Tag Archives: Kaila

Unite Human History of the Land and Ocean

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In the video “The Water Will Carry Us Home,” the aspects that stand out to me in particular is the ending where she throws flowers into the ocean and ‘plugs’ her seashell headphones into the shoreline. Tesfaye’s ritual of ‘plugging’ her seashells into the ocean, allowing herself to listen and tune into the Ocean, illustrates a rhythmic bond between humans and the Ocean.

The scene of a woman tossing flowers into the ocean, as one would at a grave, illustrates the long history of human interaction with the ocean. She honors the ancestors who lost their lives crossing the ocean during the slave trade, and the mermaids welcomed their spirits. In doing so, this showcases how human history includes the ocean. Humans have bodies lying on the ocean floor, just like the ones lying in the ground. This frames our thinking about recognizing the history that lies while crossing the ocean, not just the triumph of finding land. The experience within the ship life, and around it. Discussing the ideas of politics on the ship, and the bodies that were thrown or jumped off the ship. These key details add to our relationship with the ocean. Especially during the slave trade, where people were thrown into the ocean, showcasing how humans saw the ocean as a dumping ground. The ocean floor served as a resting place for those souls, taking better care of their bodies than those ships ever would. So, the woman’s ritual of tossing flowers into the ocean is an act of gratitude for the ocean taking care of our ancestors. Her visit to the beach is a ritual to honor the history of the ocean, delicately embracing the bodies of the past.  

Then, the scene of the woman putting on and plugging the seashell headphones into the shoreline demonstrates her tuning into the ocean, allowing her to hear the voices of the ocean. This action showcases this harmonious relationship humans could establish with the ocean if they care to listen. The ocean has become a home for many human bodies to rest, so we must honor its history with ours. If humans allow themselves to sync with the ocean, grow and transform alongside it, while we exist within this present allows us to unify with the land and sea.

Transfaye’s ritual in “The Water Will Carry Us Home” honors and listens to the ocean, establishing the unification of human and ocean history, showcasing the rhythmic bond between humans and the ocean.

Perception vs Reality

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Rozadowski’s Vast Experience: A History of the Oceans, “Introduction: People and Ocean, discusses human perception of the ocean and how this affects their relationship with it. In the introduction, Rozadowski reveals humans’ imaginative perception of ocean permanence, resisting the ecological understanding of the ocean being ongoing and changing: “The fundamental quandary of the sea’s apparent timelessness makes it difficult for us to accept the unfamiliar view of the ocean as a place of dynamic change.” (Rozadowski, 12). The illusion of the ocean’s timelessness prevents humanity from recognizing the ocean as a living, changing system, revealing how perception, shaped by cultural myth and aesthetic comfort, obstructs ecological understanding.  

The quote begins with “fundamental quandary,” demonstrating humans’ conflict between appearances and reality, as well as between feeling and knowledge. This phrase not only showcases confusion but signals something intrinsic to how humans view and think about the sea. Human epistemological tension is at the root of our flawed understanding of the ocean. The word “fundamental” that this way of thinking is not only cultural but existential because of how humans perceive time and change, and “quandary” implies how humans cannot reconcile the two truths – human feelings about the sea, and their scientific knowledge about it. Ultimately, addressing this conflict about human perception of the ocean. The quote continues to discuss “the sea’s apparent timlessness,” the illusion of ocean permanence. The adjective “apparent” signals that timelessness is an illusion developed by the perception of scale and repetition. To human eyes, the ocean seems the same every day, with crashing waves and rising and falling tides. This cycle creates an impression of equilibrium. Though ‘timelessness’ is evident because the sea is in constant motion, physically with current, chemically with acidification, biologically with life and death, and historically with sea levels. This idea of permanence is further reinforced by culture, such as literature. The ocean symbolizes eternity, mystery, and continuity, emphasizing how the “apparent timelessness” of the ocean is both visual and symbolic. 

The phrase “makes it difficult for us to accept” highlights a human physiological barrier, a form of cognitive dissonance with the ocean. The problem of our relationship with the ocean is not only due to our lack of knowledge, but also because it is emotional or even existential. Humans crave permanence in a constantly changing world, and at first glance, the ocean appears unchanging. Understanding the ocean as unstable and threatened by climate change removes that symbolic anchor. Humans’ difficulty in ‘accepting’ change is psychological resistance, not just intellectual blindness. To continue, “the unfamiliar view of the ocean as a place of dynamic change” offers to challenge human imagination about the ocean. The word “unfamiliar” implies that the true view of the ocean is ‘othered’ to our cultural imagination. The idea of the sea as developing, aging, or transforming is unknown, as these are qualities humans associate with land, not water. Finally, to describe the ocean as “a place of dynamic change” asks humans to reimagine the ocean as active, unstable, and alive. Reframe human vision to establish a new connection with the environment, founded on awareness of change rather than nostalgia for timelessness. 

Rozadowski’s discussion about the conflict between the mythic permanence and material change is not only about the ocean, but about human perception itself. Humans cling to the illusion of timelessness because it’s comforting, but this attachment blinds them to the transformation happening before their eyes. Razadowski argues to reimagine nature not as a static scenery, but as a living process. 

Becoming Familiar With The Unfamiliar

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Throughout this class, I have discussed the idea that humans need to live in rhythm with the environment, to build a harmonious relationship where we can become a team helping each other thrive. In “The Trouble with Wilderness or Getting Back to Wrong Nature,” William Cronon suggests,  “the tree in the garden is in reality no less other, no less worthy of our wonder and respect,” meaning that nature in every form is a part of our lives and is deserving of our attention (Cronon, 24). Cronon communicates how the environment is our living reality that we must acknowledge, no matter how big or small, which in turn helps our relationship with our environment get back into rhythm. 

William discusses how the tree growing in our backyard could easily be one that has grown in an extravagant forest, but humans grasp onto the sense of ownership over the tree in their backyard because of its location. Though he conceptualizes that the tree in our backyard almost ‘humanizes’ the tree, “teach us to recognize the wildness we did not see in the tree we planted in our own backyard” (24). Since humans have ownership over their planted garden, similar to a pet, there is no ‘otherness’ attached to the plant. The plant being domesticated, in a sense, contributes to how humans struggle to break the boundary of the need to control the environment. Cronon asks humans to view their tree or garden as if they are of one that lives in this grand wilderness, because at the tree’s root is. If humans begin to look at the environment as their home garden, this could break the boundary and build sympathy. He reveals in truth the ‘otherness’ may be more familiar than what humans believe: “otherness in that which is most unfamiliar, we can learn to see it too in that which at first seemed merely ordinary” (Cronon, 24). The ‘otherness’ becomes familiar when we learn to see it as the familiar. In context with the environment, viewing our own home gardens as the extravagant beauty of wilderness, or viewing the wilderness as our own ordinary home garden, we tend and nurture. 

Overall, Cronon’s essay demonstrates that once humans take the step forward of seeing nature as their own reality will be the first action to restoring our rhythm within our relationship with the environment. Humans must make themselves familiar with the unfamiliar to live in harmony with one another. 

Soul-Bearing vs Soulless: Who conquers the Environment?

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In Undine, Fouqué contrasts soulless elemental beings with soul-bearing humans, since the elements are “obedient to [the elements] while they live,” yet humans’ disconnection from the environment causes some elements to “rarely allow themselves to become visible to [humans].” By showcasing the effortless harmony elemental beings have with nature and the subsequent lack of connection humans have, “Hence we have also no soul; the element moves us” (Penguin, 105). This story serves as an allegory about the corruption of the human soul, demonstrating how soul-bearing humans will always have a fractured relationship with nature than the soulless elementals, because of human innate soulful dedication to leave a legacy.

In the chapter “The Day after the Wedding,” Undine by Fouqué, Undine reveals she is a water spirit, a being a nature with no human soul. Undine opens herself vulnerably to her husband, recalling to him her life as an elemental spirit and her journey of acquiring a soul through their love. Undine begins her confession by stating her lack of a human soul, “Hence we have also no soul,” demonstrating that elemental beings are naturally separate, but nature itself does not possess them. The elemental spirit guides them. There is no definitive ‘bible’ for the elemental way to live; there are no ‘rights’ or ‘wrongs’. They do not have the consciousness to feel guilt or judgment. Undine’s element of water is the giver of her life: “The element moves us, and is often obedient to us while we live, though it scatters to us when we die.” Undine’s element is clearly water, which sustains her life, although her relationship with it does not embody loyalty over death, unlike human religion or marriage. There is no single all-powerful being or creator of all elementals, and when an elemental dies, its body is returned to the environment. There is, in fact, no afterlife for the elementals. Their bodies are  “scattering to dust,” emphasizing that Undine has never had to put pressure on her death; when she passes, there is no hope for a “heaven”, there is no conscious idea of lifelong judgment of a higher power, or the importance of a legacy one leaves behind on earth. Undine will not have to face her creator and have her fate decided.  For Undine, life was meant to be lived simply, not to seek a purpose until she found love. Her life before marriage, “ we merry, without aught to grieve us – merry as the nightingales and little goldfish and other pretty children of nature.” Undine highlights her past life of innocence, comparing the nature of nightingales and goldfish, creatures that do not experience complex feelings of grief and love, suggesting that before gaining a soul, she did have the emotional capacity for despair. This comparison demonstrates that acquiring a human soul through love has now awakened these feelings of suffering. This moment is an emotional and spiritual turning point for Undine as she reminisces on her old life and commits to the mortal world. Undine is no longer a “pretty child of nature”, she is a woman, vulnerable, soulful, and capable of deep happiness and suffering. 

The idea that nature was “often obedient” to Undine shows that her relationship with her element is a mutual one, where both respond and listen to each other, rather than one trying to dominate the other There is a natural rhythm between them, as there is no open space for betrayal between Undine and the water, no grief, soul, or moral burden. This demonstrates the idealized natural state where humans can be part of the ecosystem rather than the master over it, living a balanced life. Humans want a simple relationship with the environment, but their self-awareness complicates harmony because their own motives become their worst enemies. Undine explains to her lover that the elementals do not feel safety or a sense of connection to humans, stating, “in the elements which almost appear like mortals, and which rarely allow themselves to become visible to your race” (Penguin,104). This demonstrates how nature has to adapt to human life. Humans become so involved in their own devotion to purifying their souls to reach salvation that they do not take the time to comprehend the environment as a world of its own. In the rise of industrialization, humans became obsessed with creating innovations that would improve human livelihood. Humans began to see themselves as superior to the environment and became devoted to their own kind, neglecting a thought for a life outside of their own. In the afterlife, “mortals hereafter awake to a purer life,” meanwhile, the elementals return to the earth, showcasing the lack of urgency humans have to protect the environment, as nature does not serve them in the end to their salvation. The environment does not ‘collect’ or ‘save’ their soul, so to humans this serves nothing to their legacy. The pressures of having a soul bring selfishness to a person who cannot conceptualize a life without their presence. The ‘eternalness’ of a soul creates a hierarchy, leaving everyone or anything at the bottom to be used for their moral gain.   

Undine’s transformation of acquiring her soul through love mirrors the separation humans gain by their consciousness. These complexities of despair disconnect them from the natural world, and the sense of solidarity dissolves into selfish actions. Undine becomes more disconnected from her element as civilization distances her from her natural rhythm and environment. To maintain a sliver of her elemental life, she must hide herself away to indulge in her elemental form. She goes back and forth on the idea of revealing herself to her lover, because of her observation and discretion of the elemental life towards humans. Though, as Undine assimilates to the mortal world of humans, her desire for a soul increases, because of the emphasis of power placed upon the ‘soul bearing’. The cycle of life and death of the elemental showcases the dual role of the environment, the nurturing and indifferent. As “the element moves us…though it scatters us to dust when we die..” illuminates that when the elementals are alive, nature nurtures and obeys, but in death, it reclaims and dissolves, once again demonstrating this rhythm, the elemental creatures live within the environment. The soulless elementals do not need to establish their presence in nature to feel accomplished or worthy. In terms of humans, this cycle only emphasizes their lack of control over the environment. So, humans find a way to conquer by making the environment ‘livable’ to their needs. Fouqué showcases that nature will always outlast and outpower humans; time is always fleeting for the ‘soul-bearing,’ so their sense of urgency to conquer and leave a legacy only becomes fuel to their destruction. 

