Other Interesting Water Creatures

  • Africa: Mami Wata- Water spirit celebrated throughout much of Africa. She is often either portrayed as a mermaid, a snake charmer, or some mixture of both.
  • New Zealand: Marakihau- A sea monster that takes human form and has a large hollow tongue. They have the heads and bodies of humans and the tail of a fish, instead of legs.
  • France: Melusine- A cursed fairy creature. After exacting revenge on her father, she was cursed by her mother. She was forced to have a serpent tail every Saturday from then on.
  • Ireland: Merrow- Extremely beautiful and promiscuous in their relationships with humans. Similar in terms to selkies in the need of a form of coverage to go back to the sea.
  • Russia: Rusalka- Attractive young women who tend to dwell in water. In some myths they do not dwell in human affairs, but in some they tend to meddle in human affairs. They entice men from their waters.
  • Norway and Orkney Islands: Finfolk- Powerful, sorcerers in the sea. They are shapeshifters who can live in both water and on land.
  • Japan: Ningyo- Fish-like creatures with shiny golden scales, a monkey’s mouth, small fish teeth, and a voice that sounds like a flute.
  • Alaska: Qalupalik – Mermaid like creature with green skin that uses song to lure children to the water. They put children is slings on their backs and take them off to sea to raise them.
  • Greece: Scylla – From ancient Greek mythology this water creature with six dragon like heads and wolf heads all over it’s body. She lurks in a cave and eats any creature that comes near.
  • Atsma, Aaron J. “SKYLLA.” HERMES MYTHS 6 FAVOUR – Greek Mythology, 2017, www.theoi.com/Pontios/Skylla.html
  • Image of the Qalupalik in a popular childrens book.
  • Ningyo
  • Finfolk
  • Rusalka
  • Merrow
  • Mesuline

  •  Marakihau
  • Mami Wata
To: Mermaids/Sirens Intro
To: HotSpots 
To: Gender in Mermaids
To: How to Avoid Mermaids/Sirens

Bibliography 

Sullivan, Kerry. “Rusalka: The Mythical Slavic Mermaid.” Ancient Origins, Ancient Origins, www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/rusalka-mythical-slavic-mermaid-006738.

“Fin Folk – Mythical Amphibious Sea People On Orkney And Shetland”, Ancient Pages, February 22, 2016, http://www.ancientpages.com/2016/02/22/fin-folk-mythical-amphibious-sea-people-orkney-shetland/.

Yasuka, “The Folklore of Japanese Mermaids”, KCP International, April 6, 2017, November 29, 2018, https://www.kcpinternational.com/2017/04/the-folklore-of-japanese-mermaids/.

“Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and its Diasporas”, Fowler museum at UCLA, November 29, 2018, https://www.fowler.ucla.edu/exhibitions/mami-wata/.

Best, Elsdon, “The Taniwha and Other Maori Folkloric Creatures”, Strange Ark, 1924, November 29, 2018, http://www.strangeark.com/taniwha-and-maori-folkloric-creatures

“The Legend of Melusine- Marginal Athuriana”, Children of Arthur, June 26, 2011, November 29, 2018, https://childrenofarthur.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/the-legend-of-melusine-marginal-arthuriana/. 

“Merrows”, Irelands Eye, November 29, 2018, http://www.irelandseye.com/animation/explorer/merrows.html. 

“Alaska Frontier: Five mythical creatures of the last frontier”, Terrye Toombs, June 12, 2012

 https://www.adn.com/features/article/alaska-folklore-five-mythical-creatures-last-frontier/2012/06/13/

“Scylla and Charybdis Greek mythology” the editors of  Encyclopedia Britannica, July 20 1998, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Scylla-and-Charybdis

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