Mermaids have long been a source of fascination. Today, mermaids are firmly entrenched as a part of popular culture. From Splash to The Little Mermaid to the Discovery Channel docudrama Mermaids: The Body Found, these creatures still fascinate all of us. But this is not a new phenomenon, and the love of mermaids is not just confined to the Americas. Africa, rich in folklore and mysticism, has a long culture and history about these mystical creatures.
MAMI
WATA
A millennium ago, in Western Africa there
were many that believed in water spirits. The most well-known of all African
water spirits is Mami Wata. She is venerated in Africa, the Caribbean, and also
parts of North and South America. Sometimes she is portrayed with long,
straight black hair, very kinky or curly black hair. Her bottom half is usually
depicted as fish or serpent like. She is known for carrying expensive baubles
and for sometimes disguising herself as a human wandering through the busy
street markets. Tales have been spread of Mami Wata abducting her followers or
random people while they are boating. She takes these people to her underwater
realm and if she allows them to leave, they typically return to their lives and
become wealthier.
And just as the well-known European
mermaids are known for inciting sexual desire, so is Mami Wata. In the event
that a male traveler happens upon the water spirit she will flee, leaving an
item behind. If the traveler takes her possession with him, she appears to him
in a dream demanding the return of the item. If the man agrees, she grants him
wealth while also demanding he be sexually faithful to her. Refusal to abide by
Mami Wata’s terms will bring misfortune.
In Nigeria, Mami Wata is worshipped as a goddess. There are shrines to her. Devotees often leave her modern gifts such as Coca-Cola or jewelry. Colors sacred to Mami Wata are red and white. Red symbolizes blood, death and violence. White stands for spirituality, femininity and beauty. She is a goddess of fertility, healing, sexuality, wealth and beauty.
YEMAJA
Yemaja is the Goddess of the water and
patron goddess of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. She is often depicted as a
mermaid. She is responsible for supporting all underwater life. She is believed
to have powers to increase fertility, protect children, and to protect those at
sea. As a result, her main devotees are pregnant women, sailors and fishermen.
Many representations show her with dark skin, full breasts and wide hips. Blue
and silver are sacred colors to her as they represent the sea. According to
legend the first gift she bestowed upon humanity was the sea shell which would
enable them to hear her voice. The worship of Yemaja has spread to not only
America, but the South American and Carribbean cultures including the Voodoo of
Haiti, the Candomble of Brazil and the Cuban followers of Santeria.
THE DAUGHTERS OF
ENALOS
The mermaid myth in Africa also has roots
that intersect with that of Ancient Greece. The Greek God of the Seas,
Poseidon, and his wife Amphitrite had a daughter known as Benthesikyme. This
Greek sea goddess married an Ethiopian King named Enalos and bore him two
daughters. While much of what is known of the legend ends there, these African part sea goddess
daughters, no doubt had mystical powers that connected them to the sea as well.
BLACK MERMAIDS
IN AMERICA
African legends of mermaids made their way
to America. As the slave trade blossomed and there was more and more contact
between the African and European cultures, the water spirit legend eventually
became combined with the European mermaid legend. The black mermaid myth was
soon brought by enslaved people to America, who passed down stories of mermaids
brewing storms and even acting as fairy godmothers from generation to
generation.
All of these myths and legends influenced me while I was writing Siren's Song, my upcoming paranormal romance novel that follows the adventures of a Black mermaid princess with a voice like no other and a Black male scientist torn between his heart and his love of science. Siren's Song is scheduled for release on May 23, 2022 and is the first novel in the Mermaids of Asteria series. Stay tuned for more details on the pre-order!
