Mermaids are legendary aquatic creatures with the heads and upper bodies of female humans and the tails of a fishes. Two appeared in "Return of Squint", while Squint's original ship had a Mermaid for the masthead.
Characteristics[]
In their traditional forms, Mermaids are beautiful looking women, who seem to emit a golden light that attracts human men towards them. This is an effective trapping tactic in luring victims, as the Mermaids beauty instantly fades away when they reveal their true selves to be skeletal creatures with hair made up of writhing serpents, akin to the the deadly Medusa, another famed folklore.
Role[]
In the underwater city of Milkatunda, a pair of beautiful looking Mermaid seemed to have taken residence over the city since it sank to the bottom of the sea, centuries ago. The Mermaids entranced all the men in their presence, but not Judy Shepherd, who succeeded in snapping Alan Parrish out of his trance. Unlike Alan and Peter Shepherd, Captain Ishmael Squint and his two men Shreve and Shatic were lured into the city and discovered to their horror too late that the Mermaids were monstrous and they all vanished into nothing.
Origins[]
Depending on the given story, merfolk have been recognised worldwide as usually beautiful water-dwelling human-like beings, attested in folklore and mythology throughout the ages in various parts of the world. Female merfolk may be referred to as mermaids, although in a strict sense mermaids are confined to beings who are half-woman and half-fish in appearance.
Mermaids are also reputed among sailors as symbolism of bad omens, sometimes associated with perilous events such as floods, storms, shipwrecks, and drownings. In other folk traditions (or sometimes within the same traditions), they can be benevolent or beneficent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans.
