No, I haven’t seen any lately. As a medievalist I am painfully aware that the people I study and write about had mermaid issues. The medieval world was full of creatures that have long since faded into extinction. Unicorns, you don’t see as many unicorns as you used to either, but mermaids have pretty much faded from the collective consciousness of mankind, except for sailors and other seafaring types. The mermaid, a half-female, half-fish, is a hybrid creature that arises directly out of the subconscious of unruly minds and over-active imaginations. I think. Sailors have spotted them across the globe, resting on the rocks of faraway wild lands into which civilization had not yet crept. Hybrid creatures, though not too uncommon–the platypus and the bat, for example–are not what most people expect. The griffin, the centaur or the minotaur are three hybrid species which are both misunderstood and feared and are often difficult to find these days. Mermaids are problematic in the sense that they seem to provoke desire in the sailors viewing them. The male gaze goes berserk, runs amok, you might say with sexual desire while viewing these creatures. Freud would probably say that mermaids don’t exist at all and are only the product of an overactive imagination and a repressed libido. Although the rational empiricist might buy such drivel, I think mermaids should be shown the benefit of the doubt about their very existence. That they should flee from civilization should come as no surprise. Outsiders would just try to capture them and either enslave them or put them on display. Capitalism just works that way. That they should be shy and retiring should also come as no surprise since they often have to deal with half-crazed out-of-control sailors who are probably in danger sailing too close to the rocks to see the mermaids. Mermaids turn out to be their own kind of hazard–attractive, but dangerous. Ships don’t sail very well unless they have water under their keel, not nasty rocks or dangerous reefs. The existence of mermaids suggests the existence of mermen as well, but neither artists nor scientists have dealt with this obvious problem. I have nothing to say about merchildren, perhaps they only ever come ashore when they are adults. There have been many documentaries made about mermaids, and the mythology concerning mermaids and their desire to have legs is well-known. The obvious clothing-optional issues of merpeople present serious problems for filming or photographing these beings, unless shells and hair are strategically placed to prevent Victorian repressions from being provoked or assaulted. If you see a mermaid on any of your future voyages, you would be well-advised to keep sailing and leave well-enough alone.

No, I haven’t seen any lately. As a medievalist I am painfully aware that the people I study and write about had mermaid issues. The medieval world was full of creatures that have long since faded into extinction. Unicorns, you don’t see as many unicorns as you used to either, but mermaids have pretty much faded from the collective consciousness of mankind, except for sailors and other seafaring types. The mermaid, a half-female, half-fish, is a hybrid creature that arises directly out of the subconscious of unruly minds and over-active imaginations. I think. Sailors have spotted them across the globe, resting on the rocks of faraway wild lands into which civilization had not yet crept. Hybrid creatures, though not too uncommon–the platypus and the bat, for example–are not what most people expect. The griffin, the centaur or the minotaur are three hybrid species which are both misunderstood and feared and are often difficult to find these days. Mermaids are problematic in the sense that they seem to provoke desire in the sailors viewing them. The male gaze goes berserk, runs amok, you might say with sexual desire while viewing these creatures. Freud would probably say that mermaids don’t exist at all and are only the product of an overactive imagination and a repressed libido. Although the rational empiricist might buy such drivel, I think mermaids should be shown the benefit of the doubt about their very existence. That they should flee from civilization should come as no surprise. Outsiders would just try to capture them and either enslave them or put them on display. Capitalism just works that way. That they should be shy and retiring should also come as no surprise since they often have to deal with half-crazed out-of-control sailors who are probably in danger sailing too close to the rocks to see the mermaids. Mermaids turn out to be their own kind of hazard–attractive, but dangerous. Ships don’t sail very well unless they have water under their keel, not nasty rocks or dangerous reefs. The existence of mermaids suggests the existence of mermen as well, but neither artists nor scientists have dealt with this obvious problem. I have nothing to say about merchildren, perhaps they only ever come ashore when they are adults. There have been many documentaries made about mermaids, and the mythology concerning mermaids and their desire to have legs is well-known. The obvious clothing-optional issues of merpeople present serious problems for filming or photographing these beings, unless shells and hair are strategically placed to prevent Victorian repressions from being provoked or assaulted. If you see a mermaid on any of your future voyages, you would be well-advised to keep sailing and leave well-enough alone.