
The Penguin Book of Mermaids
Penguin Classics (Publisher)
Published on 24. June 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-0-14-313372-8 (ISBN)
Description
A unique anthology of mermaid tales from around the world, many of which have never appeared in English before
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
Superb: the first substantial anthology of mermaid stories. Nobody knows what mermaids are, but there is great enjoyment in reading tales that make us believe in them. They are alluring, demonic, vengeful, innocent, hypnotic, enchanting, and divine, and you can find all of them and more in The Penguin Book of Mermaids -- Jack Zipes Notable for its wide scope, both in terms of region and time period ... We still crave supernatural creatures. The Penguin Book of Mermaids definitely satisfies that craving, drawing us into their narrative depths with alluring promises * Los Angeles Review of Books * Accessible yet rigorous, passionately diverse, and thoroughly spellbinding . . . Many-voiced, irresistible, and essential . . . [with] insightful story notes, generous attributions, and tantalizing bibliography. The desires and dangers of the shape-changing sea have rarely been so intelligently and inclusively showcased * Publishers Weekly * Tapping into the seductive sorcery of mermaid lore, The Penguin Book of Mermaids reminds us why these aquatic beings-who awaken both dread and desire-continue to attract our attention -- Maria Tatar, Harvard UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
273 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-14-313372-8 (9780143133728)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Cristina Bacchilega | Marie Alohalani Brown
The Penguin Book of Mermaids
E-Book
10/2019
1st Edition
Penguin Classics
€9.99
Available for download
Persons
Cristina Bacchilega is a professor and the graduate program director in the Department of English at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Her published works include Postmodern Fairy Tales; Legendary Hawai'i and the Politics of Place; and Fairy Tales Transformed?.
Marie Alohalani Brown is an assistant professor and the undergraduate chair in the Department of Religion at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Her first book, Facing the Spears of Change: The Life and Legacy of John Papa 'I'i, won the Palapala Po'okela Award for the best book on Hawaiian language, culture, and history.
Marie Alohalani Brown is an assistant professor and the undergraduate chair in the Department of Religion at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Her first book, Facing the Spears of Change: The Life and Legacy of John Papa 'I'i, won the Palapala Po'okela Award for the best book on Hawaiian language, culture, and history.