|
Merfolk
Merfolk, Mercreatures, Mermen or Merpeople are legendary water-dwelling, human-like beings. They are attested in folklore and mythology throughout the ages in various parts of the world. Merfolk, Merpeople, or simply Mer refers to humanoid creatures that live in deep waters like Mermaids, Sirens, Cecaelia etc. In English, female merfolk are called mermaids, although in a strict sense, mermaids are confined to beings who are half-woman and half-fish in appearance; male merfolk are called mermen. Depending on the story, they can be described as either ugly or beautiful. Chinese ''rényú'' () stands for "merfolk", but in ancient geographical or natural historical tracts, the term referred to "human-fish" or "man-fish" purported to inhabit rivers or lakes in certain parts of China. The Japanese analogue '' ningyo'' () likewise translates to "human-fish" while, at the same time, having also applied to various human-like fish recorded in writings from medieval times into the Edo Perio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mermaid
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes associated with perilous events such as storms, shipwrecks, and drownings (cf. ). In other folk traditions (or sometimes within the same traditions), they can be benevolent or beneficent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans. The male equivalent of the mermaid is the merman, also a familiar figure in folklore and heraldry. Although traditions about and reported sightings of mermen are less common than those of mermaids, they are in folklore generally assumed to co-exist with their female counterparts. The male and the female collectively are sometimes referred to as merfolk or merpeople. The Western concept of mermaids as beautiful, seductive singers may have been influenced by the sirens of Greek mythology, which w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ningyo
, as the name suggests, is a creature with both human and fish-like features, described in various pieces of Japanese literature. Though often translated as "mermaid", the term is technically not gender-specific and may include the "merman, mermen". The literal translation "human-fish" has also been applied. Overview The earliest records of the ''ningyo'' attested in written Japanese sources are freshwater beings allegedly captured in the 7th century (#Asuka period, §Asuka period), documented later in the ''Nihon Shoki''. But subsequent examples are usually seawater beings. In later medieval times (#Kamakura and Muromachi periods, §Kamakura and Muromachi periods)), it was held to be a sign of ill omen, and its beaching (#Omens in Michinoku, §Omens in Michinoku) was blamed for subsequent bloody battles or calamity. The notion that eating its flesh imparts longevity is attached to the legend of the ('eight hundred [year old] Buddhist priestess', cf. #Yao Bikuni, §Yao Bik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
