As I was reading “Introduction: The Stories We Tell About Mermaids and Other Water Spirits” (Penguin, ix-xxii) it made me wonder if there was a collective idea as to why the mermaids in our stories often lack agency. The introduction notes “the mermaid’s perspective is rarely presented and instead basically assumed (pg xix).” Our limited understanding of the vast deep seas leads us to shape a narrative in which humans are dominant above all creatures- even the alluring, dangerous and oftentimes otherworldly beautiful mermaid. Perhaps a mermaid’s lack of agency in these stories are not only for humans to assert their control, but to also make sense of the unknown. Historically the sea has always been difficult to understand, as so much of it hasn’t even been explored today. Over 80% remains unknown. The unknown is uncomfortable, as it is captivating. The mermaid embodies those two qualities, and as mentioned in the reading she tries her hardest to “pass” as a human on land but is never fully accepted (xvii). This “otherness” is the reason why a man has a strong desire to pursue her, and to domesticate her. Perhaps this possessiveness of the mermaid strips her from her agency, all in the name of “love” that seems more plainly like desire. 

A mermaid’s lack of agency in a patriarchal sphere brings me to our reading “Sedna” (Inuit). I’ve actually read this story before for my mythology class, and was absolutely flabbergasted by her father’s sudden act of betrayal- especially since he spent so long looking for (who we all thought was) his beloved daughter. This creation story could simply just be a creation story, or it could be deciphered to have many themes. Those themes being betrayal, connection to nature, especially the spiritual connection that the Inuit people had with the sea. Still, I couldn’t help but to see Sedna’s story being patriarchal in nature. Despite her transformation in becoming a powerful sea goddess who controls the animals of the sea, it was all due to her suffering that caused this. Sedna having to be married off, then deceived by her husband followed by her being dispensable to her father. To me, this creation story showed Sedna’s lack of agency in a man’s world, only to find her power in another world- the world of the sea. 

Art Credit: Sedna by Antony Galbraith