Mermaid

Lahama

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Tradition / Region: Sumerian Mythology, Mesopotamian mythology
Alternate Names: Associated with Lahmu, Lahamu; linked with Oannes and Kululu
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

In the earliest age of the world, when only the deep fresh waters of the Abzu existed beneath the earth, the god Enki, lord of wisdom and the waters, created beings to dwell within his domain. These beings were called the Lahama, and they belonged to the sacred depths from which life and order would rise.

They were many—fifty in number—and they moved through the watery abyss as servants of Enki. They were shaped like beings of the deep, often imagined with forms that joined man and fish, creatures suited to the hidden waters below the world.

Later tales spoke of ancient ancestors of these beings. From the first primordial waters came the twins Lahmu and Lahamu, monstrous children of the earliest oceanic forces. From them came further generations of gods, and through them the world took form. Thus the spirits of the waters stood close to the beginning of creation itself.

Among the companions of Enki were powerful beings who sometimes rose from the sea to meet humankind. One of these was Kululu, a fish-formed servant of the god who moved between the divine world and the human one.

But the most famous of the sea-beings was Oannes.

In ancient days, near the shores of Babylonia, a strange creature rose from the Persian Gulf. His body was that of a fish, yet beneath the fish’s head was the face of a man, and beside the tail were human legs. Though his form was uncanny, his voice was gentle and human.

By day he walked among people. He taught them writing, numbers, and the arts. He showed them how to build cities and temples, how to establish laws, how to measure the land, and how to plant grain and gather food. Everything needed for civilized life he revealed to them.

He took no food while he stayed among humans. At sunset he returned to the sea and vanished beneath the waves, for he belonged both to water and to land.

Thus the beings of the deep waters—the Lahama and those who rose from them—were remembered as ancient spirits of the abyss, close to the birth of the world, and as teachers who once emerged from the sea to guide humankind.

Gallery

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Lahama. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/lahama/

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Yok-yok

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Tradition / Region: Aboriginal Mythology, Australian Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Mermaid, Shapeshifter

The Myth

In sacred waterholes across the land dwell spirits known as yok-yok, beings of the deep water who belong to the old time of creation.

They are most often seen as young women with fish tails and long green hair that drifts like seaweed across the surface. When people see strands of weed floating on still water, they say it is the hair of a yok-yok rising from below.

These spirits are tied to the life of the land. Where they dwell, water is strong and fertile. If a woman passes near a waterhole where a yok-yok lives, she may conceive a child, for the spirit’s power brings life into the world. They are also bringers of rain, and when they are pleased, the clouds gather and the land is nourished.

But they are not always gentle. If angered or disrespected, yok-yok can stir the waters and call down storms that flood the land and destroy what grows there.

They are shapeshifters and do not always appear as mermaids. At times they take the form of crocodiles, snakes, or great fish. Some stories say they may grow legs and walk the earth at night, or take wings and pass through the sky like dragonflies.

Now and then a yok-yok falls in love with a human man and lives with him for a time. Yet such unions never last. In the end she returns to the water, drawn back to the place where she belongs.

Some say the yok-yok are daughters of Ngaliod, the great creator linked to the Rainbow Serpent. Others say they are not merely his children but another form of the same ancient power—spirits of the living water that has always flowed through the world.

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Iok-Jok. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/iok-jok/

Iara

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Tradition / Region: Brazilian Mythology
Alternate Names: Uiara, Yara, Hiara, Mãe das Águas (“Mother of the Waters”)
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

In the great rivers of the Amazon there lives a being called Iara, the Mother of the Waters. She appears as a beautiful maiden of the river, sometimes sitting upon rocks beneath the sun, combing her long hair and singing with a voice sweeter than any human song.

Men who hear her voice cannot resist it. Drawn by her song, they approach the water and follow her into the depths. Some are drowned at once. Others vanish into her underwater dwelling, where they remain with her until they grow old and die, while she herself never ages. Those who escape her spell return changed—haunted, restless, and forever drawn back toward the river.

