The First Annual Mermaid Awards

Imagine...mermaids from all over the world gathering in one city for a night of unforgettable memories. Picture an enormous swimming pool teeming with hundreds of mermaids, all with differently colored tails splashing and playing and laughing.

MerCon, as the event is dubbed, is being held this summer at the Mirage Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Some notable faces that will be there are Hannah Fraser, Carolyn Turgeon, and Tera Lynn Childs. There's also going to be performances from Marina the Fire-Eating Mermaid!


At the end of the convention, there will be an awards ceremony to award the best the mermaid world has to offer!

There's also going to be an enormous pool where guests strap into their mermaid tails, swim with others of their kind, and watch the entire ceremonies unfold from the poolside!


I so wish I could go, but sadly I won't be able to. What about you guys? Will you guys go? Would you like to go?

A Mermaid "Tail": Melusine

Mermaids and humans just can't seem to stop falling in love with each other, can they? Here's a tale about what happens when a mermaid/human relationship doesn't end so happily-ever-after. Melusine is a popular European legend still widely-known today. Read further for her story.

Long ago, there was a count who was out hunting one day when he encountered a beautiful woman in the forest near a babbling stream. The woman's name was Melusine, and he became quite taken with her. He asked her to return with him to his kingdom and become his bride, and Melusine only offered one condition in their marriage: she was to be left alone one day of every week. The count agreed, and they were married.

Time passed, and Melusine bore the count many children, but each child had genetic anomalies. One son had differently-colored eyes: one eye green, the other red. Another son had the tusks like a wild boar. The count questioned why this was so, and became deeply suspicious of his wife. Nevertheless, he still allowed her to have one day of the week free to do whatever it was she did in that time.

The count's suspicions grew. Did she have a secret lover? What was it that Melusine did during this time? Eventually, the count's curiosity grew too much to handle, and he waited for Melusine to sneak away one day into the castle's bathing chambers and stood behind the locked door. He peered into the keyhole to see his wife bathing and became astonished when he noticed the long, scaly tail of a fish peeking out of the water. She was no woman! She was a mermaid!

The count gasped in surprise, and Melusine overheard him and noticed he was spying on her. She let out a terrifying scream and then, sprouting wings, she flew away from the castle, never to be seen again.

However, there would still be the occasional maid who swore she saw the figure of a winged woman with a fish's tail cradling the youngest child of the countess Melusina.

So, what did you think of it? Kind of creepy, huh? This is only one such version of Melusina's tale. There are countless others!

Interview With THE SECRET OF THE EMERALD SEA Author Heather Matthews!

I recently caught up with Heather Matthews, an author whose latest novel, The Secret of the Emerald Sea is about a favorite subject of ours: mermaids! Here's an interview I did with Heather where you'll learn more about herself, her work, as well as plenty of mermaid-y goodness!

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Heather Matthews. I live in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. I work full-time as a freelance writer. Many of my most popular articles, such as Top Ten Tortured Artists and Top Ten Cults, appear at www.toptenz.net. I also do plenty of corporate writing to pay the bills! I write novels in my free time. I have a son named Jeremy – he’s amazing. I love motherhood, poetry, alternative rock music, and art.

What can you tell us about The Secret of the Emerald Sea?
This mermaid novel tells the story of Jane…she’s a young girl with a secret lineage – one that even she isn’t aware of. Her urge to visit the sea (which she has been forbidden to go to) and to sink into its depths begins to take over her life. One night, she can no longer resist. When she enters the glimmering waters of the Emerald Sea, she begins a magical adventure that moves to the land - and sky. Certain characters from Roman mythology make an appearance to spice things up!


Where did you get the idea for The Secret of the Emerald Sea?

I was working full-time in an office while I wrote this book. I would work on it during my lunch hour – I typed up at least half of the novel on my office PC! I suppose the book was inspired by all of the novels I loved to read as a girl – Alice in Wonderland and The Mists Of Avalon are a couple of beloved favorites.

