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Archaic perfume vase in the shape of a siren, c. 540 BC The etymology of the name is contested. Robert S. P. Beekes has suggested a Pre-Greek origin. [5] Others connect the name to σειρά (seirá, "rope, cord") and εἴρω (eírō, "to tie, join, fasten"), resulting in the meaning "binder, entangler", [6] [better source needed] i.e. one who binds or entangles through magic song.
The siren of Ancient Greek mythology became conflated with mermaids during the medieval period. Some European Romance languages still use cognate terms for siren to denote the mermaid, e.g., French sirène and Spanish and Italian sirena. [30] Some commentators have sought to trace origins further back into § Ancient Middle Eastern mythology.
A number of other terms in Irish are used to denote a mermaid or sea-nymph, some tracing back to mythological tracts from the medieval to the post-medieval period. The Middle Irish murdúchann is a siren-like creature encountered by legendary ancestors of the Irish (either Goidels or Milesians) according to the Book of Invasions.
The myths and history behind mermaids. ... the origin story Dr. Compora says is among the most familiar connects them to the sirens from Greek mythology. “Much of the modern idea of mermaids is ...
The siren or mermaid with two tails and a crown, a heraldic symbol which inspired the Starbucks logo, is frequently identified as a melusine. [47] [48] However, this name and the link to Melusine seems to have originated in the late 19th century. [49]
Merfolk, Merpeople, or simply Mer refers to humanoid creatures that live in deep waters like Mermaids, Sirens, Cecaelia etc. In English, female merfolk are called mermaids, although in a strict sense, mermaids are confined to beings who are half-woman and half-fish in appearance; male merfolk are called mermen. Depending on the story, they can ...
Ningyo (人魚, "human fish"), as the name suggests, is a creature with both human and fish-like features, described in various pieces of Japanese literature.. Though often translated as "mermaid", the term is technically not gender-specific and may include the "mermen".
Conflation with the European myth of the siren, or a beautiful mermaid probably is part of the Iara myth as the seductress of the Amazon River. Some commentators believe the original version of Iara must have been dark-skinned and black-haired, black-eyed, like the indigenous populations.