One tale tells how a young warrior, son of a chief, heard Iara’s voice at a waterfall. Each night he returned to meet her, ignoring the pleas of his mother and the warnings of his people. At last the villagers saw him with the river maiden. Soon after, he disappeared forever into the waters, and no trace of him was ever found again.

Another story tells how Iara herself was once human. She had been a warrior of great skill, stronger and braver than her brothers. Jealous, they attacked her in the night, but she fought them off and they died by her hand. When her father discovered what had happened, he punished her by casting her into the river to drown. But the fish of the river or the moon-spirit took pity on her and transformed her into a river maiden. From that day on, she lured men to the water in vengeance for the injustice done to her.

Thus Iara is remembered as both enchantress and avenger, the beautiful woman of the river whose song still drifts across the Amazon at dusk, calling the unwary into the deep.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Iara (mythology). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iara_(mythology)

Keask

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Tradition / Region: Scottish Highland folklore
Alternate Names: Maiden of the Waves
Category: Mermaid, Salmon

The Myth

In the waters off the Highlands lives the Keask, a sea maiden with the body of a beautiful woman and the tail of a great salmon. When she is beneath the sea her hair is dark green, but when she rises into the air it turns bright gold. She wears ornaments said to come from hidden chambers beneath the earth.

The Keask can sometimes be caught by mortals. If seized, she will grant three wishes in exchange for her freedom. Like other sea maidens, she can cast off her outer fish skin and take human form. In this shape she may wed a mortal man and live among his people. Yet if she ever recovers the skin that was taken from her, she returns to the sea. Even so, she does not forget her children, and is said to guide them in storms or lead them to good fishing.

One tale tells of a Keask who swallowed a man whole. His beloved lured the creature ashore by playing the harp, and the man escaped. The Keask then seized the harpist instead. To defeat her and free the captive, the hero had to destroy her hidden life. This life was not in her body but in a separable soul concealed far away: an egg inside a fish, the fish inside a duck, the duck inside a ram, buried beneath a house in a forest on an island in the middle of a lake. When the egg was destroyed, the Keask lost her power and the prisoner was freed.

Thus the Keask is remembered as both a bride from the sea and a dangerous being whose life and power lie hidden beyond her body.

Gallery

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Keask. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/keask/

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Jengu

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Tradition / Region: Sawabantu Mythology, Cameroon Mythology
Alternate Names: Miengu (plural), Bisima; Liengu (Bakweri), Maengu (plural)
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

In the rivers, lakes, and along the shores of the sea in Cameroon dwell the jengu—water spirits of beauty and power.

They are said to appear as radiant beings, often like mermaids, with long flowing hair and shining gap-toothed smiles. Their presence is linked to clear waters and hidden depths. They live beneath the surface, in the currents and tidal places where the worlds of the living and the spirits meet.

The jengu are guardians of the waters and intermediaries between humanity and the ancestors. When illness strikes, when fate turns uncertain, or when guidance is needed, people call upon them. They are believed to heal disease, grant prosperity, and influence destiny. Those who honor them with devotion receive good fortune; those who neglect them may lose their favor.

Among the Duala and other Sawabantu peoples, the jengu are honored through sacred rites and festivals. When the ruling families of the Ngondo declare that the time has come, offerings are gathered from the villages. Trained spiritual specialists prepare themselves through ritual purification and ceremony.

On the night before the festival, these priests perform sacred rites on the islands of the Wouri River. At dawn, the tribute is displayed before the chiefs. Then a jengu specialist carries the offering into the water, swimming out beyond sight. There, beneath the surface, the gift is presented to the miengu.

When the priest returns, he brings back a message from the spirits—a prophecy concerning the year to come.

Among the Bakweri, the jengu also play a role in a young girl’s passage into womanhood, marking her transformation and linking her life to the power of the waters.

Thus the jengu remain: spirits of the deep, bringers of healing and fortune, moving unseen between the living and the ancestral world.

