Mermaids. Mermen. Merpeople. People of the Mer.

I’m a big fan of folklore, myths and legends, but merfolk freak me out. Greco-Roman myths are full of human-animal hybrids — satyrs, centaurs, minotaurs, and other -aurs and -yrs — all of whom I find charming and cool. Merpeople are creepy. Slimy, slithery, slippery… then sunning on rocks, combing their hair with clam shells. They live in an uncanny valley between lonely sailor fantasies and sailor fears.

And what do they eat? Well, they drag sailors down into the murky depths of the ocean, that much we know. So either they drown the poor saps and feast on them; or if the sailor harvest is scant, other fish? Fish eat fish, fine. Mammals eat mammals all the time. But even a fierce tiger about to eat you has some charm. Compare:

Image found at Sense of Things blog.

Found via Google image search

I’d rather be a snack for something cute and fuzzy, thanks.