The Legend Lives On
Mermaids made their way into pop culture when Hans Christian Anderson wrote The Little Mermaid in 1836. The story written by Hans Christian Anderson is about a young mermaid who wanted to live on land with the prince whom she loved. In the end of the story, the young mermaid is rejected by the prince and jumps into the sea with the intent of killing herself but becomes a spirit instead (Anderson). Not many people are familiar with Anderson's rendition because Walt Disney altered the story to have Ariel, the young mermaid, live happily ever after with the prince on land. The Little Mermaid changed the image of mermaids from deceiving creatures to young beautiful creatures that had the ability to thrive on land.
The legend of mermaids has been kept alive through multiple claims of sightings and catch and releases over time. Christopher Columbus and Blackbeard The Pirate made claims of seeing mermaids while they were out at sea, but after further investigation, the sightings were of sea creatures at a distance (Answers). Tom Williams of Naples News believes the term mermaid came from the word "manatee" which could be mistaken as "man of the sea" (Williams). When in reality, the term is formed from the prefix of -mer meaning "from the sea" (Myths and Legends). The legend of mermaids has also been kept alive though the artwork before the 1980s. Images of mermaids were present throughout the homes and businesses of different areas in the world. In 1980, images from religions decreased the prevalence of mermaid images but many were still aware of the legend (Varner).
Sightings still occur today but are not as common because the population of sea creatures, which are commonly mistaken as mermaids, have decreased. The sea cow has actually gone extinct in the past few years due to overhunting for blubber (Radford). The manatee is a sea animal that is commonly mistaken for a mermaid when seen from a distance. The manatee is nine to fifteen feet long, has two flippers taking on the appearance of arms, and the tail of a dolphin which a mermaid is also said to possess (Loftin). A seal can also be mistaken for a mermaid if seen in the right light. A training video was recorded by the Coast Guard in which a mermaid is believed to have been sighted. The Coast Guard brought in a scientist to examine the video and the scientist says it is quite possible it is a seal based on how the light reflects off the eyes of the creature (Leaked UK Coastguard Video).
The legend of mermaids has been kept alive through multiple claims of sightings and catch and releases over time. Christopher Columbus and Blackbeard The Pirate made claims of seeing mermaids while they were out at sea, but after further investigation, the sightings were of sea creatures at a distance (Answers). Tom Williams of Naples News believes the term mermaid came from the word "manatee" which could be mistaken as "man of the sea" (Williams). When in reality, the term is formed from the prefix of -mer meaning "from the sea" (Myths and Legends). The legend of mermaids has also been kept alive though the artwork before the 1980s. Images of mermaids were present throughout the homes and businesses of different areas in the world. In 1980, images from religions decreased the prevalence of mermaid images but many were still aware of the legend (Varner).
Sightings still occur today but are not as common because the population of sea creatures, which are commonly mistaken as mermaids, have decreased. The sea cow has actually gone extinct in the past few years due to overhunting for blubber (Radford). The manatee is a sea animal that is commonly mistaken for a mermaid when seen from a distance. The manatee is nine to fifteen feet long, has two flippers taking on the appearance of arms, and the tail of a dolphin which a mermaid is also said to possess (Loftin). A seal can also be mistaken for a mermaid if seen in the right light. A training video was recorded by the Coast Guard in which a mermaid is believed to have been sighted. The Coast Guard brought in a scientist to examine the video and the scientist says it is quite possible it is a seal based on how the light reflects off the eyes of the creature (Leaked UK Coastguard Video).
Sightings have not only helped keep the legend alive but they have made various cities and/or countries tourist attractions because many came with hope of finding a mermaid. One example would be in Ireland. Before 1963, multiple claims were made of mermaid sightings and a hunt began to find a "red haired mermaid frolicking in the Irish Sea" (Cray). Even though a mermaid was never found in the Irish Sea, the town became extremely popular. Ireland no longer has the reputation of having mermaids in the Irish Sea due to the lack of finding any. Along with sightings, many claims have been made of catching mermaids. Mermaids have also been said to wash up on shore from time to time. On one occasion, the creatures were actually designed by an artist trying to create a mermaid hoax (Loxton). After the Tsunami of 2004, creatures that had the appearance of a mermaid washed up on show and were thought to be actual mermaids (Zoey24). After further investigation, the creatures were actually humans who had the disorder of Sirenomelia.
Sirenomelia
Sirenomelia is a rare disorder only about one in every one hundred thousand people is born with (Zoey24). The disorder is often fatal and causes death within a couple years. Some individuals do survive longer than others but the end result is generally death. The disorder is characterized by the appearance of a single limb where the legs are supposed to be. Either a single leg will form consisting of one bone or both legs will form but will have the skin fused together (Colby). The disorder is often called Mermaid Syndrome because the individual takes on the appearance of a mermaid. The fatal aspect of the disorder comes from internal problems. The cause of the disease is the presence of only one umbilical artery. Because there is only one umbilical artery, there is significantly less blood flowing through the legs during formation before birth (Colby). The lower limbs fail to form correctly because of the lack of blood and nutrition and often take on the appearance shown to the right. Internally, the kidneys become malformed, the genitals are malformed or are non-existent, and the rectum and large intestine are also malformed or non-existent causing many problems for an individual (Colby).
There is no known cure for the Sirenomelia disorder and many die within the first couple days. Fifty percent of individuals with this disease are stillborn and the fifty percent who survive birth die within the first couple weeks (Colby). There are a few rare cases of individuals living past the first couple weeks. The documentary provided below shows one of the cases in where the individual survived. At the time of the documentary, Shiloh was a young girl living with Sirenomelia and was the only "living mermaid" at the time (The Little Mermaid - My Shocking Story).
There is no known cure for the Sirenomelia disorder and many die within the first couple days. Fifty percent of individuals with this disease are stillborn and the fifty percent who survive birth die within the first couple weeks (Colby). There are a few rare cases of individuals living past the first couple weeks. The documentary provided below shows one of the cases in where the individual survived. At the time of the documentary, Shiloh was a young girl living with Sirenomelia and was the only "living mermaid" at the time (The Little Mermaid - My Shocking Story).