On a quiet sea beneath the moon, a sailor hears a song drifting over black water. It may be wind, a bird, another vessel beyond sight, or something remembered from an old tale. This gentle journey follows the changing legends of mermaids and water-bound beings through ancient Greek Sirens, medieval bestiaries, the romance of Melusine, northern selkie stories, maritime ballads, Slavