Overview and etymology
The word is a compound of mere, the Old English word for "sea", and maid, a woman. The male equivalent is a merman.Much like sirens, mermaids will sing to people or to gods to enchant them, distracting them from their work and causing people to walk off a ship's deck or to run their ship aground. Other stories depict mermaids squeezing the life out of drowning men while attempting to rescue them. They are also said to carry humans down to their underwater kingdoms. In Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, it is said that mermaids forget that humans cannot breathe underwater, while other stories say they drown men out of spite, while still other fables portray mermaids as benevolent toward men.[citation needed]
The sirens of Greek mythology are sometimes portrayed in later folklore as mermaid-like; in fact, some languages use the same word for both bird and fish creatures, such as the Maltese word 'sirena'. Other related types of mythical or legendary creatures are water fairies (e.g., various water nymphs) and selkies, animals that can transform themselves from seals to humans.[WIKIPEDIA)
REAL LIFE GORGEOUS MERMAIDS
Checkout Hannah Fraiser, you may not have heard of her, but RBT will tell you.."This woman is the closest example to a Mermaid"
Have we got you inspired?
If you want to get that sexy Mermaid look for Halloween, or simply to play dressup.. This is one of the best videos I found.