Gallery

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Jengu. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jengu

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Nibiinaabe

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Tradition / Region: Anishinabe Mythology, American Mythology
Alternate Names: Nibinabe, Nibanaba, Nibanabe, Nibiinaabeg (plural), Nibiinabekwe (female form)
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

In the lakes and rivers of the Anishinaabe lands live the Nibiinaabe, the water people.

They are shaped like human beings from the waist up, but below they bear the tail of a fish. They dwell beneath the surface of deep waters, moving silently through reeds and currents where the light fades into shadow.

The Nibiinaabe are seldom seen. At times, a ripple in still water or a fleeting shape beneath the surface is said to be one of them watching. They are not drawn to villages, nor do they linger near busy shores. Loud noises drive them away, and the crash of drums or shouting will send them retreating into the depths.

Some say that on quiet evenings, when mist lies low over the water, they rise near the surface and sing softly to one another in voices that blend with the sound of waves against the shore.

Among the Ojibwe, the Nibiinaabe are honored as a clan symbol. The Mermaid Clan bears their name, and their totem remembers these beings of the water—guardians of lakes and rivers, neither wholly human nor wholly fish, but belonging to the living spirit of the waters themselves.

Gallery

Sources

native-languages.org contributors. (n.d.). Nibiinaabe. In native-languages.org, from https://www.native-languages.org/nibiinaabe.htm

Interpretive Lenses

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Nommo

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Tradition / Region: Dogon Mythology, Malian Mythology
Alternate Names: Nummo
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

In the beginning, the sky god Amma created the first living being: Nommo.

Nommo was not like humankind. He was amphibious and radiant, formed with both male and female nature within him. He belonged to the waters and carried within himself the life of the world.

After his creation, Nommo transformed and multiplied, becoming four pairs of twin beings. These were the Nommos, the first ancestors.

But one of the twins rebelled. This being sought to break free from the harmony Amma had established and brought disorder into the universe.

To restore balance, Amma made a sacrifice. One of the Nommos was offered up. His body was dismembered and scattered across the world. Wherever a piece of him fell upon the earth, sacred places were established. These became shrines, marking the spots where the life of Nommo touched the land.

Yet Nommo was not destroyed.

He descended from the sky in a great vessel, accompanied by fire and thunder. When he reached the earth, he created water and entered it, for he could not live without it. The waters became his dwelling.

Nommo then divided himself again, giving his own body to humankind as sustenance. The world drank of him, and in doing so, received life. He gave human beings their vital force and the principles by which they live.

From him came order, knowledge, and sacred authority. From him also came the first Hogon, the spiritual leader of the Dogon.

Thus Nommo remains the ancestor of humanity, the master of water, the one whose body became the nourishment of the world.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Nommo. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nommo

Ekke Nekkepenn

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Tradition / Region: Danish Mythology
Alternate Names: Ekkehard Nekkepenn, Eke Nekepen, Eckeneckepenn
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

Beneath the waves of the North Sea lived Ekke Nekkepenn, a merman who dwelt on the seabed with his wife, Rahn.

One day, a ship bound for England was caught in a violent storm. As the vessel struggled against the waves, Ekke Nekkepenn rose from the depths and called to the captain, begging for help. His wife Rahn was about to give birth, and he needed a human woman skilled and kind to assist her.

The captain’s wife, brave and compassionate, agreed. The merman led her down into the depths, to his home beneath the sea. There she helped Rahn deliver the child safely. In gratitude, Ekke Nekkepenn gave her gold and silver before returning her unharmed to the surface.

The captain and his wife reached their home in Rantum on the island of Sylt, safe and prosperous.

Years passed. Rahn grew old, and Ekke Nekkepenn began to remember the beautiful woman who had helped him. Desire stirred in him. He resolved to claim the captain’s wife for himself.

One day, when the captain’s ship sailed again, Ekke Nekkepenn persuaded Rahn to grind salt upon the seabed. As she worked, a great whirlpool formed in the sea. The vortex seized the ship and dragged it down, along with its crew.

