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SALT LAKE CITY — From Roswell to Atlantis, the U.S. has traditionally turned up its nose at claims of alien abductions, sunken civilizations or superhuman powers. Even mythological creatures are not safe from being dismissed: a US. agency recently took the mermaid question to task, and reported that the fantastical beings are just that: a fantasy.
In a post on the Ocean Facts section of their website, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported late last month that no evidence of mermaids has been found.
"Are mermaids real? No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found," the post read in part. "Why, then, do they occupy the collective unconscious of nearly all seafaring peoples?"
Perhaps because mermaids, in ancient times, were thought to be able to stir up a storm in anger, or serve a sailor in need. They were a part of ancient folklore, as in 1000 B.C. Assyrians and Greeks shared the legend of the goddess Atargatis, or Derketo, who jumped in a lake to take the form of a fish after unintentionally killing a mortal whom she loved.
Depictions of mermaids have appeared in countless works of art in centuries since, including the earliest known British depiction of a mermaid in Durham Castle, around the turn of the 11th century. British legend said that only disaster could come from interaction from a mermaid, as opposed to Chinese legend, which said the creatures' tears could turn to pearls. Other European nations also tended to see mermaids as bad omens.
Now, though — in the U.S., at least — mermaids are more likely to be characters in children's books than in nightmares, and would seem to pose little threat to national security. Why, then, did the agency responsible for addressing coastal issues such as climate change and marine commerce feel the need to make a public declaration on the lack of mermaid proof? The move may have been in response to recent popular culture.
A documentary-style series on the existence of mermaids first aired on Animal Planet in late May, beginning with a show titled "Mermaids: The Body Found." The show made the claim that mermaids exist, based on evidence such as testimony from government scientists and the earliest known depiction of a mermaid: an ancient Egyptian cave drawing.
The NOAA wasn't having it, though, and laid the myth to rest in the June 26 post. And with one less mythological creature to choose from, the American public can all refocus their efforts on what really matters: crime-fighting billionaires and costumed web-slingers.
