Top 10 All Things Mermaid
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Article by: Teryl
Geek Girl Teryl Dactyl wrote this list of her top 10 favourite "All Things Mermaid"...
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Out of all the mythical creatures I learned about growing up, mermaids were my favourite. Living near the ocean, I would often stare at the surface and dream about what their exciting underwater life must be like. My best friend and I recently decided to be nostalgic and watch the Little Mermaid again, now re-awakening my long ago obsession. Before I start my top ten list of all things mermaid, I would like to give you a little history of the myth.
The first ever story of the mermaid began in ancient Assyria in which the goddess Atargatis transformed herself into a creature half human, half fish, as punishment after accidentally killing her human lover. The word 'mermaid' stems from the old English words for sea (mere) and girl (maid). Mermaids were originally thought of as benevolent or beneficent and the cause of floods, storms and shipwrecks. The ancient Greeks had their own version called sirens, who lured fishermen to their demise with their beautiful song. Now they grace the pages of many children's books, movies, and our imaginations.
10.
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson - The original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Anderson, published in 1837, about a young mermaid willing to give up her identity and life under the sea and become human for the love of a human prince. Unlike Disney's version, this story has a rather unhappy ending, resulting in the prince marrying another and the Little Mermaid turning into sea foam. (Having read this years after I'd fell in love with the Disney movie I found it quite depressing)
9.
Pirates of the Caribbean, On Stranger Tides - Although the movie is mainly about pirates, the appearance of mermaids is still pretty strong, with one being captured for her tears needed to activate the fountain of youth's magic.
8.
Animal Planet's Mermaids: The Body Found - Since I regained my love of mermaids, I have watched this rather frightening docufiction from Animal Planet. If you are super curious about what 'scientists' think a real mermaid would look like and want to give yourself nightmares (I watched this super late at night. Haha), then I highly suggest streaming this. It certainly had me thinking that I'd never want to meet a 'real' mermaid should I be out to drift in the middle of the ocean.
7.
Mermaids & Mythology Magazine - Brought to you by the publishers of FAE, this magazine is dedicated to the love of all things Mermaid. If you love learning more about the myth, love to look at visually stunning art and photography, or are even in the market for your own mermaid tail and want some info, get your hands on one of these.
6.
The Little Mermaid video game for Nintendo - This was one of the first video games I ever owned. It was released in 1991 by Capcom for both NES and Gameboy. The game begins with Prince Eric and Ariel preparing for their wedding, but Ursula has taken over the sea and now Ariel must defeat her. Ariel swims through the ocean, shooting bubbles at her opponents and digging in the sand for coins and treasure. Now if only I can find it so I can play it again...
5.
Tracy Hines' Hipster Mermaid YouTube Videos - Tracy Hines and her personal Little Mermaid obsession has resulted in her Hipster Mermaid persona. She now has a few mini-episodes up on her YouTube channel. They're cute and funny, and I think she does Ariel justice.
4.
H2O Just Add Water - I first found out about this Australian TV show when Kato of Steampunk Couture first raved about how much she loved it. (My love for Kato is another story) So, I decided to turn on my Netflix and give it a watch on one rainy afternoon. Now I know the show is aimed at kids and teens, but I'm a Disney fan, and a total sucker for anything magical, so I loved it too.
The show is based around three 16 year old Australian girls (Rikki Chadwick, Emma Gilbert, and Cleo Sertori) who find themselves stranded on the mysterious Mako Island, in a cavern of a dormant volcano, and bathe in the 'moon pool' under a magical full moon. Shortly after they get rescued they develop supernatural powers and a mermaid's tail when they get wet. From there the show goes on with their shenanigans, and the girls trying to hide the fact that they are now mermaids from their friends and family. It's really quite entertaining , so if you're a mermaid lover and you haven't seen it yet then I suggest you give it a watch. *The show now has a spin-off that you can watch when you're done with the initial series. It's called Mako Mermaids. I found I didn't like it as much, but it's still pretty cute and quirky.
3.
