Are there real living mermaids in real life: eyewitness stories, photos and videos about mermaids, all the evidence of the world. Mermaids: who are they

Where can you meet a mermaid
Mysterious mythical mermaids: who are they, and where do they live? Where Ruslaks live, live Many legends have been written about mermaids and many literary works have been written. WITH long ago these creatures are a mystery, attracting the attention of people.

For each individual people in all localities, the mermaids are all different. For some, they are kind creatures, singing delightful songs with pleasant and tempting voices. Others, on the contrary, consider mermaids to be vengeful and evil creatures. What are these mysterious creatures really, and where do mermaids live? Water is not the only habitat for mermaids. Coming out of Troitsyn, they scatter in different directions - some in the field, some in the woods or grove. The place of residence for them is a birch or willow, bent over the water. When the moon appears in the sky, mermaids start festivities with games and songs, and echo among themselves, swinging on the branches. And in those places where mermaids live, bread will be born more abundantly, and the grass grows greener and thicker.

What are they in reality, with what appearance, and where do mermaids live? Where do mermaids live? Ordinary people associate mermaids with charming women with luxurious loose hair, and their peculiarity is that only the upper part of the body they look like a person, and the legs are replaced by a fish tail. By ancient beliefs and legends, mermaids are presented in an image that is very close to the description of a person. The places where mermaids live are small ponds and lakes, as well as trees. The ancient Slavs distinguished several types of mermaids: - river - tree - field - sea mermaids. The place where tree mermaids are found can be ordinary trees. For example: apple trees, willows, oaks. These mermaids can be found in groves and forests, away from places where people live. Tree mermaids are harmless in nature, they do not attack people. They just sit on the branches and comb their beautiful long hair. There are legends that they often provided help to people who got lost on the way. But it also happened that people were deliberately directed into the depths of the forest, thus trying to play with them. River mermaids are represented by those that inhabit the river bed. As a rule, young girls appear in the form of mermaids, who have surprisingly green eyes and an impeccable figure. They have loose hair and a scaly tail that serves as legs. Possessing a lovely voice, they could bewitch any person and drag him under the water. River mermaids also include those that live in wells, lakes and shady creeks. Distinctive feature The mermaid from the common man is pale skin color, ice cold hands, and a greenish tinge of hair. Field mermaids look completely different - they are ordinary, identical to the human image, and with legs. The attire for them is a white long shirt. Often they are found completely naked. And their hair must be loose. Where do these mysterious mermaids live? Judging by the name, it is easy to guess that the field serves as a haven for them. When the moon appears in the sky, they dance in circles. Songs are their element, and mermaids also love to weave wreaths of plants and flowers. Field mermaids usually keep in groups. Field mermaids are afraid of people, so they try to get out of the way in advance to avoid a meeting. When hiding behind the leaves of bushes, it is even possible to watch mermaids dance in circles. Although mermaids do not see a person, they feel him with their instinct. As soon as there is any danger, they immediately dissolve into the air. Even in Western mythology, sea mermaids were quite common. By their appearance, they are very similar to river ones. They differ in that they are not drowned, but the daughters of Triton, the underwater king. They are pretty enough and passionate about all kinds of decorations - precious stones, necklaces and others. There are many legends that tell that the captains of the ships were simply enchanted by mermaids. As a result, the ship ended up on the reefs, and the sailors all went to the bottom. But the scientific knowledge of the world in the present modern time compares such legends and events of the past with fables and myths. If you think about such events, it seems that mermaids, even if they are considered fabulous creatures, have a right to exist. If so, then where do mermaids live? The best option for them it will probably be that people do not know about it longer. But next to this, a person still has the hope that someday there will be evidence and facts that will confirm the existence of mermaids. And now all that remains is to wait for information about the new facts that have appeared ...

