The Penguin Book of Mermaids
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- Create Date：2021-03-29 13:13:22
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Cristina Bacchilega
- ISBN：0143133721
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Summary
Among the oldest and most popular mythical beings， mermaids and other merfolk have captured the imagination since long before Ariel sold her voice to a sea witch in the beloved Disney film adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid'。 As far back as the eighth century B。C。， sailors in Homer's Odyssey stuffed wax in their ears to resist the Sirens， who lured men to their watery deaths with song。 More than two thousand years later， the gullible New York public lined up to witness a mummified 'mermaid' specimen that the enterprising showman P。 T。 Barnum swore was real。
The Penguin Book of Mermaids is a treasury of such tales about merfolk and water spirits from different cultures， ranging from Scottish selkies to Hindu water-serpents to Chilean sea fairies。 A third of the selections are published here in English for the first time， and all are accompanied by commentary that explores their undercurrents， showing us how public perceptions of this popular mythical hybrid - at once a human and a fish - illuminate issues of gender， spirituality， ecology and sexuality。
The Penguin Book of Mermaids is a treasury of such tales about merfolk and water spirits from different cultures， ranging from Scottish selkies to Hindu water-serpents to Chilean sea fairies。 A third of the selections are published here in English for the first time， and all are accompanied by commentary that explores their undercurrents， showing us how public perceptions of this popular mythical hybrid - at once a human and a fish - illuminate issues of gender， spirituality， ecology and sexuality。
Reviews
Lindsey
，
A diverse collection of mermaid myths， folktales， and legend from around the world。 I agree with most reviews that stories within the anthology are somewhat repetitive in plot and theme。 Yet it is for this reason that the tales are so intriguing。 The similarity between stories that come from such different cultures and geographical ranges is astounding。 Fans of mythology and anthropology will find it mystifying to think about the different ways that these tales could have been spread and adapted A diverse collection of mermaid myths， folktales， and legend from around the world。 I agree with most reviews that stories within the anthology are somewhat repetitive in plot and theme。 Yet it is for this reason that the tales are so intriguing。 The similarity between stories that come from such different cultures and geographical ranges is astounding。 Fans of mythology and anthropology will find it mystifying to think about the different ways that these tales could have been spread and adapted over time， or perhaps how humans' ideas about mermaids have always been the same， no matter where you come from。 。。。more
Bree
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This extensive collection includes tales of merfolk and other water entities across the globe， from the stormy seas of Greenland to the outback streams of Australia。 This collection includes familiar tales， such as Hans Christian Andersen’s “The little mermaid”， but almost a third of the tales in the book have been translated into English for the first time， bringing new myths and creatures to the reader。 Each tale is accompanied by commentary which helps place the story within a cultural and ge This extensive collection includes tales of merfolk and other water entities across the globe， from the stormy seas of Greenland to the outback streams of Australia。 This collection includes familiar tales， such as Hans Christian Andersen’s “The little mermaid”， but almost a third of the tales in the book have been translated into English for the first time， bringing new myths and creatures to the reader。 Each tale is accompanied by commentary which helps place the story within a cultural and geographical context， providing the reader with a richer understanding of the text。 Though beings such as mermaids are arguably common figures in contemporary pop culture， Bacchilega and Brown have presented new facets of these beings。 Both human and other， these water entities explore themes of gender， sexuality， and humanity’s often rocky relationship with the natural world。 This collection has tales for every interest， whether you want to discover a water deity from ancient Babylon， or to read about P。 T。 Barnum’s hoax to exhibit a genuine mummified mermaid specimen。 Filled with vibrant tales both familiar and new， this is a fabulous addition to anyone’s collection of folklore。 。。。more
Rachel （Sfogs）
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A nice collection of mermaid and similar water spirit and folklore stories。
LillyBooks
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Yet another "skip around" book for me。 I really enjoyed the introduction to each section， which were informative and well-written research papers on the type of aquatic/human hybrid from a certain part of the world or upon a certain theme that would follow。 I read them all and would have gladly read a longer book written on the topic。 The stories themselves， alas， were of varying qualities。 Some were only a couple of paragraphs。 So I ended up reading the introductions and just one or two tales i Yet another "skip around" book for me。 I really enjoyed the introduction to each section， which were informative and well-written research papers on the type of aquatic/human hybrid from a certain part of the world or upon a certain theme that would follow。 I read them all and would have gladly read a longer book written on the topic。 The stories themselves， alas， were of varying qualities。 Some were only a couple of paragraphs。 So I ended up reading the introductions and just one or two tales in each section。 。。。more
