Grim mermaid washes ashore in Virginia

What has been dubbed “the grim mermaid” is seen in this video. Whatever this thing is, it doesn’t appear to be entirely human. This washed ashore in Norfolk, Virginia this year. While it has been written off as nothing more than prop made by Paul Jones, it is still an interesting thought. Apparently, Paul does prosthetic makeup effects and creates these types of creatures for shops, haunted houses and of course for Halloween. HERE is a link to his site.

As Halloween creeps up closer, more things will start going bump in the night. Perhaps Paul can lend a guest hand to work on television series the The Walking Dead. He is a Canadian native and has previously worked on a number of projects including the Resident Evil film franchise among others.

Some people actually believe this is a dead seal which is interesting as many gray seals are along the Atlantic coastline. With so much still unknown out in our oceans, it is possible a mermaid of sorts could actually exist. The photos show the creature with tails and fins and its torso which has been ripped open and starting to rot away.

Mermaids have fascinated culture for many years and have inspired many stories. There have been Native American tales about them as well. The earliest date about mermaids goes back to Syria as one of the earliest legends. The history goes back to around 1000 BC. A fertility goddess by the name of Atargatis was believed to be worshiped around Greece and Rome. She was associated with all of the lakes and aquatic life in the region.

(Photo courtesy by KONTRAHO jewelry found HERE)

Also known as sirens, they would lure sailors out to sea even drowning them. However, there are also tales of them saving sea goers and leading them back to shore. Hans Christian Andersen’s well known fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” even dates back to 1836. So, the stories are fairly ancient.

The equivalent of a mermaid is that of a merman. These are the male version of mermaids. From the waist up, they have fish features. And waist down their attributes are scaly which are in place of their legs. A merboy is a younger merman.

Often these creatures are seen in illustrations wielding a trident with seaweed-like hair and long beards. Other pictures show them having greenish hair, skin and teeth. Usually they are shown with narrow eyes and have red colored noses. They are able to swim at great speeds and can cover a large amount of territory within a short period of time.