Soulless seductress or helpless victim? In search of the original Little Mermaid
Telegraph
23-05-20 10:00
The mermaid is an enduring legend whose meaning lies in questions about women’s power. From Atargatis, the half-fish, half-human goddess of Assyrian mythology, to Yoruba spirit Yemoja, who is represented as a mermaid appearing under a number of different names across half the world, many mermaid myths date back to ancient times that depict mermaids as real creatures. Early explorers and fishermen have claimed to have caught mermaids in their nets but later they found out that it was manatees, seals, or dolphins. In Fairy tales, magic acts as a metaphor for the transformations people seek to effect in their own lives within themselves and in the world around them. Stories of mermaids, dragons, and other mythical creatures resonate with us because they teach us that change is possible and monsters can be overcome, making them stories of reclaiming power.
Mermaids have been reimagined to suit the changing times they are placed in. For example, The Little Mermaid by Disney retells the legend as a love story with little more than a hint of jeopardy, while fairy tales have a tendency to be reinvented to serve or speak to the needs of the changing times. The mermaid symbolism has been adopted by the trans community as a part of their identity creating a new perspective for a lost myth. Mermaids will continue to work their magic on us, be it in the trans community’s self-love, in some cosplay girls’ search for identity, or in all those seamen’s tales of capricious creatures of the deep. Mermaids now represent the freedom to be who you are and embody an aspect of social shift.