For thousands of years, people have been writing about mermaids, and they are still incredibly popular in modern-day movies and TV series. Virtually every culture had their own versions of the mermaid legend. Sometimes, they are sirens who try to lure men to their death out at sea. Other times, they are trying their best to be friendly, and they may even want to become human.
...
Today, almost everyone has come to an agreement that mermaid sightings in ancient times were most likely a figment of sailors’ imaginations, or misidentifying manatees, seals, and dolphins. However, that doesn’t make it any less fascinating to know exactly what sort of mermaid legends exist throughout the world.
