Dwellings of the sea and marine monsters can take on many forms. Including dragons, serpents or tentacle beast. They can be slimy and scaley and often picture threatening ships. Sightings and legends are found in all cultures around the world that have contact with the sea. A fable marine creature with a head and upper torso of a human being and a tale of a fish. Mermaids
Waves and harsh rain lashed at the sides of the ship. The deck was soaked as well as the crew. Shouts of fear from the men, but the deafening thunder drowned them out. Flashing of lightning ripped across the sky, and coming up out of the sea with piercing eyes. A female like face with translucent skin, with teeth that were sharp to a point.
Mermaids and mermen have been known as dangerous. Their gifts brought misfortune and sometimes lured men to their death. Have you ever heard of the saying? “Between a rock and a hard place” that means there are dangers and troubles no matter which way your turn. Perhaps this is how the ancient Greek travelers felt when they were caught between Scylla and Charybdis. In Greek mythology, Scylla is a legendary monster who lives on one side of a narrow channel and the water is opposite of her counterpart Charybdis. The strait of Messina between the eastern tip of Sicilla and the western tip of Claybrom in southern Italy. The two sides of the strait are in arrows range of each other. So close that sailors attempted to avoid it at all costs.
It has been said that Scylla has been portrayed as a mermaid like creature. However, she had two tails and was a sea monster. Her counterpart Charybdis was thought to be a whirlpool. Legends has it that she would swallow large amounts of water three time a day before belching it back up which would create large whirlpools. Capable of dragging ships underneath. In Greek mythology she was the daughter of Poseidon and aided him in the fed against Zeus. It was said that she would engulf large islands in water. Zeus was angry over the lands she stole from him and sent her to the bottom of the sea.
Modern day scholars agreed that Charybdis was located in a strait is Messina off the cost of Siclily. A actual whirlpool does exist there but it is caused by two currents meeting. However, it is only dangerous when a small craft is there in extreme conditions.
Scylla and Charybdis play a huge role in mythical creatures that appeared in folklore and many cultures around the world known as mermaids and/or sirens. They have been associated with perilous events such as: floods, storms, shipwrecks and even drownings. Throughout history they have been known to be benevolent, beautiful, and seductive singers. During the early Greek period they were conceived as human headed birds. However, by the classical Greek period they were depicted as sirens which were part fish. Mermaids where thought to have conflicting personalities as both beautiful and seductive and monsters’ sea creatures that could drag sailors underneath to their death.
The exact origins of mermaids is unknown one of the earliest found legends that appeared was in Syria around 1000 BC. When the Goddess Atargatis dived into the lake to take the form of a fish. In sailor folklore they can be both good fortune and disaster As sailors spent many months sometimes years traveling across vast oceans it was not surprising that beliefs and superstitions of mermaids were controlling and unpredictable weather