Pages From My Thoughts: A Guest Post On Mermaids by Author Anne Greenwood

Thursday, 31 May 2012

A Guest Post On Mermaids by Author Anne Greenwood Brown + Giveaway of Lies Beneath(int)

First I would like to thank author Anne Greenwood Brown for this lovely post on mermaid mythology, also she has offered one signed copy her upcoming novel Lies Beneath. The Giveaway is open internationally.

Thank you to Soumi for the opportunity to do a guest post about mermaids in conjunction with the release of LIES BENEATH, the first book in the Lies Beneath series. LIES BENEATH is told from the point of view of Calder White, a merman and the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids on Lake Superior--the biggest of the Great Lakes in North America.
One of the reasons I was interested in writing about mermaids was because the mermaid is known to almost all cultures across the globe. I wondered how so many people, over so many centuries, could imagine the same creature. I couldn’t help but consider the fact that mermaids were real.
Because the general public’s knowledge of mermaids is often limited to Disney’s The Little Mermaid, some readers are taken by surprise by Calder and his sisters’ predatory and often murderous ways. So I thought it was important to note that The Little Mermaid is a huge exception to the rule. Historically, and globally, mermaids are not sweet. They’re spicy!

Mermaids are probably best associated with the North Sea and the area between the British Isles, Denmark, and France. Mermaid is a French/ English combination meaning maid of the sea, or a creature who has a woman’s head, arms, and torso, but the tail of a fish. In Scotland she is called “Ceasg” or “maid of the wave,” and in Ireland she is known as “Merrow.” Their reputation is that of a beautiful lure who pulls sailors to their deaths, although the Ceasg was known to grant wishes. The celtic and Anglo-Saxon legends reveal that mermaids were not immortal, and they were known to be found in not only the ocean but freshwater rivers and lakes.
But the North Sea doesn’t have a monopoly on mermaids, and LIES BENEATH gives a nod to other mermaid legends, as well. For example, The novel’s concept of rejuvenation--or turning a human into a mermaid in the seconds after death--comes from the Ancient Greek legend that Alexander the Great’s sister turned into a mermaid after she died.
Also, Calder’s evolutionary path of leaving his predatory, animal nature behind and becoming more human is a reflection of the Milesian philosopher Anaximander, who thought that people had evolved from a water creature.

Calder and his sisters’ human transformations come from the Arabian story of “Djullanar the Sea-girl,” who did not have a fish tail, and could walk on land, but could also breathe under water and interbreed with human men to perpetuate her race.
Calder and his sisters’ ability to sense emotion comes from the Chinese merfolk, whose bodies were said to smell like “happiness,” although I flipped the notion of merfolk being happy on its tail (sorry about the pun) and made them miserable creatures who self-medicate with human happiness.
In the Caribbean she’s known as “Aycayia” and she’s attributed to the hibiscus flower (which I acknowledge in Chapter One). She is the symbol of Warsaw, Poland where she’s known as “Syrenka.” In Cambodia and Thailand she’s “Suvannamaccha.” In Africa she’s “Mami Wata.” In Russia she’s “Rusalkas,” and in the Philippines she’s “Sirena” or “Siyokoy.”
Coincidence that we all know the mermaid? Think she’s just the product of ancient foolishness?
In the late 1800s and then again in1967, dozens of people on a ferry boat off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia collectively reported seeing a mermaid swimming alongside the boat. And as recent as 2009, there were so many reported mermaid sightings in Israel that the Israeli government offered a $1 million dollar award to anyone who could offer proof.
You decide. And in the meantime, I hope you all enjoy LIES BENEATH!


Author Bio : I am a Minnesota author, writing about mermaid assassins on Lake Superior. My debut YA series begins with LIES BENEATH, coming June 12, 2012 from Random House/Delacorte.

The sequel (currently titled Deep Betrayal) is anticipated for March 2013.

Besides writing and reading YA literature, I love all things Irish, romantic movies, beef stroganoff, and Nutella.

If I'm listening to music it's Violent Femmes, The Coronas (awesome band out of Dublin), and Great Big Sea (out of Newfoundland)

Enter In The Giveaway : Win a signed copy of Lies Beneath by Author Anne Greenwood, Open Internationally

Giveaway Ends : 25th June' 2012
Winner Announcement : On 26th June, on Announcement section. Winner will be notified withing 48 hours after the giveaway ends