Legends of mermaids have been a popular nautical subject with tales of sightings handed down through generations. It is now believed that sightings by sailors may have actually been manatees being spotted.
The manatee has a human like appearance and surfaces to breathe air and to eat sea grass. The manatee holds its flippers out in front, which in low light - or moonlight - gives them a human like appearance. A human in an upright standing position.
Mermaids are given attributes of positive beauty calling to sailors. Beautiful half fish and half human. Two of the myths surrounding the mermaid legend are their ability to bestow special magical powers to humans and their ability to foretell the future. Another myth related to mermaids - and this was illustrated in the movie Splash with Tom Hanks, and of course, The Little Mermaid - is the yearning mermaids have to be human and their tendency to fall in love with human males.
This desire to be with human men brings up a more sinister part of the mermaid makeup. They are said to lure sailors with their siren song. The irresistible song entices the sailor to join them in the sea, luring them to their deaths.
