10 Strange Folklore Myths You Won't Believe

8. Mermaids

The term mermaid is a compound of old English words where 'mere' refers to the sea and 'maid' is a traditional word for a young woman. They are often depicted as being human from the waist up with the tail of a fish, and they're always described as unnaturally beautiful. Whilst there are stories of mermaids being both maleficent and beneficent, they are predominantly seen as benevolent as they are blamed for shipwrecks, drownings, storms and floods. Mermaids and sirens are often associated with one another and mermaids are usually mistaken for being a siren as they are believed to lure sailors to their death by calling out to them or singing, making the men fall into a trance like state. Mermaids are also thought to have previously been human who were in love with a sailor who died at sea and their mourning turned them into the mythical creature who would weep and wail for their former lover. The first origin story of the mermaid is a result of a woman who unitentionally killed her lover and ashamed with what she had done, turned to the sea and took on the form of a fish.