Kate Light - Mermaid Legends

Famo us Legends By Kate Light M e r m a i d L e g e n d s

Please visit our website , www. garethstevens. com. For a free co lor catalog of all our high-qualit y books, call toll free 1-800-542-2595 or fax 1-877-542-2596. Cataloging- in-Publication Data Names: Light, Ka te. Title: Mermaid legends / K ate L ight.

Description: New Y or k : Garet h Stevens Publishing, 2018. | Series : Famo us legends | Includes index . Identiers: ISBN 9781538202449 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781538203811 (libra ry bound ) | ISBN 9781538203804 (6 pack) Subjects : LC SH: Mermaids--J uvenile liter ature. Classication: LC C GR910.L38 2018 | DDC 398.21--dc23 First Edition Published in 2018 by Gareth Stevens Publishing 111 East 14th Stre et, Suite 349 New Yo rk, NY 10003 Copyright 2018 Gareth Ste vens Publishing Designer: Laura Bowen Editor: Ther ese Shea Photo credi ts: Cov er, p. 1 (mermaid) whit emay/Gett y Images ; co ver, p. 1 (ribbon) bar baliss/Shutterst ock.com; cover , p. 1 (leather ) Pink Pu eblo/Shuttersto ck.com; cover , pp. 132 (sign) Sarawu t Padungkw an/Shuttersto ck.com; cover , pp. 132 (vines) vita sunny/Shutters tock.co m; co ver, pp. 132 (parchment) T yB y/Shutterstoc k.com; cover , pp. 132 (back ground ) HorenkO/Shutte rstock.co m; p. 5 DEA/D eAgostini/ Getty Ima ges; p. 7 (main) Csemeric k/Wikimedia Commons ; p. 7 (inset) Hazhk/W ikimedia Commons; p. 9 UniversalImagesGro up/Getty Images; p. 10 Electr on/Wikimedia Commons ; pp. 11, 13 iStockphot o.com/du ncan1890 ; p. 14 Cerbero /Shutterstock .com; p. 15 LaSylphide/W ikimedia Commons; p. 16 AFBorc hert/ Wikimedia Commons ; p. 17 iStock photo.com/ Yu ri_Arcurs; p. 19 Ze w99/Wikimedia Commons ; p. 21 (main) Philippe Lissac/GODONG ; p . 21 (inset) Amca ja/Wikimedia Commons ; p. 23 Magicgarden/Wiki media Commons; p. 25 Blaine Image/Shutte rstock.co m; p. 27 (main) Felist oria/Wikim edia Commons; p. 27 (inset) M.vi olante/Wikimedia Commons ; p. 29 (top) DEA / M. 29 (top) DEA / M.

SEEMULLER/Gett y Images ; p. 29 (bottom) fzd. it/Shutterstoc k.com. All rights re serve d. No part of this book may b e reprodu ced in any form without perm ission in writing fro m the publisher , except b y a revi ewer.

Words in the glossary appear in bold type the rst time th ey are us ed in the tex t.

Words in the glossary appear in bold type the rst time th ey are us ed in the tex t.

Maidens and M onsters ......................... The Lit tle Mermai d ........................... The Painfu l Price o f a Soul ....................... Lost for Words ............................... A Deadly Deal .............................. A Good Re ward for a Good Deed ...............

A Sea of Stor ies ............................. Singing i n the T re es ........................... Mami Wata ................................. Happyaku Bikuni ............................. Peace at La st ................................ A Fishy T al e .................................

The Legends Li ve On ......................... Glossary ................................... For More In formation ......................... Index ...................................... C o n t e n t s

W hat strange beasts could be hiding far below the ocean s w aves? Many cultures pass down legends about monsters of the deep sea. Ta les from all ove r the world tell of one specia l creature th e mysteri ous mermaid.

M ermaids are often sa id to be b eautiful wo men who save drow ning prin ces. But the yr e thought by some to be creepy monst ers that lure humans int o deadly tra ps. And in yet ot her legends, merm aids are something in between wicked a nd wonderf ul. Every mermaid legend is a tale youll want to rea d! Abou t 4, 000 year s ago , t he Baby lonians believ ed in a me rman god name d Ea. Atarg atis was an ancient Syrian mermaid goddess honor ed mor e than 2, years ago. M a i d e n s a n d M o n s t e r s

This 19 th-c entury work shows the Rh ine daughters, who were female spir its of Germany s R hine River .

They re featured in some famous opera s .

O ne of the most famous merm aid storie s in the wo rld is Hans Christ ian Anders en s fairy tale T he Little Mermaid. Yo u might know t he Disney version , but Andersen s tale is v ery dierent. Here s a retellin g: D eep in the oc ean, there lived a little mermaid who was curious about life o n land. On her birt hday, she swam t o the surfac e for t he rst ti me and saw a handsom e prince drown ing. She carried h im to s hore, but hid bef ore he woke up .

Hans Chri stian A ndersen w as born into a poor f am ily in Denm ark in 1805 . He m ade a name f or himself wi th his t ales, w hich i ncluded Th e Empero rs New Clo thes, Th e Pri ncess and the Pe a, and T he Ugly Duck ling . T h e L i t t l e M e r m a i d

This 18 illustratio n by E. S. Hardy is a f amous imag e of Hans Chr istian Ande rsen s little me rmaid. Hans Chr istian Anderse n

L ater , the little mermaids grandmother told her that mermaids turn to bubbles in the sea afte r death, but h umans have immortal souls.

Her gran dmother said she could rece ive a human soul i f a human t ruly loved her. The litt le mermaid wanted to win the pri nces love, but she needed l egs to li ve in the human world. She asked a sea witch f or help. I can g ive yo u legs, the witch said, b ut you ll lose your tail and eve ry ste p will fe el lik e st epping on knives. Still, the little m ermaid agre ed. Andersen s sea wit ch had monste rs calle d polypi outside he r unders ea house.

The y were half seawe ed and half eel! T h e P a i n f u l P r i c e o f a S o u l

The sea witch g ave the little me rmaid a potion that made her tail split into legs.