Are Mermaids Real? the Definitive Guide to Science, Myth, and Ocean Legends
By Chloe Bennett
Fabricated physical evidence has sustained mermaid rumors just as effectively as ocean mistranslations. The most notorious specimen in modern history is the Fiji mermaid hoax, unveiled by showman P.T. Barnum at his American Museum in New York in 1842. Barnum drew thousands of paying visitors by promising a preserved, enchanting sea creature recovered from the South Pacific.
Instead of a radiant siren, visitors encountered a blackened, grotesque, dried monstrosity measuring under 60 centimeters (2 feet) long. Its mouth gaped open in a silent scream, with predatory teeth and shriveled mammalian arms.
Forensic analysis and museum examinations later verified the physical anatomy: Japanese fishermen and craftspeople had sewn the dried head and torso of a juvenile monkey to the rear lower half of a salmon or carp, coating the joint in papier-mâché and clay.
This fabrication technique drew directly from centuries-old Japanese traditions surrounding the Ningyo, a creature from Shinto and Buddhist folklore. Unlike Western sirens who were symbols of seductive ruin, the Ningyo was an ominous fish with a human-like face, said to bring severe storms, pestilence, or shipwrecks when caught.
Consuming Ningyo flesh was believed to confer longevity or even immortality, as preserved in the famous tale of the eight-hundred-year nun, Yao Bikuni. Several historic Japanese temples, such as Enju-in in Asakuchi, preserved mummified Ningyo specimens for centuries. In 2022, 2023, researchers at the Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts subjected one of these sacred mummies to CT scans, radiocarbon dating, and DNA sequencing. The scan revealed cloth, cotton, paper padding, and monkey hair glued atop a carp skin base, crafted in the late 1800s.
Chloe Bennett explores the intersection of pop culture, streaming entertainment, digital trends, and contemporary lifestyle. Her weekly commentary reaches thousands of culture enthusiasts.
