadful.

So Sedna’s father rowed his boat to the island, where he killed her lying bird-husband and rescued Sedna. On the way back, however, the bird’s friends summoned a great storm that threatened to drown father and daughter. Terrified, Sedna’s father threw his daughter overboard. When she tried to hold onto the side of the boat, he chopped off her fingers. Sedna sank beneath the water, where she metamorphosed into a sea goddess with the upper body and head of a woman and the tail or a whale or fish. Her fingers became the fish, seals, and whales that make up the Inuit’s diet.

It’s said that so long as the Inuit people pay respect to Sedna and honor her with festivals and offerings, she will continue to provide for them. If they disobey or neglect her, however, she’ll show her anger by causing terrible storms that make fishing impossible, depriving the people of food.

UPDATING SEDNA’S IMAGE

Sedna usually appears as a typical mermaid today. But it’s possible that whalers brought that image with them, carved as figureheads on their ships when they came to the Arctic regions. Earlier Inuit folktales described Sedna as a human woman, rather than a hybrid being.

HOW TO WIN SEDNA’S FAVOR

Legend says that an Inuit shaman who wants Sedna to bless his people can play the role of divine beautician to the sea goddess. He must swim to the bottom of the ocean with a comb in hand. Once there, his job is to comb her long hair and braid it. It seems that Sedna, like most mermaids, enjoys being pampered.

The Mermaid of Gocta Cataracts

Peru’s Gocta Cataracts, one of the world’s tallest waterfalls, drops 2,531 feet into a beautiful dark pool where local legend says a wish-granting mermaid lives. Until recently, few outsiders even knew this majestic falls existed, but according to local legend, a poor fisherman named Gregorio who once lived near the remote waterfall befriended the mermaid there and often spoke with her.

One day the mermaid offered to grant a wish for Gregorio—he could have anything he wanted. The modest fisherman asked only for a good day of fishing. The lovely mermaid fulfilled her promise and gave him a huge bag of fish to take home. That night his wife began cleaning the fish—and discovered a gold ring among them. Quickly she pocketed the ring, without mentioning it to Gregorio.

When Gregorio visited the mermaid again, the same thing happened. Once more, the fisherman wished only for a good catch and the mermaid granted his wish. This time, Gregorio’s wife found a gold bracelet in the bag with the fish, and hid it from her husband.

Afraid that Gregorio had stolen the jewelry, his wife followed him to Gocta Cataracts the next day. There, at the bottom of the falls, she saw her husband talking with a most unusual woman. Her upper body was silver and below the waist she wore a fishtail of glimmering gold. When the mermaid spotted Gregorio’s wife, she grabbed the fisherman and dove into the pool, taking him with her. The wife ran to the water’s edge, but Gregorio had disappeared entirely, never to return.

Lasirèn, the Vodou Mermaid

“The mermaid, the whale,

My hat falls into the sea.

I caress the mermaid,

My hat falls into the sea.

I lie down with the mermaid,

My hat falls into the sea.”

—Haitian Vodou chant

When African slaves came to the Caribbean islands, the mermaid Lasirèn swam across the ocean with them. Related to the African deities Mami Wata and Yemaya (see Chapter 8), this gorgeous sea creature is revered in the Vodou tradition of Haiti and New Orleans. Magical and mysterious, she’s a composite of dark and light, a symbol of the union of opposites—as such, she may appear either with light or dark skin, fair or black hair. Sometimes artists depict her as a beautiful mulatto woman with green eyes and straight black hair—an enchanting blend of the black and white races.

Legend says that if you see Lasirèn, you’re about to receive a profound and sudden insight, one that might even change your life. That’s the meaning of the line “My hat falls into the sea” in the chant above, for the sea represents intuition and the unconscious. Like mermaids everywhere, Lasirèn carries a mirror and comb, but her mirror is more than an object of vanity. Symbolically, it represents a portal between the conscious and unconscious worlds, urging us to look within as well as without in order to “see” ourselves more clearly.

Like other mermaids, Lasirèn likes to grab humans and take them to her underwater home—a luxurious palace decked out with treasure from sunken ships. But unlike most mermaids, she prefers to capture women. Some drown, but those who return have learned from Lasirèn how to heal and see into the future.

THREE FACES OF THE FEMININE

In Haitian mythology, Lasirèn had two sisters, Danto and Freda. Together the three represent three faces of the feminine: mother, lover, and goddess. Lasirèn’s sister Danto symbolized the mother, the cool, calm female who’s responsible and in control. Sister Freda signifies the lover—sexy, passionate, and temperamental. Lasirèn depicts the goddess, the mystical, spiritual aspect of a woman.

Celebrating Lasirèn

If you’re looking for prosperity, love, health, or good luck, you may want to petition the lovely Lasirèn, the mermaid-goddess of the Haitian people. To gain her favor, Vodou’s followers fill small boats with offerings to Lasirèn and set them afloat—she especially likes jewelry, flowers, wine, doves, perfume, combs, and mirrors. Some say Lasirèn’s spirit enters the bodies of women and brings them good fortune in all areas of life, especially in love.

The Haitians also hold elaborate processions in Lasirèn’s honor. Male celebrants carry a seductive woman, who represents the mermaid, through the streets—for of course, she can’t walk with that glistening green tail instead of legs—while the adoring crowds sing, chant, and cheer to her. In addition to her mermaid garb, the lady wears sparkling baubles and beads to symbolize the riches she can bestow on those who believe in her. Naturally, she combs her luxurious long hair while gazing into her mirror. Sometimes she blows a trumpet—another of Lasirèn’s symbols—or a conch shell, like the Greek merman Triton. To keep this sea-goddess comfortable while she’s on land, her followers bathe her with water along the route.

