If you’re anything like me and find the many myths and legends of mermaids to be most intriguing, then you may be interested in reading on to learn more about the three most famous Mermaids recorded in history.
You may choose to believe the legends told (and let’s face it who doesn’t love something magical to believe in) or you may simply enjoy reading the stories told about these mythical half human half fish creatures of the sea. Often known as “Merfolk”
The earliest representations and descriptions of these now well known creatures can be traced back as far as the eighth century BC.
We will focus on three of the most legendary mermaids told about throughout history:
Sedna, Undines and Atargatis
Sedna
There are a many different legends told about Sedna, we will look at just two of the most known throughout history:
The first and most known legend-
Sedna is a the daughter of the creator god Anguta and she is a giant with a great hunger, this hunger causes Sedna to attack her parents. Anguta decides to take his daughter out to sea in his kayak and throws her off the side. Sedna tries to cling to the kayak with her fingers and so Anguta chops off her fingers causing her to sink to the underworld where she becomes the ruler of the monsters residing down in the deep. Her giant fingers then become the seals the walruses and the whales which are hunted by the inuit
Another well known version of Sedna-
Tells the story of her marrying a dog as she is dissatisfied with any of the men her father chooses for her. Her father is so angry with her he throws her into the sea and chops off all of her fingers when she tries to clamber back into the boat. She becomes a sea goddess and her fingers all turn into seals. When she becomes angry the Shaman come to wash and comb her hair for her which then makes her happy, in turn she releases the animals to the hunters.
The many different legends all give varying rationales for Sednas’ death yet each version sees her father taking her to the sea, chopping off her fingers. In each version Sedna sinks to the bottom of the ocean and grows a fish tail. She is then worshipped by hunters who consider Sedna a vengeful goddess of the sea. They must placate, pray or sing to her to release the sea animals from the ocean depths for their hunt and to keep their families fed.
Undines
The story of Undines was a big influence and the main inspiration of Hans Christian Andersen when he wrote the very beautiful ‘Little Mermaid’
In the romantic novel of Friedrich De La Motte Fouqué, which was written in 1811…The story of Udine is set in a forest in Austria where an old fisherman lives with his wife and their foster daughter ‘Undine.’ They adopt Undine who unbeknownst to them is a water fairy (Nymph) after their daughter is lost to them. Innocent and wild Undine becomes a beloved daughter, she has a ‘spirit’ but not really a ‘human soul’. The woods are said to be haunted by spirits who are enemies of mortals that live outside the forest.
A knight called Sir Huldbrand of Ringstetten is riding through the woods when a storm arrives. As he rides through the forest to escape the storm he is tormented by the spirits. Terrified he rides on and stumbles across the fisherman’s cottage. The fisherman gives him shelter, food and protection from the spirits.
It is here he meets the beautiful Undine who he is quickly mesmerised with. Undine asks the knight about his adventures in his forest however her father forbids the stories be told as he believes it unwise to talk about spirits at night. Undine rebellious, untamed and unhappy with her father’s reprimand disappears into the forest. The storm begins to get worse and the fisherman and knight go in search for Undine. Sir Huldbrand finds her hiding safely in the forest, as he returns with her to the cottage he tells her of his adventures with the spirits in the woods.
The storm is raging by the time they reach the cottage all inside are then cut off by the floods. Sir Hulbrand then tells how he came to be in the forest. He had fallen in love with a woman called Bertalda who had insisted that the knight prove his love to her by riding through the haunted woods. During this part of the story Undine became jealous and bit the knights hand. A few days later a priest who is lost in the storm on his small boat and takes refuge in the cottage marries Undine and the knight. The marriage changes Undine. She gains a ‘human soul’ and becomes affectionate, submissive and affectionate.
The floods dissipate and the newly weds move into Castle Ringstetten. Here Undine crosses paths with Bertalda and announces she has a surprise for her. The surprise is that Bertalda is the long lost daughter of the fisherman and his wife. Bertlada asks for proof and is identified by a birthmark on her body. Undine also tells her husband that she really is a water spirit and she can only live on earth until such time as he rejects her love. At which time Kuhleborn who rules the waters will call her back to her underwater home.
Bertalda’s foster parents decide they don’t want her anymore however Bertalda still doesn’t believe that her real parents are her true parents either and she doesn’t want to live with them, Undine pities Bertalda and asks her to join them living at the castle.
Undine, her husband and Bertalda decide to take a boat trip to the Danube Vienna. During their voyage, Kuhleborn (who rules the waters) becomes enraged and creates a huge swell with crashing waves making everyone scared and sick. Bertalda said to Sir Hulbrand “If you had married me, a true woman, you would not have all these problems. Even if my parents truly are that wretched old couple, at least I do not have demons for relatives.”
Sir Hulbrand went to Undines and asked, “Can you not stop this as you were once a water spirit?” Undine tried, she talked to Kuhleborn.” Can you not accept that I am human now? You must leave me and my husband in peace!” But this did not work to lessen Kuhleborns anger and she whipped at the boat turning it upside down. Sir Huldbrand called, “Oh, why did I not marry Bertilda when I had the chance?” This broke Undines heart in two and her body took on a semi-liquid form, half woman - half water, and she slipped over the side of the boat and into the swirling River Danube. Kuhleborn was now appeased and the ocean was calm once again. Bertalda and Sir Hulbrand returned to the castle and married. That night, a watery apparition slid out of the well, and ran up the stairs of the castle. It flowed under the door of the room where Huldbrand slept beside his wife. The drops of water reformed themselves in the shape of a beautiful young woman. She placed her lips on the cheek of the knight as he slept, and she kissed him. In that moment, he was dead.
Here ends her story.
Atargatis
Atargatis is said to be the mermaid who was the original inspiration for all mermaid stories. She was an Assyrian Goddess. She was said to be the goddess of the moon, fertility and water and was worshipped 3000-4000 years ago in ancient Assyria and later all over the Mediterranean.
Atargatis fell in love with a mortal shepherd whose name was Adad and they had a daughter together called Semiramis who later became the queen of Assyria. Atargatis caused the death of her husband by accident and so drowned herself in the lake due to the guilt. She was still beautiful in death and the waters transformed her into a woman with the tail of a fish, she had now become a mermaid.
Atargatis was worshipped in a temple built for her in Israel, it was said the temple was made out of gold and diamonds with a pool filled with living fish. Worshippers had to swim through the pool of fish to reach the alter. Both fish and doves were sacred to Atargatis. Doves symbolised love and fish were a symbol of fertility and bounty.
The story of Atargatis is said to be the first mermaid legend ever to be told. Water is the element of emotions. Atargatis transformed because of a broken heart. All mermaids contain the same elements Atargatis possessed. Healing powers of water, beauty that cannot be hidden and connections to the moon, waves and emotions. Atargatis is goddess of transformation who guides her followers to face their fears and their darkest selves so that they can love and appreciate all that they are.
Maybe you can gain some inspiration from one of the 3 most famous mermaids ~ face your fears and come to love and appreciate who you really are.
*Some parts of the myths above have been loosely referenced from the following sites...