This story of Undines demonstrates that the ‘soul bearing’ human leads to an imbalance and tension within the relationship to the environment. Ultimately, it serves as an allegory about the corruption of the human soul, fueling egotistical ideation of superiority over the environment, causing the shattering of their relationship with the environment. When humans reject what they cannot control, this leads to destruction. With the story of Undine, Fouqué showcases how humans cannot live meaningfully with a soul while still honoring and remaining in harmony with the natural world.

The Human Sea-Witch

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In The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, the Sea-Witch is used to illustrate human attitudes toward the environment. When the little mermaid travels to the sea-witch’s home. “Built of bones of shipwrecked human beings, and within the sea-witch, feeding a toad from her mouth, just as people amongst us give us a little canary-bird a lump of sugar to eat” (The Little Mermaid, 121). This depiction of the sea-witch as the ‘other’ to the little mermaid suggests that the witch may have some human tendencies that demonstrate the human relationship to the natural world. 

To start the description of the witches’ home, the little mermaid describes, “Built of bones of shipwrecked human beings,” which creates a grotesque image, a home made out of death. This environment is built on man-made ships and their destruction. The use of the word ‘bones’ suggests the sea-witch power is rooted in their demise. She then describes the swea-witch “feeding a toad from her mouth” is a gesture of nurture in its own grotesque way. Toads are seen as ‘ugly’, ‘poisonous’ creatures, but provide life to the sea-witches’ minions. Hans compares this action of feeding “just as people amongst us give a little canary-ird a lump of sugar to eat” demonstrating the juxtaposition of the grotesque of the toad with the delicate and sweet a canary. This mirrors human affection, where the witch mimics human kindness, but with something repulsive, making that act familiar and disturbing. In her own unique way demonstrates her capability of tenderness in a corrupted form. The sea-witch is another example of the dangerous ‘other’, residing in a world made of death, and her ‘twisted’ way of performing human behaviors.  

Anderson Sea-witch acts as a mirror to human behavior towards the environment, highlighting their destruction and twisted relationship with the ocean. The sea-witches’ home, being “built of bones of shipwrecked human beings,” demonstrates how our ecosystems are increasingly built upon the consequences of human activity. Nature has to adapt to our damage and carries its evidence within it. The sea-witch is haunting because, like nature, it displays the impact humans have had due to their destruction. The revulsion toward the sea-witch’s twisted nurturing behavior reveals how humans only value beauty. When nature can poison or harm humans, they tend to ignore or downplay its role in our ecosystem. This reflects how humans try to control and manipulate the natural world to suit their comfort.

Human and Elemental Harmony

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In the chapter “The Day after the Wedding,” Undine by Froqúe, Undine reveals she is a water spirit, a being a nature with no human soul. Undine opens herself vulnerably to her husband, recalling to him her life as an elemental spirit and her journey of acquiring a soul through their love. In this confession she contrasts her previous life of natural joy and unburden to this new change of life through love and marriage, “Hence we have also no soul; the element moves us, and is often obedient to us while we live, though it scatters us to dust when we die; and we are merry, without having aught to grieve us — merry as the nightingales and little goldfish and other pretty children of nature.” (Penguin,105). Within this confession, the reader can understand the differences between the beliefs of the elemental creatures and their way of live, to the biblical path of “soul” created by humans. In these differences, Froqúe reveals the destruction of the human consciousness, this devotion to purpose, and its detriment to the unity between humans and the environment. 

