Mermaids are attractive creatures because of their mysteriousness. Someone considers them to be an invention, someone believes in real existence. There are many myths, legends, testimonies describing both the appearance of mermaids and meetings with them. These creatures are not cute and friendly. Insidious, cunning, many are very evil. Meeting them can end badly for a person. But this does not stop lovers of the unusual: people are still looking for mermaids.
1. Where the name "mermaid" came from is unknown. Several options arose, but none were confirmed.
2. Can't control water.
3. Do not have strong magical or magical abilities - do not conjure.
4. The only gift is to subdue a person with a glance. The enchanted will do whatever the mermaid orders. There was a rule: if you meet this evil spirits, do not look into her eyes.
5. Read minds.
6. Mermaids are not born. They are girls who drowned themselves because of unhappy love or deceased unbaptized children.
7. It is believed that they are looking for a betrothed: a man who is free or in conflict with his wife. They convince him to go with him - to the bottom. The unhappy one is drowning.
8. Another way to kill a person is tickling. Mermaids tickle to death.
9. May appear in their former homes. They do not harm there, but guard and protect, if you leave the treat.
10. In Slavic mythology, these creatures have no tail. They look like ordinary girls. Only very pale.
11. Meet in the summer. The rest of the time they sleep under water in crystal palaces that are not visible to the human eye.
12. They have long hair, which is worn loose and combed on the beach every moonlit night.
13. The combs were made of fish bones and plated with gold.
14. If the mermaid loses the comb, then it cannot be taken: she will come for it and destroy the whole family.
15. The comb is very important: when combing, water flows from the hair, which refreshes the mermaid's body. Without this ritual, it will dry out.
16. Creation data is often considered to be very beautiful.
17. Among the peoples in the north of Russia, mermaids were described as ugly women.
18. Appear on the surface of the water at dusk and at night. During the day, they gain strength and rest at the bottom.
19. On the shore, they count the stars, admire the night sky and talk to each other.
20. In daylight they become transparent.
21. There is information that they sing beautifully.
22. It is believed that mermaids are afraid of church paraphernalia and profanity (mata).
23. One of the main amulets is wormwood. It is enough to have a small twig with you, which should outline a cross in the air when meeting with an individual. Then catch the eye. Run away and leave alone.
24. Mentions of mermaids are found in written sources from the XII century.
25. Among the Slavic peoples, the beginning of June is the revelry of mermaids. There is a special Russian week. To appease, the girls wove wreaths and left them in the trees. It was believed that this would help the mermaids find their betrothed, and they would not "take" people from the surrounding settlements.
26. Thursday is the scariest day of the Russian week. It is on this day that mermaids kill most of the people. Do not wash, do not swim, do not walk without wormwood - this is the only way to protect yourself.
27. There is a belief that a mermaid can be enslaved by putting a cross on her neck. She will follow all instructions. After 1 year, the spell will subside and the creation will be free.
28. Mermaids are not carnivorous: people, fish, sea creatures are not interested in them as food. What they eat (and whether they eat at all) is unknown.
29. There is a legend that once a mermaid was caught and put in a barrel, but soon she died of hunger. She did not eat any offered seafood.
30. People are drowned while having fun.
31. Not all mermaids have a negative attitude towards people: there were cases of saving drowning children.
32. You can meet in any place where there is a sufficient amount of water: seas, lakes, small bodies of water, even wells.
33. There is a male version - a mermaid.
34. About rusals is known since the 1st century AD.
35. When describing the appearance of mermaids, 2 images are used. First: young, beautiful, wayward with tails like fish and webbing between the fingers. Second: adults, men with long beards, fluffy, disheveled hair.
36. The existence of mermaids was taken seriously: in the 18th century, a special Royal Commission was created in Denmark. Her goal is to find out if mermaids really existed.
37. In the Paris Maritime Museum today you can find the report of the commission that they saw the Rusal.
38. Emperor Peter I was interested in the reality of these mysterious creatures. He tried to find out the facts.
39. The details of descriptions of mermaids / mermaids by different people in different eras were similar. They were systematized by the zoologist from the USA Banze.
40. We met these outlandish creatures all over the world: in Scandinavia, Britain, throughout Europe, in Africa. The Indians of North America had many legends.