Mysterious mythical mermaids: who are they, and where do they live? Where Ruslaks live, live Many legends have been written about mermaids and many literary works have been written. For a long time, these creatures have been a mystery, attracting the attention of people. For each individual people in all localities, the mermaids are all different. For some, they are kind creatures, singing delightful songs with pleasant and tempting voices. Others, on the contrary, consider mermaids to be vengeful and evil creatures. What are these mysterious creatures really, and where do mermaids live? Water is not the only habitat for mermaids. Coming out of Troitsyn, they scatter in different directions - some in the field, some in the woods or grove. The place of residence for them is a birch or willow, bent over the water. When the moon appears in the sky, mermaids start festivities with games and songs, and echo among themselves, swinging on the branches. And in those places where mermaids live, bread will be born more abundantly, and the grass grows greener and thicker. What are they in reality, with what appearance, and where do mermaids live? Where do mermaids live? Ordinary people associate mermaids with charming women with luxurious loose hair, and their peculiarity is that only the upper part of the body they look like a person, and the legs are replaced by a fish tail. By ancient beliefs and legends, mermaids are presented in an image that is very close to the description of a person. The places where mermaids live are small ponds and lakes, as well as trees. The ancient Slavs distinguished several types of mermaids: - river - tree - field - sea mermaids. The place where tree mermaids are found can be ordinary trees. For example: apple trees, willows, oaks. These mermaids can be found in groves and forests, away from places where people live. Tree mermaids are harmless in nature, they do not attack people. They just sit on the branches and comb their beautiful long hair. There are legends that they often provided help to people who got lost on the way. But it also happened that people were deliberately directed into the depths of the forest, thus trying to play with them. River mermaids are represented by those that inhabit the river bed. As a rule, young girls appear in the form of mermaids, who have surprisingly green eyes and an impeccable figure. They have loose hair and a scaly tail that serves as legs. Possessing a lovely voice, they could bewitch any person and drag him under the water. River mermaids also include those that live in wells, lakes and shady creeks. A distinctive feature of a mermaid from an ordinary person is a pale skin color, hands cold as ice, and a greenish tint of hair. Field mermaids look completely different - they are ordinary, identical to the human image, and with legs. The attire for them is a white long shirt. Often they are found completely naked. And their hair must be loose. Where do these mysterious mermaids live? Judging by the name, it is easy to guess that the field serves as a haven for them. When the moon appears in the sky, they dance in circles. Songs are their element, and mermaids also love to weave wreaths of plants and flowers. Field mermaids usually keep in groups. Field mermaids are afraid of people, so they try to get out of the way in advance to avoid a meeting. When hiding behind the leaves of bushes, it is even possible to watch mermaids dance in circles. Although mermaids do not see a person, they feel him with their instinct. As soon as there is any danger, they immediately dissolve into the air. Even in Western mythology, sea mermaids were quite common. By their appearance, they are very similar to river ones. They differ in that they are not drowned, but the daughters of Triton, the underwater king. They are beautiful enough and passionate about all kinds of jewelry - precious stones, necklaces and others. There are many legends that tell that the captains of the ships were simply enchanted by mermaids. As a result, the ship ended up on the reefs, and the sailors all went to the bottom. But the scientific knowledge of the world in the present modern time compares such legends and events of the past with fables and myths. If you think about such events, it seems that mermaids, even if they are considered fabulous creatures, have a right to exist. If so, then where do mermaids live? The best option for them will probably be that people do not know about it longer. But next to this, a person still has the hope that someday there will be evidence and facts that will confirm the existence of mermaids. And now all that remains is to wait for information about the new facts that have appeared ...

Believe in the existence of mermaids or refute myths? Readers of this article can make their choice: either take on faith the numerous stories of seasoned travelers, conquerors of the seas and conscientious farmers, or be convinced of the complete absence of scientific evidence of the possibility of mixing humans and fish. However, sources containing travel descriptions are filled with narratives of mermaids. Is this evidence of overdeveloped eyewitness imaginations?

Who saw mermaids with their own eyes

One of the sources of information about mermaids was the authoritative geographer Henry Hudson. The famous conqueror of the seas and discoverer of territories, after whom the bay off the coast of Canada, as well as the river and the strait, being near the coast of Novaya Zemlya are named, made an entry with his own hand in the logbook: "Date: June 15, 1608 This morning a sailor noticed something overboard, like a mermaid. He called those on deck, and another sailor joined the observations. Meanwhile, the mermaid approached the ship and began to watch them with interest. After a while, the oncoming wave overturned her. Above the waist, her body and head were similar to those of a woman, and her snow-white skin was set off by black long hair that fell over her back. The bottom of her body resembled the tail of a dolphin or porpoise, and sparkled like a mackerel. The names of the witnesses were Robert Raynar and Thomas Hills. "

Records of the sighted mermaids also come across in the memoirs of Columbus and some of his companions.

Also, descriptions of outlandish creatures can be found in the 12th century Icelandic Chronicle "Speculum Regale": "In the coastal waters of Greenland, residents encounter a monster that they call" Margigr ". The head and body of the creature above the waist appears human. People were able to see hair, arms and chest, similar to a woman's. Below the belly it is like a fish - there is a scaly tail and fins. "

Some of them are much smaller people. Little mermaids.

The event that occurred in 1830 on one of the Hebrides once again testifies to the fact that mermaids really exist, and not only in myths and fairy tales. The inhabitants of Benbekula Island collected the seaweed left after high tide as usual. The weather was calm and the sea was completely calm. Therefore, a sudden splash made one of the women turn around. Imagine her surprise when she saw almost a strange creature nearby, outward appearance resembling a petite woman. How did the story end? You can read about it.

What do real mermaids look like? Beautiful brunettes with a fishtail.

In the newspaper "Shipping Gazet" of June 4, 1857, there was a speech about the true story of the Scottish sailors who swore on the Bible that they all clearly saw a female creature of small stature, black-haired with a magnificent chest, which splashed along the coast, cutting the sea surface with its fish tail.

Lake and river mermaids actually exist.

Photo: River and water mermaids.

In places remote from the sea, mermaids were known in two forms: in the traditional, with a fish tail, and without a tail - with legs. In the second case, the mermaid differed from an ordinary woman only in that she lived in a river. ...

Saw a mermaid - kill

Somewhere deep in the subconscious of every person there is a hunting instinct. In some, it is safely hidden, while in others it often breaks out. Perhaps the boy who threw a stone at the mermaid was not at all pursuing the goal of killing her. Like many in such cases, he obeyed the hunting instinct, just as a kitten tries to catch a moving object and launch its claws at it.

Without thinking about the consequences, people rushed in pursuit of mermaids and often killed them in the heat of pursuit just like that, obeying the same hunting instinct.

Newt is a man with a tail instead of legs.

A similar incident occurred off the coast of the United States near Portland in Casco Bay. Once one of the fishermen on his boat went out to sea to fish. Suddenly, a strange creature emerged from the water and clung to the side with its hands. The fisherman decided that it was a "newt", and, not thinking about why the sea deity swam up to the boat, he grabbed the ax that was lying among the tackle and chopped off the hand of Poseidon's son. The vile creature immediately sank to the bottom, and a bloody trail remained on the surface of the water for a long time. When the sailor looked around, he saw the hand of a sea monster at the bottom of the boat, which was exactly like the hand of a man.

They do not live in captivity. Found a mermaid? Let her go back to sea!

Fewer people thought about killing a mermaid than about capturing her. The latter has been accomplished more than once throughout history.

Photo: Mermaid caught on the net

At one time, Catholic missionaries had a special professional interest in mermaids.

They used to come to us more often

Meetings of mermaids with people in most cases had unfavorable consequences for these amazing creatures and often ended in their death. Therefore, mermaids began to avoid people. And if in the old days they could be seen quite often, now such meetings have become more rare.

Is the mermaid getting married? Love of mermaids and people.

Having spent a long time at sea without women, and meeting beautiful mermaids there, sailors fell in love with them, as evidenced by literary works, legends and ballads. It is possible that all these creations have a very definite basis. There were times when the love of a mermaid and a man was so passionate and strong that both could no longer imagine life without each other and romantic relationship found their continuation in marriage. In many cases, love was unrequited, and someone alone had to suffer from unrequited feelings.

It should be noted that not all testimonies and stories about encounters with mermaids were reflected in the press. Some of those who heard the stories of eyewitnesses believed them, someone, on the contrary, considered them insane. But the fact remains. Similar stories different people of absolutely different places indicate that mermaids really exist.

Mermaids really exist even now, in our days.

Regardless of the stories about the marriages of a man with a mermaid and their prosperous living together, in most cases, people treated these creatures like game and always sought to chase them in order to catch or kill.

If there were such an attitude towards people, they would hardly want to appear where they would be met in this way.

Video: Mermaid On The Rocks - Amazing Mermaid On The Rock "Sirena" (Animal Planet, Special Analysis 100% TRUE)

No one can say with certainty what the true world is where mermaids live. Where and why they appear from time to time among people. Perhaps in that familiar world for them, something has changed for the worse and they are forced to leave it at least for some time and come to us, people.

Mermaids are often seen off the coast of Scotland. In 1890 alone, they were met about three times near the Orkney Islands. Hundreds of witnesses could watch the mermaid in one of the many bays off the coast of Scotland, which swam safely in the sea, resting several times on the rocks. Many eyewitnesses talked about what the mermaid looked like, and reliably described her appearance and height, equal to that of an adult. Everyone pointed to black hair, white skin, and noted that the mermaid's hands were exactly like those of humans. Some observers even noted that the mermaid moved her arms like a human. For some reason, it is the Orkney Islands that most attract mermaids.

So, near Hoy Island, the second largest in the group of these islands, in the Portland estuary in 1913, mermaids appeared several times.

One of the researchers of such unexplored phenomena met in Scotland with eyewitnesses of mermaids, among whom were quite respected people.

One of them told the researcher about his meeting with this creature in 1900. Once this landowner had to go with his dog to a distant ravine in order to pull out a sheep that had fallen into it. Moving along the ravine in search of a sheep, he noticed the unnatural anxiety of the dog, which, moreover, began to howl in fear. Looking into the ravine, the landowner saw a mermaid with reddish curly hair and eyes of color sea ​​wave... The mermaid was as tall as a man, very beautiful, but with such a fierce expression on her face that the man rushed away from her in horror. While fleeing, he realized that the mermaid had got into the ravine because of the low tide and had to wait for the high tide there in order to sail into the sea. However, he did not want to return to the ravine.

On the coast of Scotland, mermaids were often found in the Hebrides. In 1947, not so long ago, one of the fishermen managed to see a mermaid swimming on a crab box. Feeling a gaze on herself, the mermaid turned sharply and immediately went under the water. After this incident, many tried to convince the fisherman that he had imagined all this, but he firmly stood his ground and insisted that he clearly saw the mermaid.

A rather curious incident occurred in 1926 in the United States. The mermaid took a fancy to one of the streams that flow into the Mississippi and often began to appear there. She was so tired of one of the local residents, under whose windows this stream was flowing, that he even complained to the publisher of a local newspaper about a restless person who annoyed with her appearance not only him, but also the drivers driving along the coast along the highway.

One of the famous seafarers Eric de Bishop decided to sail on a makeshift raft from the coast of Polynesia to Chile along The Pacific after Thor Heyerdahl performed trip around the world on the legendary Kon-Tiki in 1947. After his journey, Eric de Bishop left a detailed account of the hardships and dangers encountered along the way. Among the descriptions there is an absolutely fantastic episode. However, de Bishop points out exact time and the date of the incident. After midnight on January 3, 1957, he decided to go on deck to check on the sailor of the watch, who was not there. After a while the sailor appeared. He was in a deranged state, but quite sober. Confusedly, the sailor told the captain that, having heard an unusual slap on the bow of the raft, he decided to check what had happened there. He expected to see there big fish or a dolphin. But in front of him, leaning on her tail, stood to her full height a mermaid, in whose hair seaweed was entangled. Not remembering himself from the shock, the sailor decided that he had imagined the creature, and stretched out his hand to make sure he was right and touched the creature. The angry mermaid jumped back into the sea, having managed to knock down the impudent sailor who dared to touch her. Hearing the confused story of a frightened sailor, de Bishop was ready to disbelieve him if he had not seen fish scales on the sailor's sleeve and arm.

In 1977, on December 20, in a suburb of the capital of Zambia, Lusaka, a mermaid was discovered in a collector for collecting water, which was first seen by local children. They informed the adults about the strange white woman swimming in the sewer. Almost all the inhabitants of the suburb gathered to gaze at the mermaid. Obviously, the mermaid got into the pool of water due to heavy rains, which caused floods in rivers and lakes, which is observed in this area constantly from December to March.

The incident was reported in the South African newspaper Pretoria News that same year. True, it was not specified where the mermaid from the collector went. Was she able to get out of there on her own, or the local aborigines caught her and ate her, but the fact remains: many local residents saw the mermaid.

In the Australian newspaper "Melbourne Sun" on July 15, 1978, there was an article about a Filipino fisherman, whom a mermaid helped to pull a net from the water with a catch. According to the 41-year-old fisherman, the blue-eyed mermaid was pretty pretty. After what happened to this fisherman, all his acquaintances began to joke and ridicule him. Therefore, it was reported in the newspaper, hardly anyone would want to talk about such an adventure, even if it actually happens.

Not so far back in 1991, one of the Australian Coast Guard guards, in his incident report on his watch, reported that during high tide, a mermaid appeared near the coast where he was on watch.

In Russia, evidence of mermaids appears in the remote northern regions and in Siberia. As a rule, villagers are eyewitnesses. The desire of these creatures to hide away from the human eye is quite understandable. So they climb into dense forests, swampy lakes and distant rivers.

Numerous records of ethnographers and folklorists testify to meetings with mermaids, who, due to their duty, often meet and talk with residents of remote villages. One of the residents of the Chita region, Druzhinin, talked about a meeting with a mermaid that happened to him in 1977. Once he had to go at night near a whirlpool. Looking in the direction of the reservoir, he saw a creature on the stone, like a woman, combing her golden hair. The man coughed, but the mermaid continued to sit on the stone and comb. Then he decided to approach her, but as soon as Druzhinin headed towards the mermaid, she immediately disappeared into the whirlpool.

In 1980, in the same Chita region, I happened to meet a mermaid of one of the village women. In the evening, when the hostess had done the housework, she decided to go to the river to wash her feet. She looked at the water, and from there the mermaid floats out. The woman was frightened and quickly ran home. Grandmother met her on the doorstep and began to ask why she was so frightened. But the woman did not begin to talk about the mermaid looking at night, but told about what she saw the next morning. Grandmother, after listening to the story, was not at all surprised, but remembered that many had long seen the mermaid on that river. Since then, the woman stopped going to the river in the evening.

The record of one of the ethnographers in 1977, made in the same Chita region, testifies to the fact that mermaids have chosen these lands. Memories of one of the villagers about his childhood are closely intertwined with memories of mermaids. Once the children were sitting on the bank of a river in the evening and saw a girl on the opposite bank who came up to the water and sang. Then she dived into the river and swam to the nearest rock. She sat down on him and began to comb her long hair. As if spellbound children looked at the mermaid, and when they ran up to her, she dived into the water, leaving a comb on the stone. One girl Shura Popova picked up this comb. And at home, her mother scolded her and ordered the comb to be taken back to the place so that the mermaid would not come to their house after him. The children took the comb to that stone. A day later, the ridge was gone. The mermaid apparently returned for him. And Shura Popova was afraid to walk around this stone for a long time.

