There exist vampire, werewolves, witch, spirit, and mermaid, which have weaved a fascinating dreamlike world, in folklores, legends, and fairy tales. Obviously, mermaids that have human faces and tails of fish were a very significant part of the world of dreams thousands years ago, and still are today. From literatures, movies, television shows and arts, the culture world seem obsessed with mermaid, which has even become an element of human culture. Since its birth, mermaid has been created and transformed into many different styles: Assyria mermaid, British Isles mermaid, china mermaid, Greece mermaid, and Andersen’s mermaid. Three of the more popular styles are china mermaid, Greece mermaid, and Andersen’s mermaid.
One of the oldest kind of mermaid written down in Bo Wu Zhi was originated in china in 203 AD, named JiaoRen. JiaoRen, who have arresting beautiful face and soft tail of fish, lives in the South China Sea. When they cry, their tears turn into priceless pearls. They can weave a kind of miraculous fabric called xiao, which is as white as snow, as soft as skill, translucent, and waterproof. Because that, sometimes JiaoRen trades with the residents of land. The fascinating creatures are good at dancing and singing, their habitats are full of music, laughter, and light dancing forever. When they die, their eyes will become beautiful green stones and the rest of their bodies will become bubble. People of land like to capture JiaoRen and raise them as slaves, because their precious productions and their infirm physique.
Another ancient kind of mermaid is Greece mermaid, siren. In Greek mythology, sirens, who were the daughters of river god Achelous, look like mermaid. They were depicted as charming females, alluring sailors to lose their mind and to make ship wrecked with their captivating songs. After the ship sank, the pool sailors would be the delicious food of sirens. Today, their profiles always are transformed into modern mermaids in many films and novels, such as The Lord of The Ring and Harry Potter, who sing sweet songs and have beautiful face.
I think the most well-known mermaid is the little mermaid who was created by Hans Christian Andersen. The little mermaid lived in an underwater kingdom, her skin was as clear as rose-petal, and her eyes as blue as the deepest water. Like other kinds of mermaid, she had a tail of fish. Unlike JiaoRen and siren, she was longing for the world above the sea and owned the same emotions and feelings as human. She fell in love with a prince who lived in land. And she sacrificed her long life and beautiful voice for love and an eternal soul. In the end, even though the prince did not love her and got married with another princess, the little mermaid kept her virtue and love until she dissolved into foam in the sea. People have been deeply moved by the tragic and beautiful story, and the Andersen’s mermaid made an important influence on human conception about mermaid. The little mermaid has already been a chaste, lovely, and beautiful incarnation in the mind of most people. In Denmark, people built a statue for the little mermaid which has become an important symbol of the culture of Denmark.
The legend refer to mermaid appeared in the many different culture, the imaginations are coincidentally similar, but still have some subtle differences. I really don’t know if there exist mermaid in our real word, but I hope so. Normal life sometimes is boring, and this sorts of supernatural creatures let us step to a mysterious and wonderful world.