Exquisite banners, tapestries, and flags are a colorful part of Lasirèn ceremonies. Each handmade satin banner features the image of a saint or iwa, created from sequins and sparkling beads—as many as 10,000 on a single banner. Vodou’s followers carry the banners at the head of processions and hang the sacred flags from churches where the deities will be sure to see them.

Summer Spectacle

Festive, funky, and lots of fun, the Mermaid Parade on Coney Island is New York’s answer to Mardi Gras and Carnival. Begun in 1983 to “pay homage to Coney Island’s forgotten Mardi Gras,” the parade’s founders say it “celebrates the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and mythology of Coney Island.” It’s also the perfect opportunity to play mermaid for a day—or to ogle the throngs of scantily clad females decked out in shells, sequins, fishtails, and body paint.

The wonderfully whacky celebration, billed by Coney Island as “the nation’s largest art parade and one of New York City’s greatest events,” welcomes in summer on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice. Marching bands, crazy floats, hot air balloons, and mermaids of every imaginable type parade down Surf Avenue in a vibrant display of creative self-expression. Each year two celebrities preside over the spectacle as Queen Mermaid and King Neptune. In the past, Queen Latifah, Lou Reed, David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, and Harvey Keitel have filled the fishtails of the royal couple. The nonprofit event draws thousands of participants who vie for prizes and hundreds of thousands of onlookers each year.

A zany ball follows the parade, where mermaids, mermen, and sea creatures mingle with mere mortals to eat, drink, and make merry. The party includes burlesque and circus acts featuring live “mermaids” cavorting with aquatic animals, along with music, dancing, and revelry to rival San Francisco’s Castro Street Fair. For photos and information visit www.coneyisland.com.

Siren Sightings

Oregon writer D. J. Conway is certain she saw a real mermaid. In Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures she writes, “I have seen only one mermaid personally, and because I had binoculars there was no doubt what the being was. Clearly I saw the long pale flash of arms and head as the mermaid leaped and played in the waves. Each time she went beneath the water, her iridescent fish tail was very visible. In her last dive, she smacked the ocean with her tail as if laughing at my astonishment.”

Making a Splash

Las Vegas may seem like an odd place to find mermaids, considering the glitzy gambling capital is a long way from the ocean. But on the weekend of August 12–13, 2011, hundreds of mermaids and mermen showed up for the first Mermaid Convention and World Mermaid Awards or “MerCon” at the city’s Silverton Hotel and Casino. Glamorous mermaids of all ages from around the globe competed in a variety of categories, dressed in shell-bras and slinky, sparkly tails. Obviously mermaids can’t walk, so each contestant was carried onto the stage. Mermen and even merchildren participated for awards. Juliana Tucker, who performs at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, won the coveted title of Miss International Mermaid.

A huge pool party followed, at which famous professional mermaid Hannah, a.k.a. “Hannah Mermaid” (who makes a living swimming with sharks and whales) performed her underwater acrobatics—diving, twirling, and doing all sorts of graceful mermaid moves. Sita Lange of the Maui Mermaids organized the wild and whacky charitable event to raise money for Purity of Water, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cleaning up and protecting the waters of the world.

Guest judge Carolyn Turgeon, author of the novel Mermaid, deemed the weekend-long affair—complete with fire-spinning mermaids, hula girls, and belly dancers—“beautiful and ridiculous, which all the best things are, especially when you’re in Las Vegas.” To see footage of the event, visit the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s website at www.lvrj.com.

“[H]e would come up with mermaid scales still sticking to him, and yet not be able to say for certain what had been happening. It was really rather irritating to children who had never seen a mermaid.”

—J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan

A SHAWL FOR COLD MERMAIDS

Do mermaids, nude to the waist and exposed to the elements, ever get chilly? If so, artist/author Kathleen Valentine has designed the perfect cover-up for these half-naked ladies: the “mermaid shawl.” A gorgeous, lacy wrap with a shell-like motif knitted in the soft hues of the sea, it wraps mermaids or human females in luxury, from their graceful shoulders down to their pretty round bottoms. Valentine’s popular book, The Mermaid Shawl & Other Beauties, provides patterns and instructions to help knitters create their own works of art.

Under the Sea

Disney had a thing for mermaids long before the hit animated film The Little Mermaid captured the hearts of moviegoers. In the summer of 1959, Disneyland introduced an attraction called Submarine Voyage, which featured eight live mermaids doing a water ballet in the park’s lagoon. Visitors climbed into mini-submarines, designed to resemble World War II nuclear subs that held thirty-two people, and slowly navigated the lagoon. Through the submarines’ porthole windows they could watch the lovely waving mermaids swim past, accompanied by colorful fish.

In 1965, the mermaids returned to celebrate Disneyland’s tenth anniversary. The aquatic beauties were such a hit with visitors that Submarine Voyage decided to invite them back the following summer. But in 1998, the ride made its last voyage and closed down.

Now, mermaid fans can again visit a magical underwater kingdom and cavort with sea creatures at Disneyland’s new Little Mermaid ride, which opened in June 2011. The old submarines have been replaced with clamshell-shaped boats that take visitors to mermaid Ariel’s colorful grotto. Spectacular special effects, music, and familiar characters from the movie greet guests and tell Ariel’s story. When the teenage mermaid leaves her home at the bottom of the sea to begin her adventure on land, human visitors “ascend” with her—back to the real world. Finny fun for mermaids of all ages.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR A MERMAID

Aspiring mermaids for the original Disneyland Submarine Voyage had to stand between 5 feet 4 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall, have long hair, and be able to swim well. It goes without saying that they had to be pretty, too. The mermaids swam, sunbathed, and waved to visitors for four hours a day. Except for the problem of getting green hair from the lagoon’s water, ex-mermaid Shannon Baughmann called it a fin-tastic “dream job.”