Now free to pursue his plan, Ekke Nekkepenn rose from the sea, taking the form of a handsome sailor. On the shore at Rantum, he met Inge, the captain’s young daughter. Against her will, he placed golden rings upon her fingers and hung a chain about her neck.

“You shall be my bride,” he declared.

Inge wept and begged to be released. Ekke Nekkepenn answered that she could win her freedom only if she learned his name by the next night.

No one on the island knew the stranger’s name. In despair, Inge wandered along the shore the following evening. From the distant dunes at Hörnum she heard a voice singing:

Today I brew,
Tomorrow I bake,
The day after that my wedding I’ll make.
My name is Ekke Nekkepenn,
My bride is Inge of Rantum,
And none know my name when I am alone.

Inge hurried back to the meeting place. When the sailor appeared, she faced him and said, “Your name is Ekke Nekkepenn, and I remain Inge of Rantum.”

At the sound of his true name, the merman’s power over her was broken. Enraged and thwarted, Ekke Nekkepenn vanished back into the sea.

Yet it is said that when storms rise suddenly off the coast of Sylt, and whirlpools churn the water, Ekke Nekkepenn still stirs in anger beneath the North Sea.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Ekke Nekkepenn. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekke_Nekkepenn

Ningyo

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Mermaid, human-fish
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

The Ningyo is a mysterious aquatic creature believed to inhabit the sea, rivers, and other bodies of water. It is commonly described as a being with a human head and a fish’s body, although its appearance varies between accounts. Some depictions resemble creatures that are half-human and half-fish, while others portray a fish with a human face. Over time, the influence of Western stories and imagery contributed to the familiar depiction of the Ningyo as a beautiful woman with a fish’s tail.

In Japanese tradition, sightings and captures of Ningyo were sometimes regarded as extraordinary events. One early account describes human-like creatures appearing in a river in Ōmi Province in 619. Another tells of fishermen in Settsu Province catching an unknown creature that was neither entirely fish nor human. Such beings were also described in later tales, including an account of a fish with a human-like head caught in a fisherman’s net in Ise Province.

According to the latter story, the creature behaved remarkably like a human. When people approached, it made sounds and shed tears. The local inhabitants cut off and ate some of its flesh, which was said to taste exceptionally good. Nothing unusual happened to those who ate it, and the account presented this as an example of what a Ningyo might be like.

Ningyo were sometimes considered valuable enough to be presented to powerful rulers. Their appearances could also inspire religious ceremonies and prayers, particularly when they were interpreted as warnings of coming disasters. In some traditions, a Ningyo’s arrival was considered an omen of war, storms, earthquakes, or other calamities.

One account describes a Ningyo washing ashore at Akita in 1213. Divination interpreted its appearance as a sign of impending military conflict, and prayers were performed in Kamakura. In another story, a Ningyo was discovered in Tsugaru in 1247, prompting further religious observances. These events were associated with political unrest, reinforcing the belief that the creatures could foretell upheaval.

Other legends connected Ningyo with natural disasters. A story from Wakasa Province tells of a fisherman who killed a Ningyo, after which violent storms and a great earthquake devastated a village. The creature was regarded as a messenger of the deity Asami Myōjin. Such accounts suggest that harming a Ningyo could bring terrible consequences upon those responsible.

Not every Ningyo was considered an ill omen, however. A tradition associated with Ryūgū-ji, the Dragon Palace Temple in Fukuoka, tells of a Ningyo that washed ashore at Hakata in 1222. Divination interpreted its arrival as a sign of the nation’s enduring prosperity. The creature was believed to be a messenger from the Dragon Palace beneath the sea, and a structure built to bury it eventually became associated with the temple’s name.

Ningyo also appear in Buddhist legends. One story associated with Kannonshō-ji Temple in Ōmi Province tells of a fisherman who was reborn as an ugly Ningyo because of the killing of living creatures in his previous life. The temple was said to have been established following his plea for salvation. This tradition portrays the creature as a being suffering the consequences of its former actions and seeking spiritual liberation.