Undine begins her confession by stating her lack of a human soul, “Hence we have also no soul,” demonstrating that elemental beings are naturally separate, but nature itself does not possess them. They are guided by the elemental spirit. There is no definitive ‘bible’ for the elemental way to live; there are no ‘rights’ or ‘wrongs’. They do not have the consciousness to feel guilt or judgment. Undine’s element of water is the giver of her life: “The element moves us, and is often obedient to us while we live, though it scatters to us when we die.” Undine’s element is clearly water, which sustains her life, although her relationship with it does not embody loyalty over death, unlike human religion or marriage. There is no single all-powerful being or creator of all elementals, and when an elemental dies, its body is returned to the environment. There is, in fact, no afterlife for the elementals. Their bodies are  “scattering to dust,” emphasizing that Undine has never had to put pressure on her death; when she passes, there is no hope for a “heaven”, there is no conscious idea of lifelong judgment of a higher power, or the importance of a legacy one leaves behind on earth. Undine will not have to face her creator and have her fate decided.  For Undine, life was meant to be lived simply, not to seek a purpose until she found love. Her life before marriage, “ we merry, without aught to grieve us – merry as the nightinggales and little goldfish and other pretty children of nature.” Undine highlights her past life of innocence, comparing the nature of nightingales and goldfish, creatures that do not experience complex feelings of grief and love, suggesting that before gaining a soul, she did have the emotional capacity for despair. This comparison demonstrates that acquiring a human soul through love has now awakened these feelings of suffering. This moment is an emotional and spiritual turning point for Undine as she reminisces on her old life and commits to the moral world. Undine is no longer a “pretty child of nature, she is a woman, vulnerable, soulful, and capable of deep happiness and suffering. 

The idea that nature was “often obedient” to Undine shows that her relationship with her element is a mutual one, where both respond and listen to each other, rather than one trying to dominate the other There is a natural rhythm between them, as there is no open space for betrayal between Undine and the water, no grief, soul, or moral burden. This demonstrates the idealized natural state where humans can be part of the ecosystem rather than the master over it, living a balanced life. Humans want a simple relationship with the environment, but their self-awareness complicates harmony because their own motives become their worst enemies. Undine’s transformation of acquiring her soul through love mirrors the separation humans gain by their consciousness. These complexities of despair disconnect them from the natural world, and the sense of solidarity dissolves into selfish actions. Undine becomes more disconnected from her element as civilization distances her from her natural rhythm and environment. The cycle of life and death of the elemental showcases the dual role of the environment, the nurturing and indifferent. As “the element moves us…though it scatters us to dust when we die..” illuminates that when the elementals are alive, nature nurtures and obeys, but in death, it reclaims and dissolves, once again demonstrating this rhythm, the elemental creatures live within the environment. In terms of humans, this cycle just emphasizes our lack of control over the environment. Froqúe showcases that nature will always outlast and outpower humans. 

This story of Undines demonstrates the human imbalance and tension within the relationship to the environment. When humans reject what they cannot control, this leads to destruction. Froqúe considers whether humans can live meaningfully with a soul while still honoring and remaining in harmony with the natural world.

Curiosity Killed the Environment

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In chapter 22, “Departure,” of The Romance of the Faery Melusine, the author explores the aftermath of Raymondin’s violation of his vows due to curiosity, leading to an internal struggle both Raymondin and Melusine face concerning Melusine’s true nature. Raymondin’s and Melusine’s internal conscience alternates between who is at fault and how this relationship can prevail, Raymondin or Melusine: “He, through his curiosity, she, without it being her fault, by her very nature. And he no doubt threw the fault on her, and she told herself that they would still be happy but for his cursed curiosity” (142). Deep down, Raymondin acknowledges that his actions are his own responsibility, yet he continues to project his guilt onto Melusine’s nature. Melusine acknowledges that curiosity is damaging, but remains hopeful that Raymondin will overcome. The themes of curiosity as destruction and desire for knowledge not only depict the betrayal of a tragic love story, but also a broader metaphor about the way humans treat the natural world. 

