Mermaids in popular culture

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Mermaids, like many other creatures of mythology and folklore, are regularly depicted in literature, film, music, and popular culture. In the folklore of some modern cultures, the concept of the siren has been assimilated to that of the mermaid. For example, the French word for mermaid is sirène, Italian sirena, and similarly in certain other European languages. This usage existed by the Middle Ages.^[1]

Literature[edit]

Comic books[edit]

• 07-Ghost - The mermaid Lazette sings and plays an organ in a church. She can shapeshift her face into that of other people. If people eat her scales it allows them to breathe underwater.
• Aion - This manga has several mermaids. One of them is named Sheila, The youngest of the mermaids. She falls in love with the main character, Tatsuya.
• Akazukin Chacha - In this manga, a mermaid named Marin falls in love with Riiya. She can change into a human when her tail dries out.
• Arabelle the Last Mermaid by Jean Ache appeared as a comic strip in the daily French newspaper France-Soir between 1950 and 1962. The character returned in various magazines until 1972. Arabelle is discovered by an American plastic surgeon on a Mediterranean island. The surgeon gives her human legs, but she retains her ability to breathe underwater. With her companion, a reformed burglar, Arabelle becomes involved in a series of light, romantic adventures. [1]
• In the manga Black Cat, one of the main characters, Eve, uses nanomachines to give herself transformation abilities, and once she transforms into a mermaid.
• Dragon Ball - In chapter 25, "A Rival Arrives!!", Master Roshi asks Goku to bring him a pretty girl, and if he did, he would train him. Goku finds a mermaid and Master Roshi tries to hit on her. She just slaps him and jumps back into the ocean.
• In the manga/anime Fairy Tail, the main female protagonist, Lucy Heartfilia, uses celestial spirits, one of which is a mermaid called Aquarius. Also, another character, Lisanna Strauss, uses animal-based transformations, one of her tricks being to turn into a mermaid (in an anime-only episode). Furthermore, in the final arc, Lucy and another character, Brandish Mu, are temporarily turned into mermaids when Aquarius takes them to the Memory of the Stars to show them the truth about their mothers.
• Legendz - In the manga, Ken Kazaki's friend Ririko Yasuhara has a mermaid named Tetty.
• Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch - A manga about a group of mermaid princesses who become pop singers and use their voices as weapons against their enemies.
• Mermaid Saga - A manga series by Rumiko Takahashi, which tells that when a person eats the flesh of a mermaid, he can gain immortality, but chances are that the mermaid's flesh will either kill him or transform him into a horrible creatures called "Deformed Ones". Two types of mermaids are shown in the manga. The first may gain human appearance when they eat the flesh of an immortal girl and take on her youthful looks; the second has two legs and feed on the flesh of mermaids who live in water, specifically when they are about to give birth. Besides the flesh, a mermaid's blood, ashes, and liver have different negative effects on humans. Mermaid's blood can sustain a person's youth, but it can't stop their insides from aging, therefore partially tuning them into a Deformed One. Ashes can give flowers immortality, but can only revive dead humans temporarily. A mermaid's liver was used to revive a dead girl, but gave her a need to feed on the livers of living things.
• The manga Monster Musume features a mermaid named Meroune Lorelei, often referred to simply as "Mero", as a major character. She is from a noble family and has an obsession with the classic fairy tale "The Little Mermaid". As a result, she desires a tragic romance.
• My Bride Is a Mermaid - In this manga, the main character, Nagasumi Michishio is saved from drowning by a mermaid, Sun Seto. Afterward, Nagasumi is forced to marry Sun.
• Namor the Sub-Mariner debuted in 1939 as the first superhero of the Marvel Universe. He was born of Homo mermanus, a race of aquatic humanoids. Namor's father was human however, giving him attributes of both races. He is able to exist both on land and at sea, possesses superhuman strength, and can fly via the winglike fins on his ankles. A prince of the undersea kingdom of Atlantis, he would later ascend to the throne as its king. He has a history of hostility towards human civilization but has also been a tenuous ally.
• One Piece - The manga and its franchise has many mermaids, most notably Kokoro, Camie and Princess Shirahoshi.
• Rave Master - The character Celia is a beautiful young mermaid with long blue hair. She is the younger sister of the Queen of the underwater mermaid village, Mildesta. She falls deeply in love with the main protagonist, Haru Glory.
• Starstruck - The character Eeeeeeeeeeluh, a psychic fish woman, has appeared in various incarnations of the science fiction comic series Starstruck, by Elaine Lee and Michael Wm. Kaluta: in the stage play, the comic book stories, a print portfolio, and posters.
• Superman - The comic book superhero Superman had a romantic love interest with a mermaid named Lori Lemaris. Her first appearance was in 1959. The name Lori Lemaris was probably drawn from Lorelei rock in the Rhine added to maris, from the Latin mare, meaning ocean. She has the initials L.L., the same as several of Superman's other love interests including Lois Lane and Lana Lang.
• Urusei Yatsura - In chapter 125, "Pool Spooks! Burning with Forbidden Love", Lum decides to help and with Shinobu's help, they dress as two mermaids.

Films[edit]

Music[edit]

Mermaids have long been associated with music,^{[citation needed]} and much like that of Orpheus, the power of their singing voices is said to have had the ability to enthrall. Along with their legendary vanity, the hair-combing and mirrors, the association of mermaids with music is coupled with another association of a vocal nature: they are said to be able to confer verbal eloquence,^{[citation needed]} much like the Muses of the ancient Greek myths.^{[citation needed]}

• In the 18th-century sea shanty, "The Keeper of the Eddystone Light", the singer's father is a lighthouse keeper and his mother is a mermaid.
• Alexander von Zemlinsky's symphonic poem Die Seejungfrau (The Mermaid), first performed in 1905 but then forgotten until its second performance in 1984, is based on Andersen's detailed fairy story. Zemlinsky briefly explained its plan to Arnold Schoenberg; a more detailed matching of story and music is provided by its second conductor, Peter Gülke.^[11]
• 1985 hit by French duo Les Rita Mitsouko, "Marcia Baila", includes the verse "...la sirène en mal d'amour" (A lovesick mermaid). The song's video clip includes a mermaid.
• Japanese musician Tatsuro Yamashita has a song entitled "Mermaid" in his 1986 album Pocket Music. The song is about a man encountering a mermaid during a summer day.
• In Finnish musician J. Karjalainen's song Merenneito ja minä ("Mermaid and Me"), he describes a wonderful tour in the underwater kingdom with a mermaid with whom he has fallen in love. In the song he is able to breathe under water due to the mermaid's magic medicine.^[12]
• Another Finnish song, Koskenlaskijan morsiamet ("Brides of Log Driver") is about a mermaid who falls in love with a skillful log driver. Unfortunately, he is already engaged to a human woman. When the mermaid sees her love riding the rapids with his human bride, she in a burst of jealousy raises a rock off the river bed, drowning them both. Seeing them drown and die, she immediately regrets her deed, and in the end of the song she is left weeping alone on the rock.^{[citation needed]}
• Joanna Newsom's song "Colleen" tells the story of a girl from the sea who adapts to life on land, but is plagued by dreams and memories of her past. The song is told from the girl's perspective, and it is left open to interpretation whether or not she eventually returns.^[13]
• The music video for "Cherish" by Madonna includes several merman and a merman child.
• Another Madonna music video, Music had an animated Madonna turn into a mermaid while diving into a martini.
• In the music video for "Mermaid Sashimi" by Mexican singer Juan Son, a mermaid is in a restaurant ready for being cooked.
• The mermaiding performers of Weeki Wachee Springs appear in the 2005 music video for the track Low C by Supergrass.^[14]
• The Weeki Wachee Mermaids also briefly appear in the music video for the 2012 Kelly Clarkson song, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You).
• The death metal virtual band Dethklok have a song called "Murmaider," about mermaid murder. In the second episode of the animated series Metalocalypse, the band state that fish had "no good metals to listens to" so they recorded The DethWater Album. "Murmaider" appeared as the first track of the band's real album, The Dethalbum.
• Sade appears as a lovestruck mermaid in the music video for her 1992 single "No Ordinary Love."
• The music video for Ricky Martin's song "She Bangs" features many mermaids.^[15]
• Among the outrageous claims made in the Lonely Island song "I'm On A Boat" is the claim by T-Pain that he has had sex with a mermaid. The video shows an African American mermaid in the background behind T-Pain as he sings this verse.
• Danish bubblegum singer Ni-Ni (Nynne Qvortrup) released an album in Japan and Denmark on February 16, 2001, called Mermaid which included the song "A Mermaid's Tale."^[16]
• Tori Amos references a mermaid in her song Silent All These Years. and was inspired by reading Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid story to her little niece, Cody.^[17]
• Lady Gaga dressed as a mermaid named Yuyi for the video for "You and I."
• Lana Del Rey released a song Mermaid Motel in 2010 on Del Rey's debut album, Lana Del Ray A.K.A. Lizzy Grant.
• In 2007, Japanese pop group SMAP recorded a song titled "Mermaid", which was originally intended as a single, but ended up being released as the 7th track of their 2008 Platinum album, Super Modern Artistic Performance. The song was used for Japanese media coverage of select swimming events during the 2008 Summer Olympics.
• "FT Nesli - Mermaid" sung by Turkish singer Neslihan Evrüz 2008 in English by Burak Yeter from the album Mermaid.
• Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies features a mermaid in the musical number "Beautiful/The Beauty Underneath".
• In 2011, Japanese group Aldious released a single, "Mermaid". The PV had one of the girls of the band as a mermaid.
• In 2011, Finnish symphonic power metal band Nightwish released Imaginaerum, which contained the song "Turn Loose the Mermaids".
• In 2012, French singer Nolwenn Leroy appeared as a mermaid on the cover of her album Ô Filles De L'Eau, and in the music video of her single "Sixième Continent."
• In 2012, American pop rock band Train released a new single titled "Mermaid" from their sixth studio album, California 37.
• The music videos for the Maroon 5 songs "What Lovers Do" (2017) with musician SZA, "Wait" (2018) with swimming team Aqualillies and "Lost" (2021) with model Behati Prinsloo as mermaids are looking on the band's frontman Adam Levine.
• The opera The Enchanted Island features mermaids in the end.
• The music video for the 2016 Twice song, "TT (song)" Chaeyoung is The Little Mermaid
• The music video for the 2018 song “Only You” by Cheat Codes ft. Little Mix features an LGBT narrative with a mermaid and a lonely girl.
• The 2020 humoristic song "Aquamann" by German satirical musician "King Krümel" features refrain Singer "Zirena" as mermaid.
• In the 2021 music video, "In the Morning" by Jennifer Lopez who transform into a mermaid.

