Among the Mermaids

Author: Varla Ventura
Publisher: Weiser Books
ISBN: 1609258770
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 262

Book Description
The author of The Book of the Bizarre presents an enchanting collection of classic mermaid stories and historical anecdotes from around the world. From Homer's Odyssey to Pirates of the Caribbean, mermaids have fascinated popular culture for centuries. Varla Ventura explores the wealth of literature about these mythical creatures in this charming anthology. This volume includes turn of the century tales of merfolk from Bret Harte, T. Crofton Croker, and W.B. Yeats, along with tantalizing trivia, facts, first-hand accounts, and speculations about mermaids in popular culture. In these pages, you will discover: · Many people today believe that early explorer sightings of mermaids were actually manatees. · The legendary pirate Blackbeard was afraid of his crew being lured into a watery grave by mermaids, so he ordered his ships to avoid areas where they were said to be. · Since 2009, the town of Kiryat Yam, Israel, has offered a prize of $1 million dollars to anyone who can prove the mermaid off their coast is real. The prize remains unclaimed.

Mermaids and the Production of Knowledge in Early Modern England

Author: Tara E. Pedersen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317097203
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 263

Book Description
We no longer ascribe the term ’mermaid’ to those we deem sexually or economically threatening; we do not ubiquitously use the mermaid’s image in political propaganda or feature her within our houses of worship; perhaps most notably, we do not entertain the possibility of the mermaid’s existence. This, author Tara Pedersen argues, makes it difficult for contemporary scholars to consider the mermaid as a figure who wields much social significance. During the early modern period, however, this was not the case, and Pedersen illustrates the complicated category distinctions that the mermaid inhabits and challenges in 16th-and 17th-century England. Addressing epistemological questions about embodiment and perception, this study furthers research about early modern theatrical culture by focusing on under-theorized and seldom acknowledged representations of mermaids in English locations and texts. While individuals in early modern England were under pressure to conform to seemingly monolithic ideals about the natural order, there were also significant challenges to this order. Pedersen uses the figure of the mermaid to rethink some of these challenges, for the mermaid often appears in surprising places; she is situated at the nexus of historically specific debates about gender, sexuality, religion, the marketplace, the new science, and the culture of curiosity and travel. Although these topics of inquiry are not new, Pedersen argues that the mermaid provides a new lens through which to look at these subjects and also helps scholars think about the present moment, methodologies of reading, and many category distinctions that are important to contemporary scholarly debates.

The Little Encyclopedia of Mermaids

Author: Melissa Maxwell
Publisher: Running Press Adult
ISBN: 0762488379
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 101

Book Description
The Little Encyclopedia of Mermaids is an A-to-Z compendium that spans the globe—from the Isle of Man to the depths of the Sea of Japan—weaving together famous and popular tales of everyone's favorite mythical sea creature. Naughty and nice, real and fictional, the menagerie of creatures included in this book run the gamut of world mythologies and cultures. This little encyclopedia features more than 90 famous mermaids including: Atargatis—a mermaid from ancient Syria who was a goddess before she fell in love with a mortal Blue Men of the Minch—a group of riddle-loving merfolk who have the power to summon storms and capsize ships Little Mermaid—everyone's favorite mermaid princess, who gives up her voice for a chance at love Ningyo—a gruesome sea creature from Japanese folkore that can bring dangerous storms and other misfortune Filled with tales of star-crossed mermaids and vengful sea gods and goddesses, this information-packed guide includes gorgeous line drawings throughout.

The Mermaid Chair

Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780143036692
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 372

Book Description
A transcendent tale of a woman's self-discovery—the New York Times–bestselling second work of fiction by the author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings Inside the church of a Benedictine monastery on Egret Island, just off the coast of South Carolina, resides a beautiful and mysterious chair ornately carved with mermaids and dedicated to a saint who, legend claims, was a mermaid before her conversion. When Jessie Sullivan is summoned home to the island to cope with her eccentric mother’s seemingly inexplicable behavior, she is living a conventional life with her husband, Hugh, a life “molded to the smallest space possible.” Jessie loves Hugh, but once on the island, she finds herself drawn to Brother Thomas, a monk about to take his final vows. Amid a rich community of unforgettable island women and the exotic beauty of marshlands, tidal creeks, and majestic egrets, Jessie grapples with the tension of desire and the struggle to deny it, with a freedom that feels overwhelmingly right, and with the immutable force of home and marriage. Is the power of the mermaid chair only a myth? Or will it alter the course of Jessie’s life? What happens will unlock the roots of her mother’s tormented past, but most of all, it will allow Jessie to discover selfhood and a place of belonging as she explores the thin line between the spiritual and the erotic.

