Early Background of Mermaids: From Myth to Science

Abstract

Mermaids – enigmatic beings that are half human and half fish – can be traced back to the Neolithic period, which spanned approximately 10,000 BC to 2,000 BC during the worship of the Mother Goddess. Understanding this historical context can shed light on the medical and cultural connections surrounding these creatures. This essay examines compelling evidence of mermaids from Bronze Age civilisations, particularly in Assyrian-Babylonian, Hindu, and later Graeco-Roman cultures, as well as their representation in medieval bestiaries. It also discusses a connection between mermaids and a rare congenital malformation known as sirenomelia or caudal regression syndrome in modern medical classifications. The study is based on medical observations and research conducted from the 16th century onward, which began to identify congenital malformations among so-called “monsters”, as science shed new light on ancient myths.