One of the eyewitnesses to the mermaid in the village of Ushakovo, Novgorod Region, also described a meeting with her, which took place not so long ago - in 1989. Once approaching the lake, he saw a mermaid on the shore, who was sitting there with loose long hair... When the man came closer, the mermaid immediately threw herself into the water. He didn't even get a good look at her. I saw her only from the back.

So, mermaids have not yet been extinct either in Russia or around the world and in our days. Perhaps some of the readers will also have a chance to meet with them. To call it luck or in another way, who knows?

Video: Real Mermaid On The Rocks - Amazing Mermaid On The Rock "Sirena" (Animal Planet, Special Analysis 100% TRUE)

Video: Dead Mermaid Found - DEAD MERMAID FOUND!

Video: a live mermaid sailed to people - Live Mermaid Melissa Sighting & Pool Party Events

Video: how a girl turned into a mermaid - Jenna is a Mermaid!

Mermaids - truth or fiction - MERMAIDS - REAL OR FAKE?

More evidence of the existence of mermaids can be found by going to.

Are there real mermaids in our reality or not? We will leave this question to the wise learned men and enthusiasts of the unknown. And in general we will proceed from the postulate "until the opposite is proved, we will assume that they exist."

On the this moment we can only collect all the available real facts and folklore together and try to figure out who they are, "water maidens". By the way, depending on the "residence", the mysterious inhabitants of the reservoirs are called differently. In Russia they were called mermaids, from the word "fair-haired" - light, clean, and they were the ancestral guardians of the Rus - fair-haired pale-faced virgins-bereginas. TO evil spirits they were numbered with the arrival of Christianity in Russia.

What real mermaids look like in real life

Enthusiasts began to find evidence in favor of the existence of first mermaids even in rock paintings of people of the Stone Age. Scenes of spearfishing of people with fish tails can hardly be attributed to the wild fantasy of the Neanderthals. Moreover, the geography of such finds is quite extensive. Mentions of semi-humans, semi-fish are found among the peoples of Eurasia, Africa and America, covering both coastal regions and areas of inland water bodies.

The Assyrians, Phoenicians, Canaanites and Philistines worshiped the fish-tailed goddess Atargatis. Half-fish deities are mentioned in the Ramayana and other ancient Indian sources. The oldest mermaid mummies (over 1400 years old) are kept in several Japanese temples.

Christopher Columbus testified to the existence of these creatures. They were observed in the late 19th and mid-20th centuries off the coast of Canada. The beginning of the XXI century brought a number of additional evidence: the coast of Washington state (2004), Kiryat Yam, Israel (2009), Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada (2013). At this point you will inevitably ponder. It's one thing when a dragon swims in the only Loch Ness Lake, and quite another when confirmation is found in almost all regions of the planet.

Unfortunately, not a single solid evidence of the presence of aquatic maidens and men of unearthly beauty has yet been received. On the contrary, all the mermaids (or artifacts) that scientists have found resemble horror footage.

Photos of real beautiful mermaids in Russia

While scientists are looking for evidence, the general public is content with the results of the flight. creative imagination artists and photographs of young ladies who dream of becoming real mermaids. It must be said that the Russian artistic tradition of depicting sirens-"pharaohs" on carved boards among the peoples of the north of Russia in the VIII-XX centuries. and subsequent works of great masters - K. Vasiliev, I. Repin, I. Kramskoy, I. Maikov - were picturesque examples of very charming young mermaids. Mermaids in Russia were rarely depicted with fish tails. Moreover, not all of them lived in water. There were field and forest mermaids.

