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G is for Greece and Guam

April 8, 2016 Claire Annette Noland 9 Comments

G

G is the letter of the day for those of us who are participating in the a-z blog challenge. My theme this year is “Living in a Mermaid World.”

Greece is home to many myths and legends about merfolk (mermaids and mermen.) Many of our ideas about mermaids come from these ancient Greek stories.

greek stamp

The ancient Greek mermaids were sea nymphs who had supernatural abilities. They lived in the sea but, on occasion, came ashore. They were depicted with a human upper body and a fish-like tail. These are the mermaids that gave us the image of mermaids as beautiful women with long flowing hair that they loved to comb. The mermen had strong torsos with green hair and eyes.

G Triton

Triton was a Greek god who was the son of Poseidon and Amphirite, the god and goddess of the sea. He was the messenger of the sea who carried a trident and a conch shell which he blew to announce Poseidon’s arrival and to raise or calm the waves. Triton is depicted as a man with a fish tail. His sons and daughters were the mermaids and mermen.

 

G alexander and thessalonke

An interesting Greek legend is the story of Alexander the Great’s younger sister, Thesslonike. When Alexander came home from one of his conquests, he brought water from the Fountain of Immortality which he used to wash his sister’s hair. When Alexander died, Thesslonike was so filled with grief that she attempted to end her life by jumping off of a cliff into the ocean. Instead of drowning, she was transformed into a mermaid.

g thessaloniki

According to the legend, sailors in the Aegean Sea were approached by Thesslonike who asked “Is Alexander was still alive?” If they said “yes,” all was well and they could sail on. If they answered “no,” she transformed into a sea monster, killed the sailors, and sank the ship.

I am always on the lookout for books about merfolk. I recently came upon this gem:

Guam sirena

Sirena, a Mermaid Legend from Guam by Tanya Chargualaf Taimanglo (author) and Sonny K. Charualaf (illustrator.) picture book Author House: 2010

This retelling of a legend from Guam tells of Sirena, a young girl who would rather be outside swimming in the river than doing the many chores that her mother asked of her. One beautiful day, Sirena became distracted from her job of washing clothes because the the river seemed to be calling her. She left the clothes on the river bank and decided to swim. Her mother was so angry that she declared that Sirena might as well become a fish. Her Godmother heard this curse and pleaded that Serena would not become a fish. When Sirena dove into the water, she became half girl and half fish.

Isn’t it amazing how many mermaid legends there are?

 

 

Filed Under: Blogging A to Z, Books, Mermaids, Multicultural Children's Books Tagged With: Alexander the Great, Greek mermaid mythology, Greek Mermaids, Sirena - mermaid from Guam, Thesslonike, Triton

Previous Post: « F is for France and Fabulous Fake
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. JazzFeathers says

    April 8, 2016 at 5:56 am

    I believe that Greek mermaid coudl also be half-girl half-bird, and in this guise they were quite evil.

    @JazzFeathers
    The Old Shelter – Jazz Age Jazz

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      April 8, 2016 at 7:58 pm

      The stories do have many versions and some are confusing. I’ve read that Sirens are half human-half bird and also that sirens are another name for mermaids.

      Reply
  2. Gail M Baugniet says

    April 8, 2016 at 8:56 am

    Thank you for sharing your tales about mermaids. I especially enjoyed the one about Thesslonike and about Sirena. Both were/are a bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!.

    Gail’s 2016 April A to Z Challenge
    Theme: The Fun in Writing #235

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      April 8, 2016 at 7:52 pm

      They do have similarities. It is interesting to see common themes in the different stories.

      Reply
  3. Tarkabarka says

    April 8, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    I didn’t know the Alexander legend! I read quite a lot of medieval legends about Alexander, I think they are amazing. But I didn’t know this one. It’s fascinating, thank you!

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    The Multicolored Diary
    MopDog

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      April 8, 2016 at 7:43 pm

      I also just learned about it as I was researching. It is amazing what I am finding as I try to follow a theme through the alphabet.

      Reply
  4. Cynthia says

    April 8, 2016 at 8:56 pm

    I’m really enjoying your mermaid series, Claire.

    If I am ever on a cruise ship and meet a mermaid who asks if Alexander is still alive, I’d be sure to respond YES!

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      April 11, 2016 at 4:42 am

      Well, I think a cruise around the Greek Islands would be wonderful and now you are prepared in case you meet a mermaid.

      Reply
  5. evelyne holingue says

    April 9, 2016 at 2:26 am

    I didn’t remember of the mermen, so thanks for refreshing my memory about all things Greek. I really enjoy your series and find it highly original and well documented. Good luck!

    Reply

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