Aquamarine - Although this movie didn't get the best ratings, it's still pretty cute, and always cheers me up on a rainy day when I need a feel-good movie fix. Silly and somewhat predictable, it's typical of any pre-teen flick, filled with awkward teenage moments, pretty boys and mean girls. I do love the summertime feel and the quirky mermaid antics though.
This 2006 teen fantasy/comedy (loosely based on the children's book) is about two awkward, boy-crazy, teenage best friends (Hailey and Claire) who come to meet a bubbly mer-girl (Aquamarine). Hailey and Claire are soon to be separated due to Hailey's mother accepting a job in Australia, and so one stormy night Hailey wishes for a miracle to happen that will change her situation. On that same night, Claire and Hayley find a mermaid named Aquamarine in the swimming pool at the beach club. At first they are scared but then quickly become friends as Aqua explains that she needed to escape from her sea life for a bit to find the intriguing human idea of love (of which she immediately falls for the most popular and cutest boy in town).
2.
Splash - This 1984 all-star casted romantic comedy was directed by Ron Howard and was even nominated for an Academy award. It sits at my number two because of its classic 80's movie awesomeness and its fantastic depiction of mermaid-human romance... and I totally adored Daryl Hannah's character. What girl wouldn't want her gorgeous crimped mermaid hair? :D
The main character of the film, Allen Bauer (Tom Hanks) had a close encounter with a mermaid when he was 8, jumping overboard a ferry, near Cape Cod, when he spots something fascinating in the water. Allen, however, can't swim, and while struggling to get to the water's surface her grabs the hands of a girl of which he forms an instant connection. Allen is pulled to safety by deck hands and the two are left separated. No one seems to have seen the girl, but as the ferry pulls away Allen spots her in the water. She dives under the water, revealing a mermaid's tail... making Allen shake his head in disbelief and brushes off the encounter as a hallucination. Many years later, and several failed relationships behind him, Allen is still seeking for the strong connection that he felt with the mysterious girl in his 'dream'. He decides to return to Cape Cod, searching to get that feeling back. He again falls into the sea and wakes up on a beach where he finds a beautiful naked woman (Daryl Hannah), who unbeknownst to him is the mermaid he met as a boy. She kisses him and then dives back into the ocean, leaving Allen alone, again seeking this mysterious woman.
For those of you mermaid/merfolk fans who haven't seen Splash, I highly recommend it!
1.
The Little Mermaid (1989 Disney Movie) - This movie is an all-time classic that will forever have a place in my heart. It inspired me for many of my childhood years and continues to do so now. I think I had just about everything Little Mermaid. The dolls, the soundtrack, the bed sheets... EVERYTHING! I used to put the soundtrack on and play with my Ariel and Eric dolls for hours, re-enacting the scenes from the movies. I even remember my friends and I pretending we were mermaids at recess and making fins out of stapled construction paper. Anyways... As most people already know the plot, here are some interesting facts about this classic Disney film.
- Disney's The Little Mermaid was the first in the Animated Classics Series and earned $84 million at the box office during its initial release ($221 million in lifetime gross)
- It marked the era known as the Disney Renaissance after a string of commercial failures from Disney dating back to the 70's
- The movie soundtrack contains some of the most memorable Disney songs to date and won awards for best song (Under the Sea) and best score
- The Little Mermaid was originally planned to be part of one of Walt Disney's earliest features, a proposed package of vignettes of Hans Christian Andersen tales. Development began in the late 1930's but was put on hold due to 'circumstances'
- Ariel's body type and personality were based off of actress Alyssa Milano, and Ursula's off of a drag queen named Divine
- The Little Mermaid was the last animated Disney feature film to use the traditional hand-painted cel method of animation. Disney then moved onto using a digital method of coloring and combining scanned drawings developed for Disney by Pixar.
- Sebastian was originally supposed to be Clarence, the English Butler Crab, but songwriter Howard Ashman proposed the edit and shifted the film's music score to reflect a more high-energy, Rastafarian influenced style
In conclusion... Mermaids are beautiful, majestic and downright amazing creatures of myth. They have been my favourite since childhood and will continue to be present in the depths of my imagination for the rest of my life. I hope they inspire you too.
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June 02 2014