Perhaps the best-known legend associated with Ningyo is that of Yao Bikuni, the Eight-Hundred-Year-Old Buddhist Nun. According to the story, a woman gained extraordinary longevity after eating Ningyo flesh. Her tale helped establish the belief that consuming the creature could grant a long life, even though other traditions associated Ningyo with misfortune and disaster.

From the early modern period onward, Western ideas increasingly influenced Japanese depictions of Ningyo. Illustrations of beautiful women with fish-like lower bodies became more widespread. At the same time, fabricated Ningyo specimens were displayed as curiosities, often made by joining the bodies of fish and monkeys. Their promoters sometimes claimed that eating the flesh would extend one’s life or that merely looking at the creature could protect against epidemics. Specimens and mummified figures were also sold as souvenirs, including to visitors from overseas.

The Ningyo occupies an uncertain place in Japanese folklore. Its appearance could signal prosperity or disaster, its flesh was believed to grant longevity, and its presence could inspire both reverence and fear. Whether encountered as a strange creature from the water, a messenger of the Dragon Palace, or a being seeking salvation, the Ningyo reflects the many ways in which Japanese traditions connected the mysteries of the aquatic world with human fate.

Sources

tyz-yokai.blog.jp contributors. (n.d.). Ningyo. In tyz-yokai.blog.jp, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077741608.html

Mélusine

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Tradition / Region: French Mythology, Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Melusine, Melusina
Category: Mermaid

The Myth

Mélusine is a female freshwater spirit associated with holy wells and rivers. She is usually depicted as a beautiful woman with the lower body of a serpent or fish. Some depictions give her wings, two tails, or both. Her legends are particularly associated with northern and western France, Luxembourg, and the Low Countries.

In the literary tradition recorded by Jean d’Arras in 1393, Mélusine is the eldest of three daughters born to Pressine, a fairy, and Elinas, the King of Albany. When Elinas breaks his promise never to see Pressine while she is giving birth to or bathing their children, Pressine leaves him and takes her daughters to the Isle of Avalon.

On her fifteenth birthday, Mélusine learns why her mother abandoned their father. Seeking revenge, she persuades her sisters to help her imprison Elinas and his riches inside a mountain. Pressine is furious that her daughters have punished their father and imposes different punishments upon them. Mélusine is banished from Avalon and cursed to take the form of a two-tailed serpent from the waist down every Saturday. If a man marries her, he must promise never to see her on that day. Should he keep his promise, she can live contentedly with him. If he breaks it, she will remain a serpent and appear in her monstrous form to the noble family, lamenting for three days whenever a descendant dies or the family’s fortress changes hands.

Mélusine settles in a forest near Coulombiers, by a stream close to Poitiers. There she encounters Raymondin, Count of Poitiers, who is distraught after accidentally killing his uncle. She comforts him, and they eventually marry after he agrees never to see her on a Saturday.

For ten years, Raymondin honours his promise. During this time, Mélusine bears him ten sons and oversees the construction of magnificent castles, bringing her husband wealth, lands, and power. Some versions describe their sons as physically deformed, although their parents love them.

Eventually, Raymondin’s family encourages him to grow suspicious of Mélusine’s private activities on Saturdays. He breaks his promise and secretly watches her bathing, discovering that her lower body has taken the form of a serpent. He initially conceals what he has seen. However, after one of their adult sons murders his brother, Raymondin publicly blames Mélusine and calls her a serpent.

Mélusine transforms into a dragon, gives Raymondin two magical rings, and flies away, never to be seen again in public. According to the tale, she returns at night to nurse her two youngest children, who are still infants.

Mélusine’s story became associated with several European ruling dynasties. Medieval literature and folklore claimed that the House of Lusignan, the House of Anjou and its descendants the Plantagenets, and the Limburg-Luxemburg dynasty descended from her. Her legend combines motifs of water nymphs, mermaids, guardian spirits, fairies, and supernatural women whose mysterious nature becomes a source of conflict when their human partners violate a forbidden condition.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Melusine. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melusine