dugong mermaid myth

September 2013. For instance, it has bee… With most of our blue planet covered by water, it's little wonder that, centuries ago, the oceans were believed to hide mysterious creatures including sea serpents and mermaids. Read "Mermaid" in Tagalog. An entity born from the imagination of man, it is but a legend. Dugongs have a very low reproductive rate. Another reason why dugongs are seldom seen is that they breathe through their nostrils. The sirens of Greek mythology (especially the Odyssey), conceived of as half-bird and half-woman, gradually shifted to the image of a fish-tailed woman. The IUCN lists the dugong as vulnerable, as it is extinct or declining in at least one-third of its range. The Portuguese cherished belief in the mermaid, for according to an annalist of the exploits of the Jesuits in India, seven were captured in the Gulf of Mannar in 1560. Mermaids were sought after by collectors and showmen alike to draw crowds, as P.T. It was in such a rapturous fashion that the late Dr Richard Spittel, Sri Lanka's renowned wildlife conservationist, anthropologist, 
and surgeon, once described the Gulf of Mannar, a unique corner of the Indian Ocean nestling between northern 
Sri Lanka and the south-eastern tip of India. The dugong is a truly remarkable animal, yet awareness of its basic characteristics, and even existence in Sri Lankan waters, is badly lacking amongst both the local population and visitors. Nonetheless, three species of manatees and the one dugong species form the animal order of Sirenia, so named in honor of the ‘drunk and lonely sailor’ t… Ask most children and adults, this would be their first memory of a mermaid. (Credit: Wellcome Collection), Captain Hailborne at St. Johns Newfoundland, from Newe Welt und Americanische Historian by Ludwig Gottfried, 1655. Now I just heard on TV (the Spike show "MANswers, not the most reliable of sources, perhaps) that the female dugong has genitals most similar to the human female, and they either implied or said outright that sailors would doink them. William Bond, co-author of The Origins of the Mermaid Myth, points out, a Dutch seaman called Hamel aboard the Sperwer was shipwrecked near … To imagine them as sensual lithe mermaids is a great exercise if you come face to face with a dugong! The little mermaid was based on a story of water nymph in German folklore named Undine (elemental beings) who could only obtain an immortal soul by marrying a human being. Mit einer ausführlichen Erklärung. Myths in the Museum: The Dugong and the Mermaid, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT Tel: +44 (0) 20 7679 2000. The manatee—along with its Pacific Ocean counterpart, the dugong—comes from the order sirenia. For you see mermaids are listed in mythology while manatees and dugongs are known and documented creatures of the sea. This was allowed to be submitted to the members of the Philosophical Society, when it proved to be the Dugong,” as written in England’s Magazine of Natural History. ...It is not surprising that early mariners who caught a glimpse of this strange creature began to speculate on its identityThe mermaid, a beautiful girl to her waist but a fish from the waist down, and her male counterpart, the merman, are still among the most popular of legendary creatures, especially in Northern Europe. Have you ever watched Ariel the little mermaid? The hype began when several astonishingly realistic mermaid ‘specimens’ from Asia — primarily from Japan — made their way to Europe during Japan’s isolation policy under the Tokugawa shogunate. Sri Lanka cannot afford to lose the dugong, 
the mermaid of the Gulf of MannarSo perfectly located are these openings that no other part of either the head or body breaks the water's surface when a surreptitious breath is taken. The Little Mermaid. There is now only 1 species in this family, the other member, Steller’s sea cow, having been exterminated in the 18th century by excessive hunting, only 25 years after its discovery. In her going downe they saw her tayle, which was like the Words Richard Boyle "Over the tranquil sea of the Gulf of Mannar the morning breeze blew fresh. It was a scene of breathless beauty, a glory of the firmament that whispered to the heart of man: It is God.". The Dugong: Mermaid Myth, Modern Reality . Legend has it that in the early 13th century a mermaid washed ashore in Hakata Bay on the Japanese island of Kyushu. Because Sailors used to mistake them for mermaids. What do you need to create a justice system? Journal of Museum Ethnography, (27): 98-116. (Credit: The Mariners’ Museum). Mermaids of Asia: Dugongs, Dragon Wives and the Deep ... co-author of The Origins of the Mermaid Myth, points out, a Dutch seaman called Hamel … On my first Saturday shift as a PhD museum engager, a 7-year-old boy stopped to point and ask his mom what this monster was, and why it had hands. Valentyn, a Dutch chaplain, gives detailed descriptions of them in his account of the Netherlands Possessions in the Indian Subcontinent (1727). While manatees can be very graceful in the water, they typically weigh in at over 1000 pounds and their faces are not easy to mistake for a woman’s face. Henry Wellcome (1853-1936), whose massive collection has been distributed over the years to various museums including our own Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, saw mermaids worth purchasing for their anthropological value; his two specimens are now housed in the Science Museum over in South Kensington, and in the Buxton Museum. 