concept: deep sea mermaids with dark eyes and glowing pupils, deep sea mermaids that are 70 feet long, deep sea mermaids older than written language speaking a dead and foreign tongue forgotten by surface mermaids, deep sea mermaids being heard conversing through clicks and rumbles from far down submarines
🌊 should you ever come across a mermaid who asks ask you “is (king) alexander alive?” (or, "Ζει ο Βασιλεύς Αλέξανδρος;“) always reply with “he lives and reigns and conquers the world” (“Ζει και βασιλεύει και τον κόσμον κυριεύει”), otherwise she will be angered and curse you. this is from a greek legend in which alexander the great’s sister was turned into a mermaid in her death.
🌊 in european/british mermaid lore, a mermaid who tells you that you are near shore/land, has doomed you for the opposite. however, telling you you will never see the shore again is just as dooming.
🌊 speaking to mermaids often results in storm activity, as they tend to bring it with them.
Weather Magic – whether it’s because a mermaid was captured and inclement weather dooms and follows whoever took them, or simply a power the mermaid has, this is something that happens often in mermaid lore. the weather and mermaids are almost intrinsically tied to one another. (ex: Sea Mithers, Ningyo, Cecelia)
Disguise – many mermaids have the ability to disguise themselves as something appealing to humans, or to hide themselves from humans entirely. the ability to transform comes in many shapes, from a cap or coat to mystical powers. (ex; Melusina, Merrow, Finfolk, Ceasg, Selkie)
Enchanted Voice – perhaps the most famous quality of a mermaid is the voice, as throughout mythology they are known for their beautiful singing. it is also a common theme that their voices can bewitch the listeners, though sometimes for less than virtuous reasons. (ex; Siren, Merrow)
Drowning – drowning can be interpreted in both the physical and metaphysical sense, to drown the spirit of a person and surround it with negative energy that is hard to rid.
Granting Wishes / Prosperity – just as a mermaid might curse varying types of doom and damnation and bad weather on those who harm or threaten them, there are those that will bless those kind to them, often with wealth and good weather. (ex; Ben-varrey, Ceasg)
Prophecy – some mermaids, though less heard of, may even prophesize the future for a human, though their reasons for doing so are often unknown. (ex; Siren, Amabie)
Crying Pearls – though it is little more than a curiosity that pops up in lore, the idea that mermaids are able to cry tears of pearls is present, though its purpose or reason is unknown. (origins in chinese lore, but doesn’t refer to any specific kind of mermaid)
Certainly! As with any mythical creature, keep in mind that our interpretations of these supernatural beings have changed over time and continue to evolve. While it is always a good idea to gather as much knowledge about them as possible, don’t feel constrained by it. Feel free to give the being a new interpretation and to be creative in how you tell the story.
we always talk about that forbidden love between a merperson and a human when theyre young and beautiful and stuff and they stay together bc its “true love” or theyre soulmates
but what about after they age? when both of them have creaky joints and white hair and yet the human walks down to the sea every day to meet their love and the merperson still finds the human beautiful? and yeah, maybe the human village all knows about the long lasting romance between the human and the merperson or maybe they just think that the old human is crazy, going down to the ocean to swim at their age
and merpeople dont normally live as long as this one has and they dont want to admit it but they cant quite see in the sunlight anymore but when they feel the human’s hands slipped into their own they realize it doesnt matter, that their love is eternal
and the language barrier between them has lessened but they still laugh at the mispronunciation of different words or this silly dolphin that wont leave their fellow merperson friend alone or that cat that follows the human around and bats the merperson’s long hair or a bit of seaweed around
and around them both of their worlds change but their love stays the same despite the lingering doom that one day one of them might not wake up or the other would finally meet that shark that took a inch out of their fin about thirty years ago and craves the rest of them
but that doesnt matter because they hold their frail hands together and watch the sunset and gossip and they love each other, so thats all that matters to them.
ImagineCreateDevour 