In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes associated with perilous events, such as storms, shipwrecks, and drownings (cf. § Omens). In other folk traditions (or sometimes within the same traditions), they can be benevolent or beneficent, bestowing boons, or falling in love with humans. The …