Mermaids are mythical creatures that live in the sea, usually depicted with the head and body of a person (there are also ‘mermen’) and the tail of a fish below the waist. Also often talked about in Ireland and Scotland especially, there are many tales of people having seen mermaids in English waters. The word comes from ‘mere’ which is Olde English for the word ‘sea’.
Mermaids are often talked about as protecting people in the sea, but other stories go of luring besotted sailors to their watery graves. Some mermaids are said to live as seals in the water, then transform into humans while on land. Some shape-shifting mermaids even marry people on the land, but usually go back to sea and leave loved ones behind, because they cannot leave the ocean.
One of the places for stories of mermaids is the maritime city of Liverpool. Many local ships are named after mermaids, and Paradise Street is where you’ll find stories from old sailors. Even the shield on the city’s Liver Bird coat of arms, features merfolk. There are stories of a mermaid in the 19th century who would ring a sunken church bell at dawn, on Easter Sunday. Believed to tell this mostly Catholic city to take better care of their souls!
In Cornwall, Mawgan Porth reported sightings back in 1827. A boy intending to fish at night reported seeing a creature that looked like a long-haired human, with fish-like fins on their lower half (blue in colour). Sceptics often say people mistake mermaids for seals. But regular fisherman likely knew what seals looked like. What do you think?