Listen to hear about the history of mermaids/sirens, the major historical figures who documented their sightings, Mami Wata, La Sirène, and mermaids today.
Cultural & Myth Background Sources
- Homer’s Odyssey – Sirens lure Odysseus with their song.
Perseus Digital Library – Odyssey, Book XII - Ovid’s Metamorphoses – Sirens as maidens transformed after Persephone’s abduction.
Perseus Digital Library – Ovid, Metamorphoses V - British Library Blog – Medieval depictions of mermaids and mermen in manuscripts.
Of Mermaids and Mermen – British Library - Encyclopedia Britannica – Overview of mermaid lore in history and literature.
Mermaid – Britannica - Wikipedia – Global mermaid traditions (Ningyo, Rusalka, etc.).
Mermaid – Wikipedia - Encyclopedia Britannica (Rusalka) – Slavic mythology of dangerous water spirits.
Rusalka – Britannica
Transformation of Sirens into Mermaids
- British Library Blog – Of Mermaids and Mermen – Medieval manuscripts depicting Sirens/mermaids, mirrors and combs as symbols of vanity.
British Library Blog - Encyclopedia Britannica – Mermaid – Cultural and literary overview of mermaids through history.
Mermaid – Britannica - Wikipedia – Mermaid (Global Lore) – Cross-cultural traditions including Sirens’ shift from bird to fishtail in the Middle Ages.
Mermaid – Wikipedia - Encyclopedia Britannica – Rusalka – Slavic mythology: water spirits luring men to watery deaths.
Rusalka – Britannica - Public Domain Review – Mermaids and Tritons in the Age of Reason – Explains Linnaeus’s 1749 scientific interest and medieval bestiary depictions of fishtailed Sirens.
Public Domain Review
Historical Sightings & Non-Fiction Accounts
- Christopher Columbus (1493) – Reported mermaids near Haiti.
Lethbridge News Now – Mermaid Sightings
Ripley’s – Mermaid Myths - Captain John Smith (1614) – Claimed sighting of a green-haired mermaid.
Lethbridge News Now – Mermaid Sightings - Scottish Sightings (1809) – Reported mermaids off the coast of Thurso, Scotland.
Mimi Matthews – Mermaid Sightings in the 19th Century - Carl Linnaeus (1749) – Responded to reported mermaid in Sweden, urged scientific study.
Public Domain Review – Mermaids in the Age of Reason - Mermaid Sightings Archive – Compiled global reports from fishermen and locals.
Rubens ANU – Mermaid Sightings
Sources for Story 2: Mami Wata
- Encyclopedia Britannica – Mami Wata
Overview of worship across Africa; associated with wealth, fertility, healing, danger, and water spirits.
Mami Wata – Britannica - Wikipedia – Mami Wata
Details on iconography (mirrors, combs, snakes), spread across Africa and the diaspora, psychological/clinical accounts.
Mami Wata – Wikipedia - American Museum of Natural History – Mythic Creatures: Becoming Mermaids
Explains her evolution, blending African water spirits with Indian snake-charmers and European mermaid imagery.
AMNH – Becoming Mermaids - Medium (Kevin Garwood) – Cultural Confluences: The Evolution of Mami Wata
Discusses how Mami Wata became a global icon by merging African, Indian, and European influences.
Medium – Cultural Confluences - Wikipedia – Mami Wata (Psychiatric Studies in Liberia)
Notes from 1960s psychiatry studies showing possession cases where men described being taken by Mami Wata, gaining wealth or gifts, then punished for disobedience.
Mami Wata – Wikipedia (Psychology & Psychiatry section) - Rubens ANU – Mermaid Sightings Archive
Includes African fishermen’s reported encounters with Mami Wata in rivers and oceans.
Rubens ANU – Mermaid Sightings
Sources for Story 3: La Sirène
Background & Role in Vodou
- Wikipedia – La Sirène (Vodou)
Overview of La Sirène as a loa in Haitian Vodou: wife of Agwé, associated with the sea, music, dreams, luxury, and transformation.
La Sirène – Wikipedia
Symbolism & Rituals
- Vodou Symbols and Worship Practices (via Wikipedia references)
Details on her attributes: mirrors, combs, jewelry, perfumes, and blue/white cloth. Associated with sacred numbers, dreams, and offerings.
La Sirène – Wikipedia - Hermit’s Journey Blog – La Sirène
Personal reflections on encounters with La Sirène: dreams of mirrors, turquoise waters, sacred numbers like seven, and her role in transformation.
Hermit’s Journey – La Sirène
Encounters & Experiences
- Anthropological Reports on Vodou (via Vodou studies summarized in Wikipedia)
Devotees describe being drawn into her underwater palace in visions or trances, returning with gifts of music, wealth, or insight but also obligations.
La Sirène – Wikipedia - Hermit’s Journey Blog – Firsthand Experiences
Specific dream encounters: turquoise oceans, breathing underwater, mirrors as portals, and La Sirène’s presence as both beautiful and terrifying.
Hermit’s Journey – La Sirène - Wikipedia – La Sirène (Vodou)
- Mentions her role as a loa of the sea, beauty, wealth, and artistic inspiration.
- Notes that she may take devotees underwater to her palace, returning them transformed.
La Sirène – Wikipedia
- Hermit’s Journey Blog – La Sirène
- Personal testimonies: dreams of turquoise waters, mirrors, the number seven.
- Describes feelings of awe and fear, interpreting these visions as direct encounters with her.
Hermit’s Journey – La Sirène
- Vodou Ritual Studies (cited in Wikipedia)
- Anthropological notes on possession: devotees mounted by La Sirène move like waves, comb their hair, gaze into mirrors, or collapse as if drowning before “rebirth.”
- Songs and drumming associated with her ceremonies.
La Sirène – Wikipedia
- Sacred Vodou Texts & Secondary Sources (via Wikipedia references)
- Accounts of her granting wealth, music, artistic inspiration, but demanding obligations such as celibacy or offerings.
- Punishments for disobedience: illness, madness, misfortune.
La Sirène – Wikipedia
Sources for Story 4: Mermaids Today
Sideshow Hoaxes & Pop Culture
- Fiji Mermaid – The British Library
Ripley’s Believe It or Not – Mermaid Myths & Hoaxes
- Covers Barnum’s Fiji Mermaid and other sideshow fakes.
- Mentions cultural fascination with mermaids.
Ripley’s – Mermaids
Modern Sightings & Media
- NOAA – Ocean Facts: Are Mermaids Real?
- Official U.S. government site stating there is “no evidence of aquatic humanoids.”
- Became popular after Discovery Channel aired a fictional “documentary.”
NOAA – Are Mermaids Real?
Discovery Channel – Mermaids: The Body Found (2012)
Smithsonian Magazine – Mermaids and the Human Imagination
- Explains why mermaids continue to captivate us—symbolism, mystery of the ocean, and cultural endurance.
Smithsonian – Mermaids
News Reports & Cultural Belief
- ABC News – ‘Mermaid Sightings’ Cause Panic in Zimbabwe (2012)
BBC – Zimbabwe’s Mermaids: Tradition Meets Modernity
Ambience for each story:
Sea travel | Royalty-free Music - Pixabay by Freesound_Community on Pixabay
Siren Singing:
Bittersweet Horror Vocals: A Siren's Melody | Royalty-free Music - Pixabay by AlesiaDavina on Pixabay
Flute Music:
Native Flute Transition 4 | Royalty-free Music - Pixabay by floraphonic on Pixabay
Harp Music:
029478_harp arpeggios | Royalty-free Music - Pixabay by Freesound_Community on Pixabay
Videos Mentioned about Man Filming Sirens
A fisher man has live footage of sirens or Mermaid Screams !! ( Must watch ) #mermaid #government
Dolphin singing and a mermaid caught on the same fisherman😱😱 ©️.sauce.90 || Tiktok Videos ||
Picture of the Fiji Mermaid Exhibit
The Fiji Mermaid: What Was It and Why Did It Garner Such Interest? - Historic Mysteries