The use of fragmented, Elliptical Syntax showcases stream-of-consciousness narration of the tangled thought process of Raymondin’s moral battle. Raymondin feels as if his curiosity is bound to her, “He, through his curiosity, she,” projecting his desire of overwhelming curiosity onto her. That idea that he is to inherently carry the curiosity of desiring the knowledge of what takes place on Melusine’s sacred Saturdays. Melusine’s inevitability cannot change who she is, “Without it being her fault, by her very nature”, by nature she is half serpent. This realization displays that Melusine cannot be blamed for what provokes his curiosity. In no way did Melusine taunt or consent to the action ot idea of Raymondin peering into her Saturday rituals. Raymondin understands her nature; his curiosity within him is self-created by his mind’s doing, though he chooses to harbor resentment, “threw fault on her” within his own insecurity and blame Melusine for his weakness, knowing she is not at fault. 

Throughout all the time Melusine held Raymondidn in such a high regard, as a true love with honor.  Melusine understood that Raymondine would have a sense of curiosity, “And she told herself that they would still be happy for his cursed curiosity”. Still, she was hopeful that their love and trust for one another would prevail over the corrosive thoughts of curiosity. The idea that curiosity can be a “curse” suggests that it may have harmful effects and would ultimately lead to one’s demise. Despite Melusine’s high optimism for this marriage, she understands that the possibility of destruction is held within the hands of her lover. Raymondin’s act of invading Melusine’s ritual is an act driven by his cursed curiosity, an example of humans’ desire for control.  

Melsuine part-fae and part-human straddles the line between human and non-human; she is the embodiment of nature: the other, and unknown to humans. Raymondin’s desire for control and knowledge over Melusine’s nature parallels how people treat the environment, viewing it as a place to conquer, dominate, and exploit rather than respect. Similar to Melusine, the environment is not at fault for its nature; the environment cannot control its unpredictability, therefore, cannot be blamed for its behavior. Meanwhile, humans’ response to nature, when nature reaches its limit, is to blame, or humans are set to find a new alternative way to dominate. The belief that “they would still be happy” despite their betrayal reflects a toxic sense of hope that humans can violate natural limits and maintain harmony with the environment. 

In conclusion, The Romance of the Faery Melusine becomes an allegory for humans’ own “cursed curiosity,” the continuous drive to pierce ecological boundaries in the name of knowledge, control, and power, even at the cost of irreparable damage.

The Cycle of the Serpent

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In the story “Legend of Melusina,“ the serpent Melusina was actually a fairy. Fairies are often very delicate, but mischievous creatures, which is revealed in the story after her revenge on her father. The act of revenge is childish, demonstrating the Fairy as young and childlike. After this act of sin, her mother curses her to become a serpent every Saturday “till she should meet a man who would marry her under the condition of never seeing her on a Saturday, and should keep his promise” (87). This concept resembles the idea that a woman’s life begins once she is domesticated, and the fairy transforming into a serpent symbolizes a girl’s transition into womanhood. The serpent is symbolic of transformation, and in this case, I think it is a metaphor for menstruation. 

France was heavily under Catholic influence in the 14th century, so the rise of patriarchal traditions would be on the rise. With this influence and lack of knowledge about women’s bodies, a woman’s body would be under surveillance, so the boundary for a request for a day of seclusion seems large. 

Once a woman begins her menstrual cycle, there are whole new expectations and pressures thrust upon them. The highest expectation of impurity, in which the act of menstruation was often seen as ‘impure’, so the anxiety to hide the action from others around them was a real societal pressure. This is enforced as no man would want an ‘impure’ wife. Though with the marriage to Raymond, Melusina is seen as the perfect domestic woman. She is the perfect mother and wife.

Her life of secrecy on Saturday was the cycle of her womanhood, a day of seclusion to be herself and allow her body to live naturally. When Melusina’s husband, Raymond, sneaks into her room to peek, he is saddened that “through his breach of faith”(88). The act of Raymond peeking to see his serpent wife was an act of sin, as he lost his purity witnessing the cycle of his wife. At the moment, Raymond did not comfort his wife from his betrayal, but chose to reveal her identity to the “courtiers” around. Meanwhile, Melusina was attempting to comfort him, but was thrown to the side after he betrayed her. Thus erasing her voice from the narrative to the people, and shaming her womanhood. 