According to popular belief, water maidens go to the rivers and lakes for the winter, and only in the spring on Green Christmastide are they allowed to go ashore and stay in the forests and fields all summer. Travelers had to be especially careful during the "Russian week". It was believed that naughty and unrestrained mermaids could tickle, kidnap and drown any person they met. Until the very Spiritual Day, people avoided swimming in any bodies of water and tried not to walk alone through the forests and fields. On Great Mermaid Day (Thursday of Trinity), the girls wove wreaths and hung them on the branches along with yarn in order to appease the mermaids. By the first day of Petrov Lent, they were seeing off the mermaids. The night on Ivan Kupala was also especially active.

I. Kramskoy "May Night"

I. Maikov "Mermaid"

I. Repin "Sadko"

Photos of real live mermaids in the sea and in the ocean

Numerous pictures of mermaids that have flooded the Internet can intrigue not only children, but also adults. The magical Disney Little Mermaid is a miracle how good! Show me one child who doubts her positiveness.

By the way, back in the 19th century, mermaids and sea maidens were clearly distinguished. The first did not have any tails and were considered the restless souls of drowned girls (brides, married or unrequitedly in love). Sea maidens (sirens, naiads) - creatures of divine origin from different echelons of creatures, were often distinguished by a complete absence of a soul and an irrepressible desire to take it away from a person.
Later, the images practically merged thanks to romantic literature and the ubiquitous cinema.

You have looked at a selection of photos of real mermaids. Big photo can be seen in the section

In Poland, photographs of a real mermaid were taken, which the military is hiding from prying eyes ...

Mermaids are creatures whose legends can be found in the mythology of peoples living in all parts of the world. Wherever there are some bodies of water - lakes, seas or oceans, local mythology keeps stories about the mysterious inhabitant of the depths. Even atheists and religious leaders cannot call them fairy-tale characters with absolute certainty, because at least once a decade there is shocking evidence of the existence of mermaids.

Where do mermaids come from and what do they look like?

Siren, undine, naiad, mavka - many names of the same creature, which in Slavic history was called a "mermaid". The ancestor of this term was the word "channel", denoting a path paved by a river stream. It was believed that it was there that the lost souls of unbaptized infant girls who died on Trinity week, girls who drowned or committed suicide before marriage, and also decided to become the guardians of the waters of their own free will live there.

To this day, in some villages of the Old Believers, legends are alive that if a representative of the weaker sex is not sweet about life on earth because of loneliness, poverty or the death of her parents, she can ask the forest spirits to take her to her swamp or lake, so that there find eternal peace.

Folk beliefs Mermaids are credited with the ability to transform into animals - birds, frogs, squirrels, hares, cows or rats. But they are more accustomed to the appearance of a young girl or woman, in whom instead of legs you can see a long tail, reminiscent of a fish. In Little Russia and Galicia, people believed that a mermaid could turn him into legs if she wanted. By the way, the Greeks had a similar idea: they portrayed the sirens exclusively as beautiful maidens, no different from ordinary girls. To understand that in front of him was a siren, and not a young charming woman, the sailor could only find himself face to face with his own death: the sirens lured men with seductive singing and killed mercilessly.

According to all nationalities, mermaids wear hairstyles exclusively from loose hair. In ancient times, this feature made it possible to distinguish living girls from paranormal creatures. The fact is that Christian women have always covered their heads with a headscarf, so simple hair is a sign that a mermaid is standing in front of a person. In the church books of Ukraine, a record has been preserved about a girl who left home on the eve of the wedding and became a mermaid. Her father understood everything when he saw her at night near the house with curls scattered over her shoulders and "married" her with a pillar so that her soul would no longer bother him.

True eyewitness stories about mermaids

It is known that water nymphs are chosen exclusively by men as the object of their hunt. In Scotland and Ireland, some of them still always carry a needle with them to prick a mermaid, afraid of hot iron like fire, when attacked, in order to save their lives. Meeting with her is life-threatening, because this creature will try to lure the victim to the depth and drown or tickle to death. But stories are known for the stories of the lucky ones who miraculously survived after communicating with the mermaid.

