by Cassie C.
/art2/faerystories/
Mermaids and mermen (of course) have been sighted throughout the centuries by many different people. For example, Odysseus saw mermaids in "The Oddyssey" as well did Hans Christian Anderson who then wrote "The Little Mermaid". This was a sad tale in which a young mermaid fell in love with a human man so she asked a sea witch to turn her into a human so she could be with him. The sea witch consented but sadly, the young man did not love the little mermaid, but loved another. The mermaid would die if he decided to marry the other woman(as were the conditions of the sea witch). The mermaid's sisters came to her with a solution: If the girl killed the young man, she would be able to return to the sea. But, alas, she could not kill him, so, on his wedding day, she jumped off his wedding ship and stabbed herself with the knife her sisters gave her to kill the young man. The mermaid turned into seafoam as soon as her mortal blood hit the water. So ends the sad tale of "The Little Mermaid". This is definitly not the Disney version! Mermaids and mermen can live in salt water or fresh water. Some types even live in streams and rivers but do not let themselves be seen by mortals. Only certain mortals can see mermaids and they are few. There is one type of mermaid that lives at the very bottom of the ocean in the darkness. They have little natural lights at the end of their flippers. The most common type of mermaid known to most everyone is the kind that live in coral reefs. They are very small and the coral is like a castle to them. It also protects them from predators. Mermaids and mermen are beautiful, varying creatures.
