After reading the introduction to to Merpeople, I can say with confidence that I 100% believe in mermaids. I didn’t think that this soon into the semester, and into this class, this would be my stance on it, but I believe it. The thing that stood out to me the most was how several different cultures and religions have had their own versions and takes on merpeople, and what purpose they serve their views. From the Babylonians, to the Greeks, and inevitably, to Christians, there is a different version of merpeople. I was’t surprised to learn that Christian’s in a sense embraced the more exotic and “dangerous” side of mermaids. The way that they were portrayed as a lesson to their followers about the dangerous of love and lust is very telling. As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think of the phrase, “There is no other love like Christian hate”. Not to say or generalize that this is how Christians are, but at least at this point in history it is a direct reflection of how society was within a Christian context.

Seeing the images of sculptures and art work of mermaids within Christian worshiping spaces from the Medieval period was quite shocking as well. My own family was not very religious, although I did grow up Catholic, but I honestly wouldn’t have ever guessed that they would be portrayed in these kinds of spaces. Given that not a lot of people were able to read either during this time period, and would rely on descriptive images, I can imagine how the concept of merpeople existing was normalized like, “Oh yeah, I saw this sculpture of a mermaid in my church last week. This must mean that they exist because why would I question Christianity?” Aside from these images that I found shocking, I also had an interesting thought about how mermaids could be represented in modern day society under Medieval Christian context; Mermaids were the first feminists. Under the perspective that Christianity attempted to portray mermaids, they were here to bring the destruction of man through the inevitable lust for love, given that they were very beautiful. Not only that, but the way they were suggestive with their tail openings exposing their genital area, and being topless, this seems like a body/sex positive being. How ‘dangerous’ can they really be?

The introduction of Merpeople: A Human History explored how mermaids became deeply ingrained in medieval European culture and imagination. The church treated mermaids not just as mythical sea creatures, but as symbols with moral purposes. Through sculptures, bestiaries, and sermons, mermaids were used to warn believers about the dangers of desire and sin. Mermaids also appeared on medieval maps and became part of local folklore. Stories like the Orford mermaid and the Harlem mermaid are used to show how Christians tried to fit these creatures into their worldview. And these stories are not just entertaining, they also reinforce the teachings of the church.

One part of the reading that caught my attention was how the Church used mermaids in sacred spaces. I was surprised to learn that cathedrals had wooden carvings of topless mermaids. But these carvings were not just for decoration, they were intended to warn the faithful about desire and vanity. I find it interesting that the Church permitted nudity in these cases, showing that female sexuality could be displayed as long as it was framed as dangerous and sinful. I thought that this reveals how carefully the Church controlled what people saw and how they thought about desire. The Haarlem mermaid story also stood out to me. In this story, a captured mermaid is clothed, taught to pray, and integrated into human society. I thought that it reflects the Church’s broader goal of controlling the wild or unknown. Even a magical creature had to be civilized to fit Christian norms. I thought this story is not only about a mermaid, but also a clear metaphor for society’s attempts to shape and discipline those who are different or threatening.

I also found it fascinating how these stories blurred the line between myth and reality. By placing mermaids in art, manuscripts, and sermons, the Church made them feel real. Once real, they could be feared, captured, and tamed, reinforcing the Church’s power over desire and imagination. This combination of fascination and fear seems to have shaped how people understood the world and even continues to influence how we see mermaids today. Overall, this reading helped me see mermaids as more than just fantasy creatures. In the medieval imagination, they served as moral teachers, cultural boundary markers, and symbols of control. It made me wonder how many other mythical figures were used in similar ways to guide people’s beliefs and behaviors.

The introduction of Merpeople: A Human History made me think about many ideas, especially how it connects the question of human nature with the figure of the mermaid. I have usually thought of mermaids as half human and half fish, but I had never tried to study humanity itself through this image. While reading this part, I began to think again about the process of human evolution. We usually explain human history as starting from ape-like ancestors. But if we go further back and imagine the very first ancestors of humans, can we really say that humans and animals are completely different? Today, science has developed so much that we can compare humans and animals in many ways. In the past, however, when science was not developed, the meaning of mermaids may have been much more serious.

In societies where religion had strong power, people probably emphasized the special value of humans by saying that they were created by God. If humans were seen as the chosen beings of God, then the idea of mermaids, creatures that were half human and half animal, would have caused fear. Why did people imagine them as part fish? I think it was because the ocean was considered the most unknown and mysterious place, and fish were the main living creatures there. To people in the past, mermaids could represent the fear of the deep sea. Religion and society may have used this fear as a tool to teach lessons and control people’s actions.

As time passed and science grew, belief in the real existence of mermaids became weaker. But in the modern world, the meaning of the mermaid changed from something scary to something attractive. I think this shows a movement from fear to desire. This reminds me of Cohen’s Monster Theory, which I studied recently. One of his ideas is that monsters can represent attraction and desire. In this way, the use of mermaids today in advertising, branding, or company logos seems to come from this change. What was once a frightening monster has now become a symbol of beauty and charm. Therefore, the mermaid reflects how human imagination turns fear into fascination.

From a modern, Science-based perspective, this massive influx of merpeople sightings mentioned in the introduction seems to be a kind of mass hysteria, or an obsession with grasping at the unknown. Men traveling the Atlantic and Pacific seas may have been losing their minds, but what if they weren’t? The human mind is certainly capable of creating illusions or hallucinations, but the ancient sea, which is still widely untouched, may be holding more than we may ever know. Did they see an actual human-fish hybrid? probably not, but they could have seen creatures beyond their comprehension or get crazy weird vibes off the water they were sailing. Word of mouth and drawings on maps were all they had, and influenced them in their travels. If the greatest of minds during this time period were so invested in understanding these merpeople and the New World, then why shouldn’t it be considered science?