"Aye. Mermaids. Sea ghouls, devil fish, dreadful in hunger for flesh of man.Mermaid waters, that be our path. Cling to your soul, Gibbs, as mermaids be given to take the rest, to the bone."
Mermaids were mythical aquatic creatures known through all
manner of legendsand lore. Half woman,
half fish, these lethally-minded sisters of the sea rise up from the waves to
lure men into their arms. Beautiful, conniving and dangerous, mermaids would do
anything to protect their homes.
Some stories depicted mermaids as perilous creatures associated with
floods, storms, shipwrecks, and drowning. In other folklore (or sometimes
within the same folk tradition) they can be benevolent, bestowing boons or
falling in love with humans. The merfolk of Isla Sirena served
as agents of the Sirens, dragging
many sailors down to a watery grave. Other tales told that mermaids were known
to gather at Whitecap
Bay for hundreds of years, thereby striking terror in the heart
ofsailors and pirates alike.
Drawn to the surface by man-made light and singing sailors, these scintillating
mermaids entrance their prey before dragging them to the depths to devour them.
Contents
[show]
History
Legend
"What is it? What is required?"
"...A mermaid, Jack."
"...A mermaid, Jack."
Sailors have speculated for centuries about these magical creatures. Half woman, half fish, they
rise up from the waves to lure men into their arms.[3] As creatures oflegend and lore,
mermaids, while beautiful, were also feared creatures, being referred to as
"sea ghouls, devilfish" and known for their dreadful hunger for flesh
of man.[1]
Mermaids were also associated with legends regarding the Fountain of Youth,
which was said to be discovered by Ponce
de León in 1523. Those seeking
the Fountain, who had knowledge of the Profane Ritual, had
to find and capture a mermaid at Whitecap Bay. Only a mermaid's tear,
placed in one of the Chalices
of Cartagena, would set the rejuvenating forces of the Fountain to
work. On many journeys to the Fountain, the Jungle Pools have
been used to harvest mermaid tears. Tying mermaids within reach of water, yet
leaving their bodies to slowly dry out. When the creatures die, they leave
behind the remains of their marine form.[4] Some time after Ponce de León's discovery, a
mermaid would be drawn onto the Mao Kun Map, one of
the few guides to the Fountain of Youth.[1]
Jack Sparrow
The Sword of Cortés
"Our song will tear open your heart,
and you will beg for more. It will tease you with your greatest desire till you
grow mad. And this desire will eventually burn so fierce that you will drive
yourself directly to us. Then it is our charge to deliver you to those to whom
we answer."
Captain Jack Sparrow first
encountered the mermaids in Isla Sirena,
following the escape from Isla
Esquelética, during his quest for the Sword
of Cortés. His shipmates, the crew of
the Barnacle,
were affected by the song of the Sirens, though Jack himself remained immune to
its influence. Unable to sway him, the mermaids instead transported Jack to
Isla Sirena itself, where they attempted to enslave him by robbing him of his
freedom. Jack was tricked into handing over a prized possession—the eye
of Stone-Eyed Sam—in exchange for the lives of his crew. Further,
his freedom would be forfeit the next time he visited Isla Sirena.[2]
Despite realizing this stipulation, Jack was forced to return to the
mermaids' lair in order to recover the eye to defeat the spirit of Hernán
Cortés. He negotiated his enslavement with the blue-tailed mermaid
leaders, and defeated two predatory beasts in order to avoid eternal
imprisonment. He was allowed to leave the island, and later reclaimed the eye
from Tia Dalma.[5]
War of Jolly Roger
During the 1740s, the undead pirate captain Jolly
Roger planned to take
over the entire Caribbean and make himself aPirate Lord. As he
intended to unleash his terrible
curse on the islands of the Caribbean, the mermaids somehow
learned about his dreadful plan and warned the buccaneers about his evil
intentions. Thanks to this warning, Jolly's plan wasn't successful.[6]
Quest for the Fountain of Youth
Mermaids flee after the battle
at Whitecap Bay.
"We're doomed. They be drawn to
man-made light."
"Sharks?"
"Worse than sharks, boy. There'll be mermaids upon us within the hour, you mark my words! And we're the bait!"
"Sharks?"
"Worse than sharks, boy. There'll be mermaids upon us within the hour, you mark my words! And we're the bait!"
During the quest for the Fountain of Youth, Blackbeard and his crewjourneyed to Whitecap Bay to
capture a mermaid for the Profane Ritual.
Blackbeard used his crew as living bait, as well as using man-made light from
the lighthouse to lure the mermaids. Scrum was forced to sing My
Jolly Sailor Bold to attract the mermaids, and
successfully attracted the attention of Tamara. As Tamara
continued singing Scrum's song, other mermaids appeared to the longboat. Their
beauty fascinated the sailors, but Tamara revealed her true form. The mermaids
began a
lethal attack on Blackbeard's crewmen. Jack Sparrow managed
to set an explosion on the lighthouse to scare them away, even meeting an old
flame, Marina, in the
process. A young mermaid later named Syrena, who proved
to be very different from her vicious kind, was left behind to be captured by
Blackbeard's men.[1]
Biology and appearance
"All these beautiful mermaids.
Creatures of legend and lore, right in front of me! What an exciting adventure,
indeed!"
Tamara and
other mermaids from Whitecap
Bay.
The mermaids were amphibious beings, a hybrid of human and fish. The
average mermaid had the appearance of a beautiful woman with long, flowing
hair, and skin flecked with scales. From the waist down, however, a mermaid was
comprised of a long, shimmering scaly fish like tail.[2] Further undermining their conventional beauty,
mermaids hid sharp, fang-like teeth in their mouths.[1]
The true form of mermaids however was very different to their beautiful
guise; The mermaids of Isla Sirena had hair the colour of the sea and pearly
skin covered in scales but if viewed peripherally, they lost their outward
beauty and seemed to transform into creatures with clawed tentacles, fangs, and
barnacles and boils covering their scales. They often spoke in harmony, singing
a melody commonly attributed to the Sirens.[2]
However the mermaids of Whitecap Bay appeared as very beautiful human women
of different nationalities above the water, but once under water their skin
became covered in scales, fangs grew in their mouths and their eyes changed to
unnatural colours and would appear at times to glow fiercely.
Morveren, Aquila, and Aquala at Isla Sirena.
Mermaids were incredibly beautiful and incredibly seductive and they lured
seamen to their deaths. Their greatest weapon was their radiant appearance. The
light of the moon illuminated their skin, their long locks fell seductively,
and their deep-as-the-ocean eyes possessed the power to entrap any adventurer.[4]
Mermaids possessed superhuman strength and were strong
enough to break through solid wood with their bare hands. In large numbers,
they have even been known to topple great ships. The mermaids of Whitecap Bay
were known to have fed on men, seeing them as something that sustained them.
They may look lovely, but they can shred a human limb from limb in seconds.
These mermaids have been known to use long strands of seaweed as a form of
lasso to pull sailors off ships or cliffs out of reach.
Their long and powerful tails made them very fast swimmers, adapt at
hunting prey, and gave the mermaids the capability of leaping out of the water
to take any unfortunate sailor in midair off of the decks of boats, before
diving back in. Their tails were covered in a scaly translucent membrane which
floats around them like tendrils in the water and was shed when they gained
legs. They can survive long enough on land to drag a sailor back into the sea,
where they can entangle them in a powerful grip. The mermaids of Whitecap Bay
also have the ability to go on land in human form, beneath the skin of their
tails was the suggestion of the legs they gain on land. However if they were
partially in the water, trapped in mermaid form but not enough in the water to live,
they can dry out and die. They also appeared to have red blood as shown when Philip Swift stabbed Syrena's fin.[1]
Mermaids were known to have special abilities. It was common knowledge that
a kiss from a mermaid would protect a sailor from drowning. In legends
concerning the Fountain
of Youth, particularly the Profane Ritual, a mermaid's tear was
one of the required items needed in order to make the Fountain work. But as
proud and ferocious as the seas in which they live, mermaids do not weep lightly.
