Mythologis
The Mermaid Book: Sirens, Selkies and the Folklore of the Sea

Mythical Creatures Mythology

The Mermaid Book: Sirens, Selkies and the Folklore of the Sea

The Sirens, Selkies and Water-Spirits of World Folklore

The complete guide to the mermaid and the spirits of the water: the deadly sirens of Greek myth, the selkies and seal-wives of the North, the freshwater spirits of Europe, and the water-mothers of Africa and the Americas.

170 pagesPDFEnglishMythologis Library

$14.99

Pre-order: delivered within 24h

Inside this book

What you will read

  • 11 chapters, primary sources
  • Instant PDF download
  • Original ink illustrations
  • Sirens, selkies and water-mothers worldwide
  • Designed for print quality
See all chapters  +
  1. 01The People of the Sea
  2. 02The Sirens of Homer: Song and Death
  3. 03Fish-Gods and the Oldest Mermaids
  4. 04The Mermaid of Medieval Europe
  5. 05Selkies and Seal-Wives of the North
  6. 06Melusine and the Serpent-Brides
  7. 07Rusalki and the Spirits of Fresh Water
  8. 08Water-Mothers of Africa and the Americas
  9. 09The Mermaid as Omen: Storm, Drowning and Desire
  10. 10From the Sea to the Sideshow: The Mermaid Hoaxes
  11. 11The Little Mermaid and the Modern Myth

About this book

About this Mythical Creatures mythology guide

Beautiful, dangerous and half-human, the woman from the sea haunts nearly every coastline on earth. This is the complete guide to mermaids, sirens, selkies and the spirits of the water.

The sea keeps its own people. Almost every culture that has lived beside deep water has imagined them: beautiful, dangerous, half-human and half-fish or seal or serpent, singing from the rocks or rising from the river to pull the living down. The mermaid is one of the most beloved figures in folklore and one of the most quietly sinister, and her story is far older and stranger than the one most people know.

This is the complete guide to the mermaid and her kin. The Sirens of Homer, who were not fish-tailed at all but bird-women whose song meant death; the Babylonian and Syrian fish-gods who may be her oldest ancestors; the selkies of Orkney and the seal-wives stolen from the sea; the rusalki, the melusine and the freshwater spirits of Europe; and the water-mothers of Africa and the Americas, from Mami Wata to Yemanja.

The book follows the woman from the sea across the world's coastlines and rivers, drawing on the epics, the ballads and the folklore collections, with every chapter citing its sources.

Delivered as a print-quality PDF within 24 hours of purchase.

What you will discover inside

  • Why Homer's Sirens were bird-women, not fish, and why their song meant death
  • The ancient fish-gods who may be the oldest ancestors of the mermaid
  • Selkies and seal-wives: the folklore of the stolen bride from the sea
  • Melusine, the serpent-bride, and the noble houses who claimed her
  • Mami Wata, Yemanja and the water-mothers of Africa and the Americas
  • How a medieval omen of drowning became a children’s fairy tale

Mythical Creatures mythology book at a glance

TraditionMythical Creatures mythology
Chapters11 chapters
Length170 pages
SourcesDrawn from the primary sources, cited inline
Reading levelBeginner-friendly. Every name and place is explained from scratch
FormatPrint-quality PDF
DeliveryPDF within 24 hours

Formats and editions

EditionWhat you getPrice
Instant PDFPrint-quality download, readable on any device. PDF within 24 hours.$7.99
PaperbackA paperback edition is on the way. Sign up on this page to hear when it lands on Amazon.Coming soon

About the author

Guillaume Henry, founder of Mythologis

Guillaume Henry

Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Mythologis

Guillaume Henry founded Mythologis to make the world's mythologies readable without losing what makes them strange. Every Mythologis book draws on the primary sources first, cross-references multiple translations, and avoids inventing details that aren't in the originals.

More about the author

Questions about the Mythical Creatures mythology book

When will I receive my PDF?

Within 24 hours of purchase. Your download link arrives in your inbox automatically.

Are sirens and mermaids the same thing?

Originally, no. The classical Siren was a bird-woman, not a fish-tailed maiden, and the book explains exactly how and when the two merged into the single figure we picture today.

Is this book based on primary sources?

Yes. It draws on Homer's Odyssey, the medieval bestiaries and the legend of Melusine, Scottish and Scandinavian folklore collections, and the ethnography of Mami Wata and Yemanja, with references to the standard editions.

How long is the book?

Eleven chapters, around 170 pages depending on the final layout.

Will there be a paperback on Amazon?

The PDF is available immediately. A KDP paperback edition follows once the book has been validated by readers.

What formats is this book available in?

Every title is available as an instant PDF, downloaded the moment you buy it: the link appears on the confirmation page and lands in your inbox. Selected titles also have a paperback edition on Amazon. Where the paperback is not out yet, you can sign up to be notified the day it does.

What is the return policy?

The PDF is delivered instantly by Mythologis. If a download ever fails or a file looks wrong, get in touch and we will make it right. Paperbacks bought on Amazon are handled under Amazon's own returns and refund policy.

Can I order from outside the United States?

Yes. The PDF is a digital download, so it works instantly anywhere in the world, with nothing to ship. Where a paperback edition exists, it is sold across Amazon's international marketplaces, with shipping rates and delivery times depending on your country.

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