T。
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Tipped off by David Bentley Hart's review in 'The Lamp Magazine' （https://thelampmagazine。com）。 Tipped off by David Bentley Hart's review in 'The Lamp Magazine' （https://thelampmagazine。com）。 。。。more
Daniel
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This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 3。5 of 5If you are like me， when someone says "mermaid" images of Ariel from Disney's The Littlest Mermaid film， or Daryl Hannah from the film Splash come to mind。 Though lately the other image might be a creature looking half human， half fish， with piranha-like teeth - from Mira Grant's excellent book Into the Drowning Deep。 But if you are expecting a collection of these sorts of mermaids， you will be sadly disappointed。Editors This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 3。5 of 5If you are like me， when someone says "mermaid" images of Ariel from Disney's The Littlest Mermaid film， or Daryl Hannah from the film Splash come to mind。 Though lately the other image might be a creature looking half human， half fish， with piranha-like teeth - from Mira Grant's excellent book Into the Drowning Deep。 But if you are expecting a collection of these sorts of mermaids， you will be sadly disappointed。Editors Cristina Bacchilega and Marie Alohalani Brown have gathered mermaid stories and legends from all over the world。 The term 'mermaid，' however， is quite loosely defined for the purposes of gathering the stories for this book。 Any human-like creature that lives primarily in the water is acceptable here。It did take me awhile to get used to this concept that the idea of a 'mermaid' could be so drastically different from culture to culture。 For instance， this book contains a tale from the Passamaquoddy tradition， here titled "Of the Woman Who Loved a Serpent Who Lived in a Lake" in which the 'mermaid' is more snake than fish， and male。 It's an odd tale as the woman who interacts with the serpent/mer-being is a vessel for the serpent's poison， transferring it to her husband's （multiple， as they die shortly after being with her）。 My note from the reading is simply: "Mermaid？"I enjoyed this collection quite a bit， and I enjoyed expanding my knowledge of the mermaid concept， but at the same time， I can't say that this was overwhelmingly 'good。' Only one story/legend stood out for me: "Julnar the Mermaid and Her Son Badar Basim of Persia。" Wait 。。。 does this sound familiar？ It should 。。。 it's more commonly known as "Julnar the Sea-Born and Her Son Kind Badr Basim of Persia" and it's the 23rd chapter from Tales from the Arabian Nights。This is actually one of the things I really appreciated about this book 。。。 the research of so many different sources for mermaid/sea-creature stories。 I also learned a few things （"Ningyo， the Japanese word for mermaid， has no gender。"） and it did occur to me that the purpose to read a collection like this is not so much for 'pleasure' but for knowledge or perspective or cultural significance or social significance （which is not to say some of us don't take great pleasure in expanding our knowledge or perspective or 。。。）。Looking for a good book？ If you are willing to expand your horizons and your concept of what a mermaid is， you should give The Penguin Book of Mermaids （edited by Cristina Bacchilega and Marie Alohalani Brown） a read。 But don't expect too many stories that project a Daryl Hannah style creature。I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher， through Netgalley， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Beth Lynch
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Fascinating stories。
Shreya
，
This is a gorgeous and endlessly fascinating exploration of the stories of water spirits from across the world; beautifully intersecting myth， fairytale and history - lush， lyrical， so vibrant。
Daniel Hagedorn
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I bought this on a whim when I was in Napa at the Bookmine。 I kind of knew what I was in for， but still it was interesting reading all of the variations and general mermaid lore。 After all， these kinds of stories are the basis for many an interesting book。
Marianne
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4 stars！ I would highly recommend this to anyone like me who is fascinated with the topic of mermaids or sea folk in general。 Cristina Bacchilega provides us with an informative and diverse collection of legends and literary tales that span the continents， proving how universal this famous creature is。 While it is custom for certain stories to feel repetitive considering that certain stories are passed from one place to another due to cultural exchange there is something inherently fascinating w 4 stars！ I would highly recommend this to anyone like me who is fascinated with the topic of mermaids or sea folk in general。 Cristina Bacchilega provides us with an informative and diverse collection of legends and literary tales that span the continents， proving how universal this famous creature is。 While it is custom for certain stories to feel repetitive considering that certain stories are passed from one place to another due to cultural exchange there is something inherently fascinating with many of them。 I much prefer this collection compared to the Beauty and the Beast: Animal Bride tales ones。 While the stories in The Penguin Book of Mermaids do feel repetitive at times I can't help but sense this somber and mysterious aura in a lot of them。 I remember the animal brides stories feeling very "matter of fact" or explained in a sterile manner。 In many of these stories I can pick up an emotion in the voice of the narrator， whether its worry or longing。 I also have to applaud the translation， very well done。 In conclusion I felt invested in the stories and was appreciative of the additional information that was provided as it made understanding certain stories much more possible。 I'm happy to have not only revisit some old favorite mermaid stories but also happy to discover some new gems。 Favorite StoriesThe Nixie in the Pond （Grimms Fairytales） The Day After the Wedding， from UndineThe Little Mermaid （Hans Christian Andersen）Abyssus Abyssum Invocat （Genevieve Valentine） Honorable MentionsA Mermaid's Tears （Kurahashi Yumiko） The American and the Sirena of Amburayan The Mermaid， Child 289BOdysseus and the Sirens （The Odyssey） "And the little mermaid lifted her brightening eyes to the sun， and for the first time she felt them filled with tears。" 。。。more