It was said that tears of joy were the more potent.[1]
Mermaids also appeared to have some degree of psychic ability. Syrena seemed
to show these abilities when she savedPhilip Swift because
she sensed he was "different" and that he "protects"
compared to other men she and her kind encounter. Syrena also appeared to have
sensed that the Chalices
of Cartagena had fallen into the waters of the Fountain, and
that Angelica needed
saving as she told Jack
Sparrow to not waste her tear.[1]
Society and culture
Stories and legends of mermaids commonly depicted sweet and innocent
creatures, though more sinister versions told of corrupted merfolk who
aligned themselves with the Sirens. In reality,
there were thousands of the latter type in Isla Sirenaalone,
and this legion was known to congregate to drag sailors down to the depths, a
trait also shared with the mermaids of Whitecap Bay.
Isla Sirena
A mermaid drags young Jack Sparrow toIsla Sirena.
"We are not the Sirens. We are the
merfolk. We sing our own melody and we do the bidding of the Sirens."
The mermaids of Isla
Sirena were part of the merfolk that
did the bidding of theSirens, who were in
turn ruled by Davy
Jones. They resided in chambers within Isla Sirena, and had control
over various creatures that inhabited Davy
Jones' Locker, including iguana monsters and sea beasts.[2] The merfolk also had contact with Tia Dalma, and were
aware of legendary artifacts such as the Sword
of Cortés.[5]
There were at least three separate sub-species of merfolk in Isla Sirena,
distinguished by the color of the scales on their fish-like tails. Those with
green tails were analogous to soldiers, and operated as the military arm of the
society. They confronted sailors lured to Isla Sirena and dragged them down to
the island itself. Red-tailed merfolk were the servants of mermaid society, and
were commonly found wading around waiting for orders. They acted as guards and
workers in Isla Sirena. Finally, blue-tails served as the leaders of the
mermaids. The three blue-tails encountered by Jack Sparrow, Morveren,Aquala and Aquila,[5] were named as "chairwomen" by the
green-tails.[2]
Whitecap Bay
"I heard it said a kiss from a
mermaid protects a sailor from drowning.'
"Don't be a fool. Mermaids are all female, son. And lovely as a dream of heaven. But when it comes time to churn butter, so to speak, they snatch a sailor out of a boat or off the deck of a ship, have their way, and then the sailors are pulled to bottom, and drowned, and eaten."
"Or, sometimes, the other way around."
"Don't be a fool. Mermaids are all female, son. And lovely as a dream of heaven. But when it comes time to churn butter, so to speak, they snatch a sailor out of a boat or off the deck of a ship, have their way, and then the sailors are pulled to bottom, and drowned, and eaten."
"Or, sometimes, the other way around."
Doom awaits any misguided mariner who sought out the perilous waters of Whitecap Bay. Myths
tell of mermaids lurking beneath the pale, foaming breakers, but few knew that
these briny beauties were actually flesh-eating creatures. WhenBlackbeard located
these denizens of the deep, he and his crew found themselves surrounded by
vengeful foes. Legend had it that man-made light and song attracted the sirens
of the sea, so the longboat full of Blackbeard's crewmen—sent as the bait—is lit by the
beam of the lighthouse and Scrum sings a swaying
sea shanty.[7]
Mermaids swimming at Whitecap Bay.
The mermaids in Whitecap Bay seemed to be more independent from Sirens, and
they also appeared to be far more aggressive and bloodthirsty. Beautiful,
conniving and dangerous, these mermaids would do anything to protect their home
in Whitecap Bay. Drawn to the surface by a man-made light and singing sailors,
they entrance their prey into coming close before dragging them to the depths
of the Bay to devour them.[8] However, if the men caught on, which would
presumably be right after the first one was taken, the mermaids would abandon
their gentle disguise, and attack viciously, acting in a similar manner to
sharks in a feeding frenzy. They were apparently very driven to catch their
prey, so much that they clawed and punched through wood in attempts to snare
their targets. The mermaids appeared to be very territorial, which was noted
during the battle with
Blackbeard's crew, as well as the sinking of the HMS Providenceshortly
after its arrival to the Bay.
