At the start of this class, my knowledge of mermaids was very limited since it mainly consisted of Disney’s The Little Mermaid and H20: Just Add Water. Within the first week of class, I learned that mermaids have a rich and complex history that has been circulated for centuries. Literature such as Melusine, The Deep, and many others showed me that natural environments are as alive and vivid as humans, removing the passivity of nature and anthropomorphic ideology that was taught to me in previous classes. This helped me open my eyes to see that not only do humans hold history, but that nature itself is an archive of history that allows us to learn so much about a society when we look at its environment and the stories they tell about it. Looking at literature and stories about mermaids as a way to learn about the environment helps us connect to nature, since they are able to exist as a mediator between humans and nature as a result of their hybridity. These beings become more than just a mythical creature and transform into a representation of the problems that affect humans and the environment.
Using mermaid literature from a multitude of different cultures also helped engage the idea that there are voices and histories that have been silenced since they don’t line up with a traditional Western idea of history. Looking at these other tales then gives marginalized communities a chance to be heard and recognized, since their history is often deemed as “folklore.” In turn, we are taught to look at the environment as more than just a backdrop and see that it is a place full of life worth conserving and learning from. Rather than simply learning from history books, we can look to nature as a way to discover more about ourselves and events from the past. Whether it’s the Ocean or a forest, this class has shown the importance of connecting to the environment and being grounded in nature as a form of learning.
Besides highlighting how awesome mermaids are, the course has ultimately taught me that humans cannot and should not see themselves as separate from the environment around them. We exist in the context of our surroundings, and our actions have a direct impact on our environment. Subsequently, we must look at nature as being part of our lives since it’s something that we interact with daily. Seeing nature as a separate entity only serves to further destroy it since it is only viewed as a resource and not as a place full of history.