The first documented mention of it dates back to the XII century. The Icelandic chronicle Speculum Regale tells of a woman with a fish tail, caught and imprisoned in a coastal village. It is not known whether she knew how to speak and whether she survived after meeting with superstitious peasants, but eyewitnesses said that they managed to give her the name Margigr.

In 1403, in Holland, the author of the book "Miracles of Nature, or a Collection of Extraordinary and Notes of Worthy Phenomena and Adventures in the Whole World of Bodies, Alphabetically Arranged" and the collector of rarities Sigo de la Fond meets a girl whom people found on the shore when she asked for help. She had a fin, and she was thrown out during a storm, so she was given the name Nereid. The mermaid was brought to the city, taught to cook, wash and look after livestock. It is known that Nereida spent more than 15 years with people - and every day she tried to return home to the depths of the sea. Once she all the same sailed away, never having learned to speak and understand human language.

On June 16, 1608, the navigator Henry Hudson, after whom the strait was later named, set off on a journey with a group of sailors. On the very first day on the high seas, far from civilization, they saw a girl swaying on the waves, singing in an enchanting voice.

"A young beauty with bare breasts, black hair and a mackerel tail, whom we never dared to approach."

So the sailors later wrote in the logbook. Upon learning of this case, Peter I asked the clergy from Denmark for advice, whether it is possible to believe in these stories. Bishop François Valentine replied that the other day he personally saw a mermaid and that there were fifty people witnesses.

In 1737, the English newspaper for men, Gentleman’s magazine, published an article about how a strange creature was brought aboard by fishermen along with a fish floundering in a net last weekend. Of course, they heard about mermaids, but they caught ... a man with a fish tail! The strange creature frightened the poor so much that they beat their prey to death. The corpse of the monster was ransomed and for several centuries was shown in the Exter Museum.

Eyewitnesses reported:

“This creature boggled the imagination and uttered human groans. When we came to our senses, we saw that this was a man with a white tail and a webbed fin covered with scales. The creature's appearance was repulsive and remarkably human-like at the same time. "

The year 1890 in Scotland was marked by the appearance of a whole family of mermaids near the Orkney Islands. Three girls swam in the water, laughed and fished, but never swam close to people. This is not to say that they were afraid of a person - rather they avoided. In the absence of fishermen, the nymphs rested on the coastal rocks. It is known that mermaids have lived in these parts for over 10 years. In 1900, a Scottish farmer managed to catch one of the sea maidens by surprise:

“Once I had to go with my dog ​​to a distant ravine in order to pull out a sheep that had fallen into it. Moving along the ravine in search of a sheep, I noticed the unnatural anxiety of the dog, which began to howl in fear. Looking into the ravine, I saw a mermaid with red curly hair and sea-green eyes. The mermaid was as tall as a man, very beautiful, but with such a fierce expression on her face that I rushed away from her in horror. Running away, I realized that the mermaid got into the ravine because of the low tide and had to wait for the high tide there in order to swim back into the sea. But I didn't want to come to her aid. "

Throughout the 20th century, mermaids have been seen in Chile, the United States of America, Polynesia and Zambia. In 1982, nymphs were first discovered in the USSR, where they previously did not believe in stories about otherworldly creatures living in reservoirs. During training, combat swimmers on Lake Baikal collided underwater with a school of fish with a female body. After surfacing, they told about what they had seen and were ordered to establish contact with the strange inhabitants of Lake Baikal. As soon as they swim up to the mermaids, you threw them ashore like a blast wave, because of which the scuba divers died in a few days one after another, and the survivors became disabled.

The last mention of mermaids in the press was articles written by journalists from many countries after the photos from a military training ground in Poland appeared on the Internet in 2015. The pictures clearly show that people in protective suits are carrying something the size of a person, but with a fish tail. Their burden weighs quite a lot, because the stretcher was carried by six people at the same time.

The Polish government did not comment on the photos. And can conservative science be able to find an explanation for the existence of mermaids?