The Bestiary

MERMAID

Siren

The Mermaid appears as a woman to the waist, then continues as a fish. She sits upon rocks combing her hair, which is always long and beautiful. Her song lures sailors to their doom upon the rocks, though whether from malice or mere nature is unclear - perhaps she does not understand that men cannot breathe water. Some Mermaids have married mortal men, shedding their tails for legs, though they remain tied to the sea and may return. The Mermaid represents the allure of the depths, the mystery we cannot possess without drowning. Mirror in hand, she is vanity; comb in hand, she is beauty; rising from waves, she is the sea's seduction.