Television[edit]

• Many comedy series, such as Family Guy and Robot Chicken, satire mermaids' inability to reproduce without genitalia.
• In the Japanese tokusatsu television subgenre (and its Americanized counterpart), there are a few mermaid-based elements:
  • Dengeki Sentai Changeman (1985) is the design theme for the heroes of which was mythological creatures – Sayaka Nagisa (Hiroko Nishimoto) transformed into a white-colored ranger called Change Mermaid. Some of her attacks were based on underwater movement.
  • The short film Hikari Sentai Maskman (1987) features a mermaid named Lelai, who is tricked into using her beautiful singing voice to create earthquakes that would destroy the world.
  • In Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue (2000), Blue Ranger Chad Lee befriends and falls in love with a mermaid named Marina (Kamera Walton). She appears in only two episodes, "Ocean Blue" and "Neptune's Daughter"; the second time forced to lure the Lightspeed Rangers into a trap. (No mermaid appeared in the previous original 1999 Japanese series, Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo-V.)
  • Mahou Sentai MagiRanger (2005) - Urara Ozu (Asami Kai) harnessed the power of the water Heavenly Saint Splagel, who is a mermaid; thus, Urara's MagiMajin form is MagiMermaid (whose legs can merge to allow her to swim underwater). However, when she upgrades halfway through the series into her Legend form, her body joins with her two older brothers and younger sister to form the Legendary Majuu MagiLion. Then in Power Rangers: Mystic Force which aired the following year, Madison Rocca (Melanie Vallejo) is the Blue Mystic Force Ranger. She draws her powers from an ancient titan who was shaped as a mermaid. Since the giant monster battle footage from PRMystic Force is taken directly from MagiRanger, Madison's giant Mystic Mermaid form mirrors that of Urara's MagiMermaid.
    • Madison's name is perhaps an intentional pun and tip of the hat since that was the name of the mermaid character played by Daryl Hannah in the 1984 film Splash.