I’m a Pisces, so I’m drawn to the water – I think it’s beautiful. It made sense for me to set the story there and to describe all the wonders of the underwater world. I had always read mythology, as well as novels, and I used to marvel at the rash and capricious acts of the gods and goddesses. I thought it would be fun to put a new spin on the classic tales of Roman mythology.

My characters became very real to me while I was writing the book – I even dreamed about one character - a mysterious little cherub named Cupid. He is probably my favorite character.

Have you always loved mermaids?

I grew up in the 80’s, when movies like Splash were very popular. That wonderful film was probably a catalyst for my interest in mermaids – in a subconscious way. To be honest, the story sort of wrote itself – apparently mermaids were a part of my imagination – an element I hadn’t really explored in depth until I wrote the novel.

Which character do you identify most with?
As is the case with most of my novels, I identify with the heroines and villains. I know that I am good and bad. There can be valuable self-examination when you’re creating characters, because they are a part of you. So I would say I identify the most with Jane, the heroine, and her nemesis – an old crone named Liesel.

How do you feel about all this sudden attention mermaids are getting in the media lately?
I think it’s wonderful. Mythology and symbolism are important parts of our culture. The beauty of fantasy - and pretending – should not be underestimated. I think there is a part of all of us that longs for some element of otherworldliness…some deeper meaning or magic. People are very complex, and seeking out fantasy characters from mythology can be an excellent way to fuel a person’s imagination. For centuries, mermaids have inspired art, poetry, music…they are classic symbols that will always have power in the modern world.

If you were a mermaid, what color tail/magical powers would you like to have?
I would go for an aquamarine and emerald green design – just like my heroine Jane’s mermaid tail. Swimming as one with the creatures of the sea would be magical enough for me – I wouldn’t need the tail to have any extra powers.

What do you hope readers will take away from The Secret of the Emerald Sea after reading it?
This book has romantic elements – there is a love story, or love triangle, that drives three of the characters. My heroine is becoming a woman, and she is overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions and the turmoil that they bring. In the end, she does make a choice – a romantic one – one that is right for her. I would like readers to enjoy this sense of innocent romance. I want them to feel the emotions of my characters.

Finally, what other projects --if you're at liberty to say--are you currently working on?
I’ve been researching Celtic mythology for some time – I’m working on a project set in the early middle ages, in Ireland. I don’t want to say too much more about it right now ;)

Thank you SO much for agreeing to do this interview, Heather! I deeply appreciate it! :)

I really enjoyed it, and I hope readers enjoy the novel, too. Thanks :)

A Mermaid "Tail": Sirena of the South Seas

This mermaid tale comes from the Tropics, and it's a sweet, but also sad, story, unlike the darker one posted earlier. Here's the story of Sirena.

Sirena was a lovely young girl who lived with her mother and godmother in a small hut near the water's edge on a tropical island paradise. Sirena's life wasn't easy. Her father died when she was small, and her mother was to weak to keep up with the housework. Therefore, Sirena had to do all the chores by herself. The only solace she found was the moonlit swim she took every night with her godmother Nina.

Sirena's mother was angered by her daughter's nightly swims, accusing Sirena of choosing to swim rather than help her mother do chores. When Sirena quarreled with her mother, she would retreat into the waves with Nina, and Nina would comb Sirena's long, silken hair while they sat on a rock in the moonlight.

Finally, one afternoon came that was hotter than ever before. To escape the unrelenting heat, Sirena retreated from doing chores to take a swim. Nina was there, too, and the two let the currents carry them out to sea. Back at the hut, Sirena's mother was impatient for her lunch, but when her daughter never showed up, she went to sea looking for her.

When she found her daughter, Sirena's mother declared, "Your love for the ocean is greater than your love for me!" Then she pointed a finger at her daughter and shouted, "You shall be doomed to swim in it forever!"

