The Sea Maiden

The sea maiden is also called the sea muse, Pharaoh, sea siren, as well as in other languages vadzyana karaleyna (Belarusian), Morska Panna (Ukrainian), Mořská panna (Czech), Morska deklica (Slovenian), and Mermaid (English) — this is a mythological character found in the legends and myths of the peoples of Europe. She is described as a girl with a fish tail instead of legs, living in the sea. There is a male analogue — the sea husband (Merman).

In East Slavic mythology, this name is mentioned in relation to the daughter The sea king. However, in late Russian literature and cinema, her image merged with the image of a Slavic mermaid (looks like a human, has no tail and walks on two legs).

In the English—language bestiary, the word rusalka is used for Slavic mermaids, and for sea maidens - mermaid.

The Babylonian male deity is considered to be the progenitor of the sea maidens — Oannes. Every morning he emerged from the waves of the Red Sea to teach people agriculture, construction, healing and other arts and crafts. In the evening, Oannes again hid in the sea waves.

The first female fish - tailed deity was Atargate (or Derketo), the Syrian goddess of the Moon and fishing, whose cult flourished in the city of Hierapolis (modern Membage). According to the description of the Roman historian Lucian, "she is half a woman, but from the hips down she has a fish tail growing."

The Greek sirens, who seduced Odysseus with their singing, were originally depicted as birds with female heads, but over time significant changes took place in their image: instead of a bird with a female head, they began to be depicted as a young woman with a fish tail instead of legs.