mysteries of the ocean. Do mermaids really exist?

When i was a little girl i was obsessed with Disney film 'The Little Mermaid' and i was convinced that Mermaids just like Ariel really did exist under the sea. As i got older i still wanted to believe that Mermaids were real but unfortunately just like 'The Loch Ness Monster' there was no concrete evidence to support the myth, so i was left with the same question..........Do mermaids really exist??

A Mermaid is a mythological creature with a human head and body, and a fish tail instead of feet. The name mermaid was made up of 'Mere' which is the old english word for 'Sea' and 'Maid' meaning 'woman'. There have been many stories of Mermaids throughout the ages, but some of the most popular myths are that Mermaids enchant people by singing to them, the singing distracts people from their work causing them to walk of the deck or run their ships aground.

Other stories say that the Mermaids squeeze the life out of men while attempting to save them from drowning. Some people believe they take members of the crew underwater not realising they cant breath underwater while others say they drown the men out of spite.

The first known Mermaid story was in 1000 BC, when a goddess named Atargatis loved a mortal Shepard but later unintentional killed him, feeling ashamed at what she had done she apparently jumped into a lake to take the form of a fish but she was still beautiful on the top half and a fish on the bottom half so became known as a Mermaid.

Another popular story is that Alexander the Great turned his sister in to a Mermaid after she died, the story says when she swam across a ship she would ask the crew "Is King Alexander alive?" and if the crew members did not answer correctly then she would raise a terrible storm that would prove fateful to the ship and all the crew on board, however if they answered "He lives and reigns and conquers the world" then she would calm the waters and wish the crew farewell.

In Britain Mermaids are seen as omens, foretelling disaster and more often than not causing it. Mermaids are also a sign of rough weather. Most people would agree that Mermaids are no more than a myth but why are there so many claimed sightings all across the world?

 Zoologist's suggest that people are actually seeing Dugongs. Dugongs are mammals that use their arms for steering and their legs are two small bones floating deep in the muscle. Specialists claim that Dugongs can appear to be Mermaids from a distance although i don't see the resemblance myself. Archaeologists have also found bronzed figures of Mermaids dating back over 3,000 years ago, and along with the sightings there have also been ships found floating in the sea with the crew members all missing which still remains a mystery.

In 1493 Christopher Columbus reported seeing three mermaids playing about and jumping out of the water. He said they were not as beautiful as they are painted, although to some extent they have a human appearance in the face.

Many people have tried to cash in on the Mermaid myth with hoaxes, such as stitching monkeys and fish together to create what looks like the remains of a mermaid. Some have even gone as far as to use real bodies of the deceased and added a fish tail where the legs should be.

When the Tsunami hit back in 2004 many photo's were put on the Internet of these hoax creations claiming to be Mermaids that had washed up in the disaster. The most sickest photos have been of deceased victims of Sirenomelia.

Sirenomelia also known as 'Mermaid Syndrome' is a rare disorder in which a child is born with their legs fused together. This is a rare condition affecting one out of every 100,000 births and is more often than not fatal.

Popular films about Mermaids include Disney The Little Mermaid, Splash and Aquamarine among others and whether Mermaids are a myth or not, people still enjoy these films because they dare to tell the tale of the unknown.