Nina, Sirena's godmother, knew that words that carried such ferocity and anger could carry a curse. She wrapped Sirena in her arms to protect her with love from the curse.

Unfortunately, Nina's grasp only covered Sirena's arms and torso. While Sirena's upper body remained the same, her legs turned into a mermaid's tail.

Sirena's mother was horrified at what she'd done to her daughter. She tried to take the words back, but she could no undo what she had already done. Sirena was a mermaid forever.

Nina sobbed as she lowered her goddaughter into the sea. She told Sirena to visit her when the moon was full, and they would swim together again.

Sirena promised and with a flick of her tail but also a saddened smile, she dove under the sea to explore her new world.

Each month, when the moon was full, Sirena returned to play with Nina in the surf. When they were done swimming, the beautiful mermaid would climb upon a rock and let Nina comb her long silken hair in the moonlight.

Apparently, this is a widely popular story in the Tropics. Some say that, to this day, Sirena's hut still sits there by the water's edge. Maybe a mermaid still lives around there, too? You never know....

Atargatis, Goddess of the Mermaids

All of you who follow this blog love mermaids, right? Well, did you know our favorite fishy-tailed females actually have a goddess? Yep, that's right! Atargatis, or Derceto/Derketo as the Greeks called her, is an ancient Syrian goddess who has also been called the "Lady Goddess of the Sea."

Atargatis supposedly has a fish-bodied appearance, and her followers abstained from eating fish and often mutilated themselves. Atargatis was depicted as having long, flowing hair like the water, and some of her symbols are a lion, a crescent moon, and two fish confronting one another. Her consort was the storm and rain god Hadad. She has also been seen with a veil atop her head. Temples devoted to Atargatis often had ponds on the outside, which were filled with sacred fish that only the priests could touch. Even to this day there are still sacred ponds of fish in Lebanon that are not to be touched. Can you imagine? Despite the legend of Atargatis being thousands of years old, people still worship and honor the mermaid even into modern times!

The legend of Atargatis states that she was once a powerful priestess who fell in love with a beautiful shepherd-boy. and she became impregnanted. Intent on ending this unwanted pregnancy, Atargatis fled into the sea to drown herself, but instead she became a mermaid. Not only did she become a mermaid, but a goddess of the seas.

If you'd be interested in learning more about Atargatis, the mermaids of Devyn Quinn's Dark Tides series worship the Syrian goddess. There are also essays written about the cult of Atargatis and books about myths and legends that tell her story. Who would have known, our mermaid we see in movies, books, and TV used to be a goddess? Maybe that gives the mermaid legend a whole new perspective.

Interview With Siren's Call Author Devyn Quinn!

Devyn Quinn lives in the scenic Southwest, though she has called several other states home. She is a huge fan of dark gothic music & shoot-’em-up action movies. But reading is her first love and Devyn spends too much time with history books, as well as feeding her addiction for celebrity biographies. She especially enjoys reading books on Hollywood before the 1960′s and is crazy about Marilyn Monroe, her legend and her myth.

I recently caught up with Devyn Quinn to talk about her new Dark Tides series, which is about three mermaid sisters who discover they are the lost heiresses to a mermaid kingdom. I asked her a few questions about herself, her work, and her upcoming projects. Here's what she had to say.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

DQ: Not much to tell, really! I was born in an unremarkable location, grew up living an unremarkable life and it's been that way for the last 40 years or so.


How did you get the idea for the Dark Tides series?
DQ: Editor Lindsay Nouis, formerly of NAL, was looking for paranormal romance with a darker side. She specifically asked for mermaid themed ideas. My agent contacted me and asked if I was interested since I am known for edgier characters.
I said sure, and wrote a proposal. It was rejected, along with the admonition that I couldn't use the tried and true aspects of mermaid lore, including Poseidon, Atlantis, or spin off Anderson's Little Mermaid because other authors has already touched on those themes in ongoing series. With that in mind, I did a little more research and came upon the lore of the Assyrian mermaid, which I then began to use to create an alternate world for the mermaid, including their origins as a war-like species.

Which Lonike sister do you relate to most?
DQ: I would have to say I like Addison. If I had such terrific powers I would certainly want to take advantage of it, just like she wants to.

The mermaids in the Dark Tides series are covered in tribal tattoos that denote them as something other than human. Do you have a love for tattoos that maybe inspired this aspect of the mermaids’ mythology?

DQ: I actually have tattoos myself, and do like my characters to have them when applicable. Creating a scale pattern for my mermaids was inspired when I actually saw a drawing of a mermiad with such markings on her tail. I decided to expand the pattern to cover the entire upper torso as well.

Which of the male love interests is your favorite?

DQ: I'd have to say I like all the men equally well. Kenneth may not be best looking, but he's loyal and loves Tessa, tail and all. Blake's not exactly sure what he's getting into with Gwen, but he's willing to give it a try. As for Mason McKenzie, he's going to learn what it's like to let a woman take the lead.

How do you feel about all this sudden attention mermaids are getting in the media?
DQ: I honestly have not seen a lot of media attention on mermaids. I know that the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean movie has some mermaid characters, but aside from that I'm not aware of any surge in their popularity.

Dark Tides is meant to be a trilogy. Could you see yourself writing more books about your fish-tailed characters?
DQ: Although I had the chance to continue with the series, I declined the chance to go with more books. I felt three sisters, three books were quite enough. Anything more would have been jumping the shark, LOL


What do you hope readers will take away from your books after reading them?
DQ: That they had an enjoyable time visiting my alternate reality.

Finally, what other projects are you currently working on?

DQ: I am presently writing on the second book in the Vampire Armageddon series, Darkness Awakening, as well as working with my agent to sell a new series to NAL. Nothing firm yet, but we're talking.

You can visit Devyn at her website http://www.devynquinn.com/ or on Goodreads. Siren's Call and Siren's Surrender are available now, and Siren's Desire, the third book in the series, will be released in February 2012.

Mermaid Movie: Splash (1984)

For many, Splash is the quintessential mermaid movie. Daryl Hannah’s long golden locks, intense gaze, and long, fiery-orange tail sparked something in girls all over the world. They dived into the pool, bound their feet together, and pretended to be mermaids swimming in the ocean. Not only that, but the movie is considered to be a classic in its own right, and no self-proclaimed mermaid fan can go without seeing this awesome movie.

The film centres around a thirty-something bachelor named Allen Bauer who is convinced he can’t find love. However, after a boating accident in Cape Cod, Allen is rescued by the woman of his dreams: a mermaid! It turns out that years ago, when Allen was just a young boy, he was saved by this same mermaid after falling off a ferryboat. When the mermaid comes ashore as the beautiful young woman Madison, Allen begins to fall in love with her, but he will eventually have to choose between land and sea and the love he has been waiting for his entire life.


Splash was the second mermaid movie I came across, the first being Disney’s The Little Mermaid. At times it’s cheesy and fluffy - for example, how they fall madly in love in only about six days - but at its heart it is the story of two very different people who have to fight against odds to be with each other. Whether those odds are a set of fins and scales or a deranged scientist intent on capturing Madison and dissecting her, Allen and Madison don’t have it easy.

The movie also has its few moments of strong language, mainly on the part of Allen’s brother Freddie, and there a couple brief moments of nudity on Madison’s part, but as a small child watching this, I didn’t pay much attention.

So if you haven’t watched Splash, definitely check it out! The underwater scenes are breathtaking, and the ease and grace with which Daryl Hannah swims in her mermaid tail will make you wonder if maybe Daryl Hannah really is a mermaid!

What are you waiting for? Drive on out to your local video rental place and check out Splash, because if you’re a diehard mermaid buff, you definitely won’t want this movie to be the one that got away!