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The mermaid was popularly believed to be a woman with the tall
of a fish. She was able to leave the water and mortals were warned of
her, or the Merman's, presence by observing the edges of their apron
or coat which were always damp.
Mermaids were able to lure into the water sailors
or young men dwelling near the sea by their siren song, quite often
drowning them, but there are also sea shanties and local folklore that
tell of such encounters resulting in happy marriage where the man adapted
to living under the waves.
Although she is ubiquitous throughout European folklore,
such as the Lorelei of the Rhine who appear in Wagner’s Ring Cycle,
water sprites and sirens surface in some other ancient mythologies as
gods or goddesses with human features. The Babylonians believed that
Oannes, the half fish, half human, deity brought civilisation to the
world in the distant past.
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