Shiner
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Decent collection of mermaid tales from around the world。 Appreciated the commentary on some of the pieces。
Femke
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It was definitely really interesting to read all these mermaid fairytales and stories from countries all over the world。 But when I was almost at the end， they started to all feel the same and maybe there were a bit to many stories in here， since most of them only were two pages long， and the themes were all kind of the same。 Though I can’t blame the editors of the book for this because they didn’t wrote these stories。
Sirenita
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I've read many traditional mer-collections， but I started to lose interest a little more than half way through the book。 Some of the stories， although they are old and I respect them， are very strange and have unsatisfying endings。 This is a great collection to have for reference if you're a writer of fantasy！See more mermaid reviews on my profile/website！ -Sirenita I've read many traditional mer-collections， but I started to lose interest a little more than half way through the book。 Some of the stories， although they are old and I respect them， are very strange and have unsatisfying endings。 This is a great collection to have for reference if you're a writer of fantasy！See more mermaid reviews on my profile/website！ -Sirenita 。。。more
Stacie
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I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley。I was really excited for this book when I originally discovered it， but I ended up being very underwhelmed。 But that probably was due more to my expectations than the actual content。 I was thinking more actual mermaids and probably retellings。 However， it was more of a history lesson on the evolution of mermaids in culture。 It was an interesting read， but I don't think I'll be going back to it again and again， lik I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley。I was really excited for this book when I originally discovered it， but I ended up being very underwhelmed。 But that probably was due more to my expectations than the actual content。 I was thinking more actual mermaids and probably retellings。 However， it was more of a history lesson on the evolution of mermaids in culture。 It was an interesting read， but I don't think I'll be going back to it again and again， like I had anticipated。 。。。more
April Gray
，
You can't go wrong with a Penguin Classics collection！ This volume includes tales and legends from around the world and through the centuries of not just mermaids， but other watery creatures as well。 There is so much more here than what you'll expect to find， and it's fascinating to see how the stories change from culture to culture， and how they stay the same。 Definitely entertaining and recommended！#ThePenguinBookOfMermaids #NetGalley You can't go wrong with a Penguin Classics collection！ This volume includes tales and legends from around the world and through the centuries of not just mermaids， but other watery creatures as well。 There is so much more here than what you'll expect to find， and it's fascinating to see how the stories change from culture to culture， and how they stay the same。 Definitely entertaining and recommended！#ThePenguinBookOfMermaids #NetGalley 。。。more
Helen
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Do you want to know about mermaids from all over the world？ Then get this book！ Yay Penguin for translating some materials previously unavailable in English！ If you do not like mermaids: kindly reexamine your life and your priorities。 The mermaids were here first。 The mermaids know the secret depths of the oceans and of your heart。 The mermaids deserve your respect and your fear。
Darrin
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This book intrigued me when I pulled it off the new book shelf at our local library。 I have to admit， I don't think I would have looked at it if it didn't have the black Penguin Classics spine。It is a bit like reading Bulfinch's Mythology for Mermaids。 It is interesting and I was surprised at how prevalent mermaid （and merman） tales are from ancient times to the present day （see Disney's Little Mermaid）。 Also， mermaid folklore， myth and legend is multi-cultural and can be found in the traditions This book intrigued me when I pulled it off the new book shelf at our local library。 I have to admit， I don't think I would have looked at it if it didn't have the black Penguin Classics spine。It is a bit like reading Bulfinch's Mythology for Mermaids。 It is interesting and I was surprised at how prevalent mermaid （and merman） tales are from ancient times to the present day （see Disney's Little Mermaid）。 Also， mermaid folklore， myth and legend is multi-cultural and can be found in the traditions of native peoples of all continents。One that caught my eye was the Chines folktale of the Hai nü or sea women。 In China these are creatures of folklore but the same word， borrowed into Korean became the name for the women divers of Jeju Island in South Korea， called the Hae Nyo （해녀）。This would have been a good resource for a paper in a Folklore & Mythology 101 course in college。 An interesting read and I learned a few things along the way。 。。。more
