Mermaids. Theyve been making waves for quite awhile now, long before Disneys Little Mermaid ever dreamed of taking a shore leave. For the first sighting of these finny friends, you need to travel back in time. Way, way back. Mermaid mythology had its beginnings in ancient Greece, around the 3rd century B.C. Stories told of sirens, bathing beauties who perched on ocean rocks strumming on lyres, their fetching voices luring sailors to their doom. Eventually, sirens evolved into mermaids, sea-dwellers who were part woman (the top half) and part fish (all the rest). While some mermaids continued with the sirens entice-and-perish tradition, others were good-deed-doers, saving unwary sailors from watery graves. A great many more ignored travelers completely, interested only in combing their tresses and gazing into their mirrors. (Columbus reported seeing a trio of these on his 1493 sailing to Hispaniola. He noted they were not as beautiful as represented. Historians have speculated that Columbus was probably looking at a group of manatees.) Hmmm. Manatees. Sea lions. Sunbathing seals. Over the centuries, there have been plenty of explanations as to what those whove reported mermaid sightings really saw. But belief in these mystical denizens of the deep remains strong. P. T. Barnum counted on that when he displayed his Fiji Mermaid in the mid-1800s. This mummified miss proved a sensation, successfully separating the crowds from their cash. Was she real? Well, it all depended on your point of view. Some critics labeled her the stitched-together remains of a monkey and a fish. Mermaid lore always seems to bring out the romantic side of writers. Take Hans Christian Andersen. He brought tears to readers eyes with his 1837 story of The Little Mermaid, whose love for a landlubber was never meant to be. Nowadays, a statue of Andersens Little Mermaid gazes out soulfully over Copenhagens harbor, waiting patiently for the unlikely return of her intended. (Things turned out much better for Ariel, Disneys Little Mermaid. She ended up with her legs, her voice, and a prince.) Artistic representations of mermaids can be found as long ago as 1600 B.C., frolicking on Mesopotamian cylinder seals. Sculptures, statues, and artwork from every era since are proof positive that the sirens song continues to entrance. Mid-20th-century artisans found mermaids particularly alluring subjects. Whether ceramic or glass, metal or metal-like, there were plenty of mass-produced mermaids ready to brighten the beach cottage bath with their charms. Many were overseas imports; inexpensive then, most still remain in the $50-$75 range. Numerous design names of note, including Van Briggle, Florence Ceramics, and Marc Bellaire, also took the plunge into mermaid dcor. Due to their lineage, these artifacts are more pricey, though few top out at over $200. And, if you want to pool your resources, you can always invest in a pricier item, like a mermaid coffee table, with a full-size metal mermaid supporting a glass top. Today, mermaids continue to make a splash. Theres an International Mermaid Day (March 29). Coney Island holds an annual Mermaid Parade each spring (2024 was the 42nd). At Floridas Weeki Wachee Springs, The Only City of Live Mermaids, underwater swimmers have been delighting the curious since 1947. And, there are two mermaid museums in the United States. Ones in Berlin, Md., the other in Aberdeen, Wash. Even Starbucks visited the ol swimmin hole: its logo features a melusine, a two-tailed mermaid. Or, you can always dive in yourself. There are societies and conventions that offer an outlet for those whod like to go mermaiding (swimming while decked out in mermaid attire). For the novice, fish tails can be purchased in the low hundreds. For experienced mermaid enactors, designer tails flip up into the thousands. So. Are mermaids real or arent they? Lots of folks find that life goes along just swimmingly, even though they dont believe. (Of course, those are probably the same folks who dont believe in Santa Claus!) Mermaid artifacts courtesy of The Merfolk, Vicki & Ken. Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann. Photos by Donald-Brian Johnson, except as noted. Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous Schiffer books on design and collectibles, including Postwar Pop, a collection of his columns. Please address inquiries to: donaldbrian@msn.com.