With the body of a large fish and the shaved head of a Buddhist priest, the giant Hai Ho Shang of China drags entire boats underwater, drowning all on board. To repel him, burn feathers on the deck. If that doesn't do the trick, you must perform an intricate dance to the beat of a ritual gong! Have you ever been on a cruise?

Living in freshwater, Melusine of European folklore has a fish or serpent tail and often wings. European royal families, like the Lusignan house, claimed descent from her. In one tale, she marries a nobleman on the condition he never sees her bathe, as she transforms when she is wet, but he breaks this vow. In another story, a shepherd's kisses captures her heart but he eventually learns her true nature and ends up fearing her, leading him to marry someone else, prompting Melusine to poison their wedding feast. Do you enjoy weddings?

In Irish folklore, merrow can travel to and from water and land with a red magic hat called a cohuleen druith. And like the selkie's seal skin, you can trap a merrow on land if you steal and hide their cap. The merrow is said to be absolutely mesmerizing with emerald scales and long silky hair that is so beautiful it distracts and almost hypnotizes sailors who watch merrow comb their hair. However, the males are said to be hideous and fearsome warrior creatures. Had you ever heard of the merrow before this survey?

There are many versions of sea creatures and mermaids worldwide. Most people believe that the first mermaid was Atargatis, a goddess from Assyria around 1,000 B. C. Her story is sad; she loved a mortal man and accidentally killed him. To die, she jumped into the water, which turned her into a mermaid forever, separating her from joining her love in the afterlife. Maybe that's why mermaids and mythological sea creatures evolved into something scarier and more fantastical over the centuries and continents and languages. Do you enjoy learning about different mythologies?

My interest in mermaids and related sea-creature myths really began with "Mermaids: The Body Found." It is a "documentary-style" made for television movie that originally aired on American TV channels Animal Planet and Discovery Channel in 2012. It tells the story of a scientific team's investigative efforts to uncover the source behind mysterious underwater recordings of an unidentified marine body. Have you ever seen this movie? (You can watch it in full on YouTube if you're curious! https://youtu.be/etkhr4dXqHk?si=HtA7-h9PNnabv8YN)