The Creepiest Real-Life Mermaid Evidence
The First Mermaid Was The Result Of A Suicide Attempt
Perhaps the oldest known mermaid myth is the Syrian tale of Atargatis. She was a goddess who fell in love with a human shepherd — but her divine strength accidentally took his life. Overcome with grief and guilt, Atargatis attempted to take her own life in the ocean.
Gods usually turned into fish when they dove into the sea, but the goddess was too beautiful for that fate. The transformation stopped halfway through, and she became the first mermaid.
Rusalki Are The Vengeful Spirits Of Girls Who Passed Violently
In Russian folklore, rusalki are the spirits of women who took their own lives or were submerged in water until passing due to unwanted pregnancies. Their souls lived on forever in the form of vengeful mermaids who punished men and children for their fate.
If you met a rusalka, she would lure you in with her beauty and make you feel safe with her soothing voice. Once you were in her grasp, she would hold you underwater until you passed. In some versions of the story, she would instead tickle you to your end while she laughed herself.
Irish Mermaids Are Seals Looking For Their Skins
In Irish folklore, selfies are seal-women. When these creatures want to go on land, they simply peel off their seal skins and reveal their human forms, stowing their skins behind rocks. Unfortunately for them, any man can make a selkie his bride if he steals her skin (as long as he keeps the skin in a hidden place and oils it frequently).
Selkie love stories always end in tragedy for the men and their half-selkie progeny, as land-bound selkies never stop hunting for their skins. They inevitably find them and return to the sea, never to see their husbands or children again.