• In the 1973-1974 anime 'Cutie Honey', one of Honey Kisaragi's transformations is a mermaid, which she uses to survive harsh weather conditions at sea.

Video games[edit]

• Aquaria – Players control the mermaid-like character Naija.
• Ariel and other characters from Disney's The Little Mermaid appear as supporting characters in the Kingdom Hearts video game series, a crossover between various Disney franchises and Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise. Attina and Andrina, two of Ariel's mermaid sisters, make cameos in Kingdom Hearts II during its final musical number.
• One of the many bosses from Cuphead is Cala Maria, a gigantic mermaid who has a lot of sea creatures fighting by her side.
• Donkey Kong 64 – There is a blondheaded blue mermaid princess (with a silver tiara on her head) who lives in her seashell home at Gloomy Galleon and needs 5 pearls, so Tiny Kong is tasked to go small and retrieve the pearls for her so she can give her the Golden Banana.
• Double Dealing Character – In the fourteenth title of the Touhou Project series, a mermaid named Wakasagihime serves as the game's first boss. She has the ability to increase her strength when in water.
• Eliza was a second boss from Gokujo Parodius, made a cameo in Sexy Parodius in Stage 2, which a Pachinko of CR Gokujo Parodius, and Otomedius in Stage 1, voiced by Hitomi Nabatame.
• Feeding Frenzy and Feeding Frenzy 2 – A mermaid gives starfish for bonus points after successful levels.
• The Goonies II – The climax of the game involves rescuing a mermaid.
• Insaniquarium – The puzzle game published by PopCap Games features a mermaid named Meryl who appears as the hostess of the game. She also appears as a pet and her ability is that she sings, which makes the guppies drop more money.
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening – On Koholint Island, there is a mermaid named Martha who lives in a bay. She states that she has lost her necklace because of the ocean waves. After Link retrieves her necklace, Martha gives him a mermaid scale in return.
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass – Link encounters what he at first believes is a real mermaid, but later discovers she is a Hylian girl named Joanne who enjoys dressing up as a mermaid. She is involved in several side quests.
• In Nintendo's The Legendary Starfy series, a character named simply "Mermaid" is used to save the game. When the player character, Starfy, bumps into the shell she lives in, the game saves.
• Mega Man 9 – Splash Woman's design is based on the appearance of a mermaid.
• The Sims – Mermaids was introduced from The Sims 3: Island Paradise and The Sims 4: Island Living'.
  • Mermaids are a new "life state" introduced in The Sims 3: Island Paradise and The Sims 4: Island Living.
• The Pokémon Primarina, a Water/Fairy-type, is based on both a mermaid and a sea lion.
• In the game No Straight Roads, Sayu, the second member of the Megastars, is a mermaid and a virtual pop idol. The heroes Zuke and Mayday battle her in Akusuka, the district of Vinyl City under her control.
• Puyo Puyo – The Japanese puzzle game series from Compile (later owned by Sega) features a mermaid named Serilly (Seriri in Japan) who believes that everyone is trying to eat her, due to the belief that eating mermaid flesh will grant immortality.
  • The mobile game Puyopuyo!! Quest features five additional mermaids as part of the Tropical Merfolk series in the game.
• Return of the Obra Dinn – This mystery game incorporates many naval myths of the 18th/19th century, including the myth of mermaids.
• Mermaids appear in Shantae games like Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero.
• The Marai creatures from the League of Legends lore, featuring Nami.

Professional wrestling[edit]

• In 2013, while signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (now Impact Wrestling), female wrestler SoCal Val did a photoshoot in costume as Disney's Ariel.^[20]

See also[edit]

• Fiji mermaid
• Goddess of the Sea (Visbal), sculpture
• Lorelei
• Sea monk
• Sirenia

References[edit]