9 Mermaid Myths From Around The World

This Brazilian mermaid came from the Amazon. Her story states that she was the daughter of a spiritual leader of an Amazonian tribe. She became the fiercest warrior of the tribe and everyone loved her for her kindness and beauty. However, this made her two brothers so jealous that one night they tried to kill her in her sleep. Being the badass she was, she woke up and killed them both immediately. Although it was self-defense, her father was so angry he had her drowned in a river. The fish there took a liking to her and turned her bottom half into a fish-tail, and she has lived there ever since.

Tales say that if men see her or hear her sing, they are so overcome by her beauty they become entranced. If they escape they go insane. If they can't get away, some say she kills and sometimes eats them. Others say they join her underwater for all eternity, but that they are treated well.

The story is believed to have come from a mix of myths that arose around river snakes and the Ipupiara, a large, mythical river monster. However, it was probably highly influenced by European stories, resulting in the common fishtail with a female upper body.