Tails of the Unknown (Mermaids)
Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network
Show Name: Unraveling the Unknown
Episode Title: Tails of the Sea
You are listening to Unraveling the Unknown with your hosts Lily and Tessa.
In this episode of Unraveling the Unknown, the Podcast we will discuss: mermaids and sirens, compared.
Segment 1: Origins and Appearance
First, we are going to discuss the origin of where mermaids and Sirens come from.
The sirens of Greek mythology first appeared in text in the 3rd century BC, in Homer’s epic novel, The Odyssey. Legends of sirens were first used to account for lost sailors who were lured into dangerous waters by the beautiful voices of the treacherous half-bird half-woman monsters.
The main hero of the Odyssey, Odysseus, and his crew were warned by the goddess of sorcery, Circe (sir see), to put soft wax in their ears so that they would not be affected by the siren’s fatal voices. Odysseus, wanting to hear the voice of the sirens, doesn’t clog his ears, but instead asks his crew to tie him to the mast of the ship so he wont be enchanted to his death in the water. However, in this epic, a physical description of the sirens Odysseus faces is missing.
So where does the image of a half-bird, half-woman come from Lily?
In ancient Greek artistry on everything from pots to vases, perfume bottles, and terracotta figurines, the siren is often depicted as a part woman, part bird.
Even earlier than in ancient Greece, ancient Egyptian depictions of half-human, half-bird figures sometimes appeared in correlation with death and the afterlife. The Egyptian symbol of half-human, half-bird could have been translated into ancient Greece’s half- human, half-bird legends of sirens used to symbolize the death of sailors.
Some say that the half-bird half-woman version of Sirens originally came from the Middle East, and over time was passed to Greece through trade routes.
Ovid, an ancient Roman poet, claims that Sirens were originally beautiful women who were turned into bloodthirsty monsters. In some Greek mythology, sirens, were originally nymphs and handmaidens of the goddess Persephone. When she was abducted by the god of the underworld, Hades, Persephone’s mother, Demeter, goddess of harvest and agriculture, sent the nymphs to search for Persephone.
Demeter gave the Nymphs half-bird bodies in order to assist in the search for her daughter. It is said that they eventually retired from the search and settled on the island of Anthemoessa. (ant e mossa), rumored to be near the southwestern coast of Italy. Some legends claim that Demeter cursed the sirens with half-bird bodies in her grief for her daughter because they failed to find her, and banished them to an island.
Over time, sirens being depicted near the sea and water, mixed the half-human, half-bird stories with other similar legends of half-human, half-fish creatures. In one ancient Greek myth, It was said that Alexander the Great’s sister, Thessaloniki (Theh – suh – low – nee – kee), was transformed into a mermaid and sent to the Aegean Sea when she died in 295 BC. She was said to have controlled a great portion of the sea and would question passing sailors. If they answered her correctly, they would have a safe passage, however, if they answered wrong, her wrath would be unleashed and lead to the ships destruction and the death of the sailors. Throughout history, mermaids and sirens have been used to materialize and make sense of the unknown, dangerous, and mysterious sea. No matter what form they take, mermaids and sirens are a manifestation of the feelings of peril and uncertainty the ocean brings for those who choose to venture it.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IYisDTeycY
- https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-mermaid#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20earliest%20mermaid,top%20half%20in%20human%20form.
- https://study.com/learn/lesson/siren-mythology.html#:~:text=Ovid%20claims%20that%20the%20Sirens,of%20art%2C%20as%20a%20mother.
- https://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Seirenes.html#:~:text=Translation&text=THE%20SEIRENES%20(Sirens)%20were%20three,to%20assist%20in%20the%20search.
Segment 2: Storytime
In 2009, in Israel, there was a possible sighting of a Mermaid. Dozens of Locals near Kiryat Yam Isreal claimed to see a mermaid just off the shore. There was rumors saying the creature resembled a young girl, and she would do unexplainable tricks in the water, which attracted crowds of people to watch from all around town.
The Israeli government started to notice this attention growing on this beach and issued a $1 million dollar reward for providing proof of the mermaid, with an authentic photo. NBC even got involved and wanted to get their own image. The film crew stationed on this beach for 4 days straight, night and day, even with underwater cameras. The crew claimed that late one night they spotted a human figure going into the water for a night swim but they never saw it come out, as if this person disappeared into the water.
The research crew did their best to get proof that this human figure was the mermaid but could not trace its location. The research crew took all of the footage they had and transferred it to the Coastal Oceans Research Facility in Los Angeles to see if they could detect any real proof. But when they took a closer look at the images, there wasnt any proof captured of this human figure. However, much remains unexplained about these events, leading many to believe that mermaids could still be real.
Tourists and locals are still on the lookout to get proof of the existence of the Kiryat Yam mermaid. The $1 million dollar reward is still available if you can capture a picture of the mermaid.
Segment 3: Facts
So Tessa, what are your thoughts on mermaids?
Well, around elementary school, I used to watch th shows H2O and mako mermaids. I really hoped that mermaids were real and i found them really fascinating.
I also liked Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which had scary mermaid/siren-esk creatures in the lake. If you’ve seen it you’ll know what i’m talking about- or go watch it if you haven’t. They scared me but I also thought they were really cool because they had gills and could breathe underwater. They could also swim crazy fast.
Yes, I also loved watching all of those Nextilx shows that had to do with mermaids and I would watch and re-watch them especially in the summer. I think Mermaids are such a fun idea, and I used to want to buy a mermaid tail and pretend I was a mermaid in the pool or ocean. I think there could be a possibility that there are mermaids due the fact of how deep and unexplored the ocean is, and I think it would be fascinating if one day there was proof of one.
https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/explored.html
- Yes, it’s crazy that the ocean covers most of our earch yet Only 26.1% of the ocean’s seafloor is mapped, leaving about 73% of the ocean completely unexplored. Being able to swim and breathe underwater like a mermaid would allow us to explore more of the ocean and learn more about it.
Make sure you tune in for our next episode where we will talk about the Jersey Devil!
Thank you for listening!
Music Credits:
Missing Persons by Jeremy Blake
Dead Wrong by Jeremy Blake
Devil’s Organ by Jimena Contreras
Frightmare by Jimena Contreras
Monster Alien Grunt Sleepy- Youtube studios
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