The Mythical Merman

It's probably safe to assume that most people have heard of mermaids, some believing them to exist and some even claiming to have seen them. But what about their male counterparts, the mermen? This short article presents some descriptions of half-men half-fish from mythology and folklore.

Matsya, Avatar of Vishnu

Beauty And The Beast Pantages

The Hindu scripture Matsya Purana tells the story of the first avatar of the god Vishnu being in the form of a fish, or Matsya. According to the texts, a pious and righteous king called Satyavrata was washing in a river when a small fish swam into his hands. He was about to return the fish when it suddenly asked for his protection. Satyavrata obligingly put the little fish into a pot for safekeeping, but overnight the fish grew and requested larger accommodation. This repeated itself on successive nights, with Satyavrata moving the fish from pond to river and finally the ocean.

Realizing that the fish could be no ordinary fish, but had to be God incarnate, he offered his greetings. The fish, Matsya, told him that within seven days the earth would be flooded and all life would be destroyed. Satyavrata was instructed to collect all medicinal herbs, varieties of seeds and all the animals required for life to begin again and to wait for Matsya's return.

When the flood began Matsya appeared with a boat and Satyavrata got in with all the things he had gathered. For the duration of the flood, Matsya kept the boat afloat and recited to Satyavrata the contents of the Matsya Purana.

Matsya is usually represented as a four-armed figure with the upper torso of a man and the lower half a fishes tail.

Triton, Messenger of the Sea

Triton, the god of Greek mythology, was the messenger of the sea. He was the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, the god and goddess of the sea and is usually represented as the classic merman. Like his father, he carried a trident, but his special attribute was a conch shell on which he blew like a trumpet to calm or raise the waves.

Tritons are a race of sea gods and goddesses who are descended from Triton. However, unlike their ancestors, the Tritons' appearance is often described differently. The second-century traveller and geographer Pausanius wrote of the Tritons "On their heads they grow hair like that of marsh frogs not only in colour, but also in the impossibility of separating one hair from another. The rest of their body is rough with fine scales just as is the shark. Under their ears they have gills and a man's nose; but the mouth is broader and the teeth are those of a beast. Their eyes seem to me blue, and they have hands, fingers, and nails like the shells of the murex. Under the breast and belly is a tail like a dolphin's instead of feet".

Another description of Tritons is that of a fish-centaur, or Ichthyocentauri. These fabulous creatures had the upper body of a man and the lower body of a fish, but in place of their hands they had horse's hooves.

The Strange Mermen of Japan

In Japanese folklore, the merman Amahiko is one of a host of mer-people who appear before humans in order to predict either a good harvest or to warn of a natural disaster. However, the disaster can usually be averted if people are shown a picture of them. This somewhat strange caution has been reported throughout Japanese history, attributed to the various but similar looking mermaids/men Amabie, Amabiko, Amahiko-nyudo and Arie, in addition to Amahiko.

Not all sightings of these creatures are in, or near, the sea. They have occurred in rice paddies and on dry land, but the appearance of these mer-folk is always described as being the same.

The Mythical Merman

Steve West is a lifelong enthusiast for all things weird and wonderful. For more interesting stories about mermaids and some great gift ideas for the 'little mermaid' in your life, visit: http://www.squidoo.com/mermaid-toys-and-games