0 1 2 ... Dugongs are thought to have started the myths of mermaids. This contradicts the older tradition, expressed so eloquently by Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595): Since once I sat upon a promontory, And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back,Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath, That the rude sea grew civil at her song, And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, To hear the sea-maid's music. Yes, manatees and dugongs are scientific genus called "sirenia". Dugongs mostly feed at night, especially in areas where there is human interference with their activities. The Viceroy's physician who dissected the carcasses in Goa is quoted as having pronounced their internal structure to be "in all respects conformable to the human". It is termed thus due to its propensity to eat sea-grass - in the Gulf of Mannar the underwater pastures of the genus Cymodocea. He even relates several instances when mermaids were supposedly captured. blacke. Another Dutch chaplain, Baldaeus, was more down-to-earth when he wrote in 1703: "They have a peculiar fish (probably a sea-calf) of an amphibious nature; the females have breasts and give suck, and the flesh, when well-boiled, tastes not unlike our sturgeon, and might easily be mistaken for veal. If we don’t take actions like slowing boaters and reducing fertilizer runoff, we may lose these creatures, and a source of mermaid myth will vanish from the ocean. A relative of the dugong, though much larger, was the Steller's sea cow, which became extinct in the late 1700's due to over hunting. I’ve always heard that manatees and dugongs were the source of the siren and mermaid myths. 11B. Mermaid Myth Dugong Cruise, Monkey Mia Introduction Spend the afternoon on the 60 foot catamaran “Shotover” in search of the mysterious dugong; the only wildlife sailing cruise in Australia to offer scheduled “mermaid” (dugong) watching cruises. 15 myths, legends and facts about mermaids – A mermaid is a female creature which is half-human and half-fish. Was it for real? The Syrian deity Atargatis was a goddess of fertility and a guardian of the Syrian people. Thailand's beloved dugong Mariam found dead with plastic in its intestines. The mom glanced at the display label, read its name, DUGONG, and then stopped and looked at me — what on earth was this note about this animal starting the myth of mermaids? The word mermaid is a compound of the Old English mere (sea), and maid (a girl or young woman). The siren is a distinct classification of aquatic sea life with special characteristics and all of the characteristics are a direct parallel of the mermaid. The dugong and the manatee are related to the myth of sirens, enough to be classified in the order of Sirenians (or Sirenidae). And yet the mermaid is not recognized formally as a true marine creature. Found in warm Indo-Pacific waters, dugongs can … The dugong is an aquatic animal and has a tail like a mermaid. Known as the guardian of the water. As the animal dives, the nostrils close automatically, and it can remain submerged for upwards of five minutes. As Rita Dal Martello has written on our blog before, dugongs and manatees both belong to the animal genus Sirenia, and share the common name ‘sea cow’. The spectacular Ves dance is an experience few visitors to Sri Lanka can afford to miss. Around 1000 BC in Assyria, Atargatis mistakenly killed her lover, a shepherd. While manatees can be found in estuarine and fresh waters, dugongs are strictly marine mammals. The first depiction of a half human-half fish creature is thought to be of the Babylonian water god Oannes as far back as 5000 BCE. Photographer Brian Skerry reveals the creatures once believed to be mermaids. Dugong is derived from the Malay name for the animal, duyong, meaning "lady of the sea". Dugongidae: Dugong Family. The dugong is an aquatic animal and has a tail like a mermaid. Unlike their Western counterparts, the Japanese ningyo, in general, are much less attractive. The dugong skeleton making waves (Grant Museum, Z33). An entity born from the imagination of man, it is but a legend. The myth of humanlike water spirits has perpetuated over the centuries. That it is shy, elusive, and thus cannot be easily observed, adds to the problem. Apart from these factors, the dugong is a slow breeder, because the suckling of its young is a lengthy process. Now I just heard on TV (the Spike show "MANswers, not the most reliable of sources, perhaps) that the female dugong has genitals most similar to the human female, and they either implied or said outright that sailors would doink them. It is this endearing attribute, together with its near-human appearance and proportions when viewed from a distance, which almost certainly resulted in the dugong becoming the basis for mariners' tales of mermaids. From a Picture by Otto Sinding, A Sri Lanka stamp featuring the elusive Dugong. In the 18th and 19th centuries, mermaid specimens held a particular grip on Western popular imagination. The answer, it turns out, is stuffed papier-mache, wire, fish teeth, scales, carved bone and wood! Some have supposed them to be devils or spirits in regard to the whooping noise that they make.". She was so ashamed that she jumped into a lake to transform in a fish. Read on to learn about a possible origin of one of the most famous figures of maritime lore. Scintillating Stones from the Island of Gems, Post Conflict Sri Lanka: Challenges and Regional Stability. Sri Lanka cannot afford to lose the dugong, the mermaid of the Gulf of Mannar. These shy and endangered marine mammals are thought by some to be the inspiration for the mermaid myth and can be found in the whole Indo-Pacific region. There’s a 2.7-meter-long skeleton of a big underwater creature in the Grant Museum of Zoology, right when you enter the main room. ... We believed that dugong was once a human, according to the legend." The way that dugongs rest, with their heads above the waves, may have been the inspiration for the myth of the mermaid. Architecture has been described as ‘frozen history' and here on our little Island that is exactly what it has become... Gems, both precious and semi-precious , are a wonderful 