The attraction to man-made light and song was often used as a way to
capture mermaids. However, they were naturally afraid of fire, though this
could be interpreted as a fear of any forms of general warmth, which can cause
them to dry out. This can be noted by mermaids fleeing Blackbeard's Greek fire as
well as legends of the Jungle
Pools.[1]
"We say the One pours death into
life, and life into death, without a drop spilt."
"I like that."
"I like that."
A mermaid's bond with her sisters was hard to tell, but appears to be
rather cold, as when Syrena was
captured, the other mermaids retreated without any visible concern. Also, when
Syrena was forced to look at the many mermaid corpses, and Blackbeard's
taunting of the death of her fellow mermaids, she didn't seem to be
particularly affected. However, she did apparently show a slight trace of
emotion, perhaps anger at the men for their actions. Mermaids have been
described by Blackbeard as being tough, and strong willed, making it rare for
them to genuinely shed tears. Their tears of joy were said to be the most
potent type of tear.[1] The mermaid people believed that "the One
pours death into life, and life into death, without a drop spilt."[4]
However, not all mermaids were vicious. Some were capable of having a
compassionate and loving side, most notably from Syrena. Syrena
appeared to be unique among her kind as she was the only known mermaid to
actually develop feelings for a human. Though it wasn't the same case with Marina, who had a
relationship with Jack
Sparrow at some point in her life.[1]
Notable mermaids
§
Syrena
§
Tamara
§
Marina
§
Morveren
§
Aquala
§
Aquila
Behind the scenes
"I heard Jack Sparrow once had the
favor of mermaids."
"Is that story still out there? A mermaid's favor, perhaps. That I might believe."
"Is there a female anywhere, of any kind, safe from you?"
"Is that story still out there? A mermaid's favor, perhaps. That I might believe."
"Is there a female anywhere, of any kind, safe from you?"
§
On Stranger Tides was the first of the POTC films to include mermaids, though they were
first mentioned in The Curse of the Black Pearl.
However, the mermaids first appearance in the POTC
universe was in The Siren Song, the second book in the Jack Sparrow series.
§
The portrayal of
mermaids differ throughout the POTC universe. In the Jack Sparrow series, the mermaids served as agents
of the Sirens; while in On Stranger Tides, the mermaids appear to have
siren-like qualities.
§
While filming On Stranger Tides, all the mermaids were women who wore
skin-tight swimsuits on with dots on them, which would make them 3-D Computer-generated with the work done by Industrial Light & Magic. Their performances were
recorded using motion capture during actual filming on set, rather than in a
motion capture studio during post-production.[9]
§
In the first
screenplay draft of At World's End, Hector Barbossa starts
to search for the Fountain
of Youth, using thecaptain's
journal of Juan
Ponce de León that he took from Tia Dalma who
in turn received it from a mermaid.
A mermaid skeleton in the POTC ride.
§
On October 2012, mermaids were added to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Walt Disney World.
At the grotto scene, after guests ride past the ghostly projection at the start
of the ride, a shape splashing in the water can be seen as guests enter the
scene with skeletons on a beach, where a mermaid skeleton can be seen. An audio
of the song My
Jolly Sailor Boldcan also be heard at this part of the
ride.[10]
§
Mermaids, as well
as the song My Jolly Sailor Bold, also appeared
in 2012 attraction The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow.
§
Shortly before the battle
at Whitecap Bay, Garheng briefly
mentions of Jack
Sparrow's previous encounter with mermaids. That scene was cut out
from the final version of the On Stranger Tides movie, but it was
written in the film's original script as well as being included in the film's junior novelization.
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