A fish? A human? It’s a Mermaid!

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Myths have been used to tell creative stories and then passed on to generations. A myth like a mermaid, a human with fish like body, can be seen in many books and movies. For example, The Little Mermaid movie may be considered a movie intended for children but the messages conveyed are enriched with the relationship between humans and the sea. Seeing figures like Ariel as well as Mami Wata, another figure referred to as the Goddess of the Sea, it makes me wonder how significant the image of a mermaid can be.
Mermaids seem to frequently appear like women with beauty and power. They represent the sea and its creatures as a whole. In The Little Mermaid, we see that Ariel tries to hide from the prince after her first interaction with him. As curious as she can be, it seems like there is a barrier between her and the human world. That raises a question. Why does the image or myth of mermaid still exist? Well, humans invent things to improve their lifestyles and develop their society. However, their inventions may lead to consequences like water pollution, deforestation etc. So, I think myths like Mami Wata encourage people to appreciate the sea and believe in becoming one with the sea.
After watching a short documentary about Mami Wata by 34thState, many people expressed their respect not only to the figure of Mami Wata but also the sea where she is said to reside. Mami Wata is also significant in representing women who are generally degraded by society. I wonder what makes it significant that it’s a mermaid. In other words, Mami Wata could have possibly be named ‘Mami Nature’ but the name specifically focuses on the huge body of water. From my thinking, there is this beauty in mermaids that draw people’s attention. Many people want to be connected to such power and they make stories that connect to them. It is said that Mami Wata comes to your dreams or uses telekinesis to contact ‘the chosen one.’ On the other hand, we see Ariel getting married to a prince who was born human. They are told from different parts of the world and yet they have a similar fusion. These two concepts relate to show that humans can live in harmony with the sea. It may not be as important whether mermaids or Mami Wata exist. I think what’s important is how their stories can impact the attitude humans have towards nature.

 

57 thoughts on “A fish? A human? It’s a Mermaid!”

  1. Whu, I really like how you relate Ariel to the Mami Wata. These two share much in common from their relations to humans and what they represent to the human eye. I enjoyed how you brought into notion that as children, we don’t notice the real messages hidden within the movie. We see the outer layer and believe things are as they seem, but as we grow, our perspective changes. Your intro poses a question we commonly overlook, what’s the significance of the mermaid-like figure? We’re in a fast-paced world that’s all about innovation, that often has to do with the destruction of the land set forth on us. As you said, by having and praising the Mami Wata, it gives an incentive to preserve and protect the sea. I really appreciate how you go about answering that. One of the most powerful things you mention in your post is how Mami Wata represents women who are degraded by society. The Mami Wata give life and hope to women who praise her. She’s just like them. The Mami Wata is more than a mythical figure, rather she is an inspiration.

    Although I really like your insights and thoughts, if you were to turn this into an essay you should be more clear for what you’re arguing. To me, I got a little lost in your blog post because you seem to be jumping from claim to claim. As I thought your blog post was going to be about why the image of Ariel and Mami Wata are the way they are, you kind of avoid it and talk about topics that relate it for example the barrier between humans and the sea. Maybe in the first paragraph of your paper, mention how Ariel and the Mami Wata both are similar to powerful women but are not portrayed this way in reality. You’re at a really good starting point, I think the comparison between Ariel and the Mami Wata would be a very interesting topic with all your insightful thoughts, but you would have to make them more clear. It seems like you say things about the Mami Wata and forget to mention The Little Mermaid. Since you started your paragraph by introducing the two, as the reader I was expecting more common themes between them. Also, perhaps you could write your paper on the claim you make in the last paragraph, how humans can live in harmony with the sea. Both The Little Mermaid and Mami Wata constantly portray that as one of their main themes. Ariel’s thoughts on humans vs her dads and the human’s thoughts on the Mami Wata vs what the Mami Wata thinks of them.

  2. I agree with you on the fact that the image of mermaids exist to help protect nature, however, if we protect nature through the Mami Wata, why does she still instigate flooding and other natural disasters?

  3. Hi, Wu I agree with you that “Mermaids seem to frequently appear like women with beauty and power. They represent the sea and its creatures as a whole.”, as Mami Wata has the power to “support and protect” people, and she also represents “destroy and violence” at the same time.
    However, I have some different ideas of why the myths still exist. The sea sometimes can be beautiful and can bringing food and fortune to people, while sometimes, there will be horrible storms that can break the huge boat and drown the people. As myths always origin a long time ago, at that time, people do not have the ability to explore the truth under the water, and cannot explain why extreme weather happens while sailing. Thus, they create a symbol of the mermaid, to show the beauty and crucial of the sea that can give a possible answer of why all these happens. Now in the 21 centuries, although we have cutting edge technology like sonar that can help explore the underwater landscape and creatures, and has already found a lot of animals live in the sea, we still have limited knowledge of the sea, for example, the Bermuda Triangle. Myths can always keep people being curious, and pay effort to explore the sea. Also, the myths can be a good way to attract tourist to boost the whole tourism industry and can be a pillar of the whole economy in some poor area.

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