July 31, 2013

Exposing a Mermaid Cult

John William Waterhouse's A Mermaid, 1901

“While the notion that the United Kingdom might actually be the home of living, breathing, flesh-and-blood mermaids will inevitably be greeted by many with the justified rolling of eyes and hoots of derision, it is an undeniable and astonishing fact that such beliefs persisted for centuries. And, in those parts of the U.K. where the many and varied traditions and superstitions of times-past can still be found lurking, that belief actually quietly continues – to a shocking and sinister degree.

“The word ‘mermaid’ is derived from a combination of ‘mere,’ the Old-English word for ‘sea,’ and ‘maid,’ meaning, of course, ‘woman.’ According to old sea-faring legends, mermaids would often deliberately sing to sailors to try and enchant them; with the secret and malevolent intent of distracting them from their work and causing their ships to run disastrously aground.”

But there’s far more to it all than that, including a disturbing story that I’ll soon be exposing in full, and parts of which I already reference in the article – which is my latest post for Mysterious Universe.

Nick Redfern About Nick Redfern
Punk music fan, Tennents Super and Carlsberg Special Brew beer fan, horror film fan, chocolate fan, like to wear black clothes, like to stay up late. Work as a writer.

Filed under Cryptozoology, Folklore, Forteana, Lair of the Beasts, Merbeings