mermaid
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mermaid,
in folklore, sea-dwelling creature commonly represented as having the head and body of a woman and a fishtail instead of legs. Belief in mermaids, and in their counterpart, mermen, has existed since earliest times. They are often described as having great beauty and charm, which they use to lure sailors to their deaths (see SirenSiren, in Greek mythology, one of three sea nymphs, usually represented with the head of a woman and the body of a bird. Daughters of Phorcus or of Achelous, the Sirens inhabited an island surrounded by dangerous rocks.
..... Click the link for more information. ). In some legends they assumed human shape and married mortals (see MélusineMélusine
or Melusina
, in French legend, a fairy who changed into a serpent from the waist down every Saturday. She married a mortal, Count Raymond, said to be the ancestor of the house of Lusignan, and made him promise never to visit her on that day.
..... Click the link for more information. ). The origin of the mermaid is thought by some to be the dugong (see sireniansirenian
or sea cow,
name for a large aquatic mammal of the order Sirenia. Living sirenians are the dugong and the manatee, both found in warm, shallow waters in sheltered regions, where they feed on seaweeds and seagrasses.
..... Click the link for more information. ).
What does it mean when you dream about a mermaid?
A mermaid or merman is a double symbol of our instinctual life because (1) a merperson is half animal, and (2) a merperson is at home in the water, a potent symbol of the unconscious. So a dream communication from a mermaid or merman is a message from a deeper part of ourselves.
mermaid
half-woman, half-fish; seen by sailors. [western Folklore: Misc.]
See: Sea
mermaid
an imaginary sea creature fabled to have a woman's head and upper body and a fish's tail