Arachne
Member
I've heard this given as the traditional explanation for the mermaid myth - manatees, first discovered by Spanish explorers in the New World. Manatees have front flippers that can vaguely resemble arms, and apparently nurse their young from their chest like a human, so they are equated with mermaids (whose large, bare breasts are usually emphasised in descriptions).
Do you believe in this theory at all? Let's face it - manatees aren't very attractive animals, and the whole point of a mermaid is that she is so sensually beautiful that she can lure sailors to their deaths. Also, aren't there Greek or Roman myths about mermaids? There are no species of manatee or dugong in any part of the world they would've been acquainted with. Whatever inspired the mermaid myth, I don't think it was manatees!
Do you believe in this theory at all? Let's face it - manatees aren't very attractive animals, and the whole point of a mermaid is that she is so sensually beautiful that she can lure sailors to their deaths. Also, aren't there Greek or Roman myths about mermaids? There are no species of manatee or dugong in any part of the world they would've been acquainted with. Whatever inspired the mermaid myth, I don't think it was manatees!