The Very Short, Entirely True History of Mermaids

Author: Sarah Laskow
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1524792756
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 95

Book Description
From Ariel to the current craze for Sirens, mermaids have captivated our imaginations. But what's true and what's fairy tale? For centuries, mermaids have appeared in the folklore of cultures from around the world, including the Near East, Europe, Asia, and Africa. And Disney made everyone want to dive under the sea with Ariel when the movie The Little Mermaid hit theaters in 1989. But what are mermaid stories based on? Many myths say these creatures are half human and half fish, while others claim they are simply manatees mistaken for something more magical. Some grant wishes and fall in love, yet others have lured sailors to their doom. Although we can't say for sure where the tales of these elusive figures first originated, author Sarah Laskow separates the fact from the fiction. This full-color, fully illustrated book tells you all you need to know about the myths, science, and history that surround mermaids.

From Mouse to Mermaid

Author: Elizabeth Bell
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253209788
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Book Description
From Mouse to Mermaid, an interdisciplinary collection of original essays, is the first comprehensive, critical treatment of Disney cinema. Addressing children's classics as well as the Disney affiliates' more recent attempts to capture adult audiences, the contributors respond to the Disney film legacy from feminist, marxist, poststructuralist, and cultural studies perspectives. The volume contemplates Disney's duality as an American icon and as an industry of cultural production, created in and through fifty years of filmmaking. The contributors treat a range of topics at issue in contemporary cultural studies: the performance of gender, race, and class; the engendered images of science, nature, technology, family, and business. The compilation of voices in From Mouse to Mermaid creates a persuasive cultural critique of Disney's ideology. The contributors are Bryan Attebery, Elizabeth Bell, Claudia Card, Chris Cuomo, Ramona Fernandez, Henry A. Giroux, Robert Haas, Lynda Haas, Susan Jeffords, N. Soyini Madison, Susan Miller, Patrick Murphy, David Payne, Greg Rode, Laura Sells, and Jack Zipes.

Fun, and Interesting Mermaid Facts for Kids

Author: Jaz Kiddies Books
Publisher: Jaz Kiddies Books
ISBN:
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 37

Book Description
Do you love mermaids or know someone who does? Well there's a probability that you don't know everything about them, even though you love them. One of the world's most mystical creatures, experience and take a journey through this mermaid fun facts book for kids and read a whole lot of interesting fun facts about mermaids that you may have never heard about. Perfect for all lovers of mermaids, this beautifully packaged stunning book contains lots of colorful mermaid pictures too to keep the child interested. Large print and easy to read for young readers. Perfect for every mermaid fan!

MAGICKAL MERMAIDS

Author: FLAVIA KATE PETERS
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1925924815
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 146

Book Description
This comprehensive, ground-breaking astrology book is for everyone who wants to make the most of their true potential and be in the flow with solar and lunar phases. It includes analyses of each sun sign from Aries to Pisces and pinpoints how you can dynamically make the most of your life in real time alongside celestial events. Work with the gifts and strengths of your sun sign in relation to every lunar phase, zodiacal month, new moon, full moon and eclipse. Look up your sun sign to read all about your talents and potential pitfalls, and discover how to express your inner star power during the various phases of the sun and moon throughout the days, months and years to come.

A Ship a Gale a Mermaid Tale

Author: Larry P. Buckingham
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1532034350
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 380

Book Description
Captain Nathan Rothe is given an ultimatumsail now or never sail again. This forces Rothe to take his daughter on the dangerous voyage. During the voyage, Rothe and his crew encounter a vicious storm that brings much havoc and death to his ship. After suffering a great personal loss, Rothe embarks on a mission of relentless fury to seek revenge and the destruction of the one man he holds responsible. While on this journey, Rothe will make a discovery that will change his life forever.

Operation Mermaid: The Project Kraken Incident

Author: Joseph McGarry
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1483443825
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Book Description
It is May 2026 when a strange anomaly transforms thousands of women around the world into mermaids. As Homeland Security agents begin investigating, they record their observations in a classified United States government report. There is no question that Operation Mermaid, originally founded in 1949, is back in full swing. Days later as several mermaids practice swimming in the open water, one finds a relic inside a shipwreck. Inside are plans for an abandoned Cold War era weapon known as Project Kraken. As a scientist's true identity is revealed, a Second Transformation rocks the world, increasing the size and scope of the mermaid population once again. As relationships change between mermaids, sirens, and the government, only time will tell if a worldwide disaster has been averted. In this intriguing science fiction tale, the lives of newly-initiated mermaids are intertwined with a failed Cold War project, leaving government agents to solve a complex puzzle.