Last updated on April 26th, 2024 at 10:03 pm
The myth of mermaids. Do they exist? Are they real? Stories and descriptions have persisted of these alluring creatures in every culture that involves the sea. To this day they are in our art, literature, mythology and movies.
Even science has theories of an “Aquatic Ape”. That as humans evolved, they went through an aquatic phase. Supporters mention our lack of fur, walking on two legs, the fact that humans out of all the primates can swim and enjoy doing so. Even today, many people live near the sea and forage along the shore, for food or driftwood. We have an inherent love of the sea.
The ocean world still is mostly undiscovered. Are there aquatic species of humans existing beyond our reach of cameras and diving technology?
But all we have right now is eyewitness reports and blurry film clips. My blog is not to denounce or debunk beliefs. But until we have solid evidence, the door is wide open for hoaxsters. Every field of belief has them.
Oldest known hoax is this little oddity. First created by bored seamen you used to find them in curio shops. They are called “Jenny Hanivers.”
Despite their human appearance they are made from a skate or ray. The little face is the mouth and gills on the underside of the ray. The body is cut into sections, are wrapped and shaped into limbs, then set to dry and varnish. They provide a creepy charm. They are now illegal to create and sell. Many skate and ray species are endangered and are given some protection.
PT Barnum at age 25 entered the world of the sideshow when he opened Barnum’s American Museum. After several years he became famous with an incredible find that he called the “Fiji Mermaid”. On loan by a Dr. Griffon, Barnum created pamphlets all throughout the city of New York. Newspapers picked up this story and gave glowing reviews. They ran the picture Barnum gave them of his mermaid.
Huge crowds showed up eager to see her .They found a ghastly little mummified corpse of a monkey grafted with the bottom half of a fish. It stayed at the Barnum Museum for 20 years until it finally ended up at the Peabody Museum.
More recently in 2012, a documentary produced by Discovery and shown on Animal Planet stunned the viewing public with “Mermaids: The Body Found.” They claimed Mermaids were discovered but the knowledge had been hidden by Homeland Security and NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.) The show followed in 2013 with a sequel “Mermaids: The New Evidence “. It was one of the most -watched presentations in Discovery history, surpassing the popular yearly Shark Week. The most startling footage was of two men in a diving vessel at deep sea levels. Something banged into them and the men were shocked to see a webbed human hand. You also saw a shadowy body and a human type face. The piece of footage went viral and was watched by millions.
Then the news came out. It was a fake. The scientists and NOAA personnel were actors. Discovery tried to explain it was speculative science fiction—a “what if.” They said a disclaimer was posted in the end credits that it was with “dramatic re-enactments”. Yes, it was posted, in little letters that lasted for three seconds. They said other specials on Dragons and Bigfoot and monster snakes had been covered. People who watched were furious and were not satisfied. Because it was presented as a serious documentation and hosted by Discovery, respected and highly regarded throughout the world, people believed and felt they had been fooled.
Many even called to cancel their Discovery channel.The public outcry was so great that Discovery announced they would no longer produce misleading programs in the future.
There’s still more. In 2006, this was found on a South African beach. Called the Venda Mermaid, it went all around the cryptozoology sites. It’s creator says it is not a hoax but art . The title is “Cruel Sea.”
The sculptor and creator is Juan Cabana and lives in South Florida. He uses actual skin, scales, fins, bones and teeth of fish and other marine animals to achieve the realistic and uncanny look of animals from older times and older legends.
His galleries are listed here
This one is the Mermaid of Laane.
My favorite is this one—Sea Pixie
Stranded by Juan Cabana
Nerina by Juan Cabana
This mermaid washed up on the beach in various parts of the world. But she was identified easily. Advertisement for Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. (2011)
Found a clip of the lovely, deadly sea -ladies.
And one more last hoax, this time by photoshopping. Was a mermaid skeleton uncovered in Bulgaria?
No, it was a skeleton from a dig in Ireland. A fake researcher and a fake story was added.This came from Worth 1000 ,a very well-known photoshopping site. The photoshopper was The1Calleddano in a contest Archeological Anomalies 13 .
I am quite sure there be more in the future because mermaids have a mystical appeal lasting all thru the centuries. We cannot help falling in love with them!
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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-new-aquatic-ape-theory-67868308
http://hoaxes.org/archive/permalink/the_feejee_mermaid
https://io9.gizmodo.com/u-s-government-insists-that-mermaids-do-not-exist-5923072
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/jenny-haniver-history-fake-mermaid