Karleah Olson
，
I loved this collection of mermaid tales across different cultures， and enjoyed all the discussion about their origins and transformations over the years。 This text has been invaluable to my studies， but it's also just a well written collection of stories。 Definitely recommend for anyone who loves mermaids and mythology。 I loved this collection of mermaid tales across different cultures， and enjoyed all the discussion about their origins and transformations over the years。 This text has been invaluable to my studies， but it's also just a well written collection of stories。 Definitely recommend for anyone who loves mermaids and mythology。 。。。more
Miranda RYan
，
The Penguin Book of Mermaids is a collection of Mermaid stories from various cultures。 I loved reading this one and cannot wait to own a copy of my own。 I had no idea that there were so many cultures with Mermaid Lore。
Romeo
，
This is a great beginners book on mermaids and it offers good references。
Kim
，
I love the variety of mermaid stories and the breadth of cultures this collection draws upon， but I wish it had been a less overtly scholarly work。 That is， I appreciated the efforts to contextualize these tales within their communities of origin; I didn't appreciate when the editors attempted to assert a specific meaning for a tale。 Perhaps scholars of folklore do indeed abide by a rigid lexicon of symbolic interpretation—alas for that dismal reality， if so—but I find most of my enjoyment in st I love the variety of mermaid stories and the breadth of cultures this collection draws upon， but I wish it had been a less overtly scholarly work。 That is， I appreciated the efforts to contextualize these tales within their communities of origin; I didn't appreciate when the editors attempted to assert a specific meaning for a tale。 Perhaps scholars of folklore do indeed abide by a rigid lexicon of symbolic interpretation—alas for that dismal reality， if so—but I find most of my enjoyment in stories like these arises from discovering my own interpretations， lessons， and truths。 。。。more
Meepingblog
，
Disclaimer: I received the Kindle copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 My opinions remain respectfully my own。 Huge thanks to Penguin Classics for approving this book even when it was requested a month past the publication date。----My Thoughts----The book is packed with legends， folktales， fairytales， etc。 about the mermaid and other water creatures。 Not a lengthy volume and can be easily finished in a few hours for the typical book enthusiast。Some of the fairytales Disclaimer: I received the Kindle copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 My opinions remain respectfully my own。 Huge thanks to Penguin Classics for approving this book even when it was requested a month past the publication date。----My Thoughts----The book is packed with legends， folktales， fairytales， etc。 about the mermaid and other water creatures。 Not a lengthy volume and can be easily finished in a few hours for the typical book enthusiast。Some of the fairytales are dark in nature， portraying the mermaid as a symbol of great beauty and misfortune。Tales were collected from all around the globe and there were many that I hadn’t heard of。The Little Mermaid’s tale by Andersen was perhaps one of the most tragic， heavily intermixed with Christianity。Some fairytales spoke of hungering sea creatures that were dramatically different from the innocent portrayal we are used to。A little background information is given in regards to the legend or anecdote along with what to expect from it， what version was chosen， etc。Kurahashi’s parodic rewriting of the Little Mermaid wasn’t one I was particularly familiar with but it was certainly a bizarre read。Specially eerie were some oral tales where the narrator chose to omit names such as the village where it originated as well as the water deity involved。“Abyssus Abyssum Invocat。” was a story that was downright chilling with modern elements mixed in。 The mermaid is portrayed as a strange but alluring creature capable of feats of deadly seduction。This book gets a 4。5/5 from me。 I expected a book about mermaids， water deities and monsters either by a collection of legends， myths， folktales， etc。 and this book met all my expectations。 It left me fulfilled but with a subtle craving of wishing it was a longer read。-----Who would enjoy this book？I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys reading about water deities， monsters and mermaids。 It would also suit the folklore and legends enthusiast or someone seeking a change from their typical nonfiction literature。 。。。more
Alexis Stankewitz
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Good read for any mermaid fan。
Elentarri
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This is a collection of short myths， legends， fairytales and folktales from around the world that involve merfolk。 The stories and their origins are interesting and entertaining。 The book would make a nice addition to collections that contain fairytales by the Grimm Brothers， Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault。NOTE: There are no illustrations in the book。 It is not a little children's book。 This is a collection of short myths， legends， fairytales and folktales from around the world that involve merfolk。 The stories and their origins are interesting and entertaining。 The book would make a nice addition to collections that contain fairytales by the Grimm Brothers， Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault。NOTE: There are no illustrations in the book。 It is not a little children's book。 。。。more
Leah Grover
，
An excellent survey of the mythologies of merpeople from a variety of world cultures， including tales from both literary and （until now） oral sources。
Zoraida
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