Mermaid

Mythical sea being with a woman’s upper body and a fish’s tail, recurring across maritime cultures as an omen and a hazard. The figure descends partly from the Assyrian goddess Atargatis and merges with classical Sirens; sailors’ accounts treated mermaid sightings as portents of storm or shipwreck. Christopher Columbus recorded seeing three “mermaids” off Hispaniola on 9 January 1493, less beautiful than painted, almost certainly manatees. The motif became standard in ship carving and figureheads and remains one of the most widespread maritime mythological figures.