Are mermaids real?
A marine biologist reveals whether a half-human, half-fish could survive beneath the waves
by STEPHEN KELLY
ILLUSTRATION: JASON LYONS
The myth of the mermaid has endured for centuries. In Ancient Syria, people worshipped Atargatis, a halfhuman, half-fish goddess who ruled over fertility. Then in Ancient Greece, sailors would set out to sea in fear and lust of the siren, who, if given the chance, would sing them to their deaths. And of course, there is Hans Christian Andersen’s 19th-Century fairy tale The Little Mermaid, which has been adapted by Disney yet again, this time in live action. But how much truth is there in the myth? Does the idea of humanoid fish (or is it fishy humanoid?) have any legs? Or is it just fishful thinking?