This story demonstrates the hardships of the transformation from girlhood to womanhood. Whereas Melusina, as a fairy child, was very free, and once she became a serpent, she carried feelings of shame and expectation. Since her becoming a woman (serpent) she was told that she must find a man to live happily, and to hide the aspects of her that make her a woman. She is met with limits and restrictions, which can all be diminished by a man’s betrayal. Her world is flipped upside down once her husband betrays her and shames her in front of all. In this instance, she is now forced to flee and live an invisible life.

Sirens Temptation of Divine Knowlegde

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In this week’s reading of “Odysseus and the Sirens” in The Penguin Book of Mermaids, the mermaids are painted to be tempting creatures because they promise wisdom and knowledge, which lures men to crash their boats and lead to their unfortunate death. During the Odyssey, Circe helps Odysseus plan against being tempted and warns him against the Sirens. Now this begs the question, why? What were they warning? The sirens in the Odyssey were symbols of knowledge of the truth, and the fear mongered around them was the fear of knowing too much and becoming too powerful.

If I recall the Odyssey accurately, his city was destroyed after a war, which often raises questions about power afterward. The warning against mermaids was used to maintain people’s trust in the ruler and served as propaganda to keep them fearful of knowledge. Specifically, the line “we know whate’er the kings of mighty name, Achieved at Ilion in the field of fame” demonstrates that the mermaids were superior to the mighty; their knowledge was stronger than that of the current ruler (11). So, this effort to prevent people from gaining knowledge is a strategy to keep them uneducated and easy to control. There is also a claim to “fame” with knowledge. 

This raises questions about the misuse of knowledge. Those who use their knowledge maliciously to exploit people. Which would reveal the truth of power held towards the top of the hierarchy. The warning against the mermaids is also a warning against greed. To be greedy of knowledge that destroys the people around you and eventually yourself, almost like an ‘evil crazy scientist’. The never-ending cycle of always having a desire for more will be one’s ultimate demise. So, the sailor’s unfortunate death caused by the mermaid would be just the cause of their death, which would just be a consequence of their own personal sin. 

Overall, the depiction of Sirens is very interesting, as they are monsters of temptation through their promise of otherworldly wisdom. The more knowledge someone has, the harder they are to control, and the desire for more only grows.

The Secret Life of the Mer-Wife

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In this week’s reading, the concept of a “mer-wife” piqued my attention, because here we have the mermaid crossing into the human realm—the mermaid’s double life, as we have seen in many TV series or movies. These stories, the mermaid must decide between her life in the sea and life as a human; she can’t “have it all.” For the name of love, without any knowledge of the human realm outside her partner, she chooses to give up her life and marry the man she has just met. The Penguin Book of Mermaids describes the concept of the mer-wife to the desire of men: “These tales speak to the discrepancy between men’s longing for a woman unfettered by social mores and their attempt to control her by domesticating her.” (xviii). To men, the mer-wife is their perfect fantasy of an ‘untamable’ woman ‘domesticated’ by their masculinity.

I think it is interesting that once a mermaid has decided to live the ‘human’ life, they are ‘domesticated’, similar to how we describe a pet. In these stories, the mermaid giving up her life for one that will forever be controlled by the perspective of the man she marries is slightly disturbing. The concept feels disturbing because she has not developed her own thoughts and is essentially childlike. The mer-wife has a very innocent, naive perspective on the human world. Men desire an unattainable woman, and desire to be the one to teach her how to ‘live’. Similar to how a parent teaches their child how to navigate society. There is this weird undertone of infantilization towards the ‘mer-wife”.

This concept reminds me of a story told in Merpeople: A Human History about two women who found a mermaid and showed her the path of God, and saved her, essentially ‘domesticating’ her to live in the realm we humans deem ‘acceptable’. The idea that once again the ‘other’ can be conditioned and molded into living in our society. Men and women are domesticating the mermaid in the patriarchal society.

In the realm of feminism, to have women and men neglect the mermaid of choice showcases similar issues we have today. Not allowing the mermaid to choose to live both lives or have a life of her own, because a woman cannot “have it all,” demonstrates feminist issues still occurring today. The mer-wife showcases the constraints women are forced into in a patriarchal society.