Sri Lankan resource. Closely linked with the mermaid myth, these alert, shy and curious creatures can live up to 70 years. Shark Bay is one of the world’s largest and most secure population of this endangered mammal species. The idea of mermaid-like creatures might not have totally originated with manatees; it could just be that manatees -- when spotted -- fit the bill. Merfolk (mermaids and mermen) are, of course, the marine version of half-human, half-animal legends that have captured human imagination for ages. The Truth And The Myth About Mermaid. The Defence Seminar is an internationally accepted annual forum for matters relating to national and regional security. Myths in the Museum: The Dugong and the Mermaid. (Photo: Heini Schneebeli). It's a rare and elusive sea creature that can be seen in the coastal waters of Mozambique where it is protected. Several months ago my daughter asked me what I considered a very unusual question. One of these specimens "lived four days and seven hours, but refusing all food, died without leaving any intelligible account of herself". They are often portrayed as creatures with the top half of a monkey and the bottom half of a fish. Filed under Current Engagers, Jen Datiles, Museum Collections, Myths in the Museum, Tags: Grant Museum, museums, Myths in the Museum, natural history, UCL Researchers in Museums, […] is the third segment in the Myths in the Museum series; you can go back and read about the dugong and mermaid, and the narwhal and […], […] Myths in the Museum: The Dugong and the Mermaid […], Myths in the Museum: The Iron-Eater and the Ostrich Egg, Multispectral Imaging of Leonardo da Vinci Drawings, ‘Writing the Law’ Launches at Lambeth Palace Library, Student Engagers Win ‘Oscars of Science Journalism!’. The myth of sirens, which goes back to the civilization of ancient Greece, is as much aged as dugongs are, of which remains dating from 6000 years ago have been found. In the case of one such myth—the presence of mermaids—the story of how the legend came to be is almost as interesting as the myth itself! Nevertheless, there are also ningyo which bear even less resemblance to the mermaids of the West. An illustration of a Dugong. The Gulf of Mannar was well frequented by sailing craft from time immemorial, so it is not surprising that early mariners who caught a glimpse of this strange creature began to speculate on its identity. The equivalent term in Old English was merewif. In addition to the Gulf, the dugong once populated the Island's east coast as Hugh Nevill notes in his journal, The Taprobanian (1885): "Off Batticaloa it is reported by fishermen to live permanently towards Vandeloos Bay, and it is occasionally caught in the outlet of the Batticaloa Lake. This taboo is based on a legend of a woman, who jumps into the sea and changes into a dugong. The most likely explanation for those mermaid sightings reported by sailors both past and present is confusion with other marine creatures, specifically, the manatee or dugong. Like their close kin the manatees, dugongs belong to the order Sirenia, whose members have long inspired mermaid myths across the globe. The idea of mermaid-like creatures might not have totally originated with manatees; it could just be that manatees -- when spotted -- fit the bill. Her Among myths and legends for kids, mermaids are a favorite. The Dutch were also inclined to believe in the existence of mermaids. Mermaid has a very beautiful face, long and curly hair, with alluring voice. So next time you’re at the Grant Museum, take a look at the dugong skeleton. They also have natural predators, such as sharks and crocodiles. as they say they saw her, but her body as big as one of us. Awareness programmes are, thankfully, being planned; of especial importance to fishermen although other conservation measures under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance are urgently required due to the dugong's highly endangered status. What is a Dugong? Though common today as a dance in its own right... Over the tranquil sea of the Gulf of Mannar the morning breeze blew fresh. The endangered dugong is nature's only vegetarian sea mammal. It’s not surprising, then, that sailors spotted these animals from their ship’s deck. Pliny the Elder dedicated an entire chapter of his 1st century book The Natural History to write on the forms of tritons and nereids, describing that “in them, the portion of the body that resembles the human figure is still rough all over with scales.” In the pacific island nation of Palau, where a 3,000-year-old cave drawing of dugongs was found, legends of young women transforming into sea creatures have been passed down over the years; the word dugong, in fact, derives from Malay for ‘lady of the sea’. And these ‘Japanese mermaids’ continue to captivate our interest into the present day, not only out of curiosity but for science and conservation studies; researchers at the nearby Wellcome Collection recently investigated what two of these cleverly constructed specimens (long assumed to be a monkey head sewn to a fish body) are actually made of. THE DUGONG.From Sir J. Emerson Tennent's 'Ceylon'. The famous Disney movie, the magical story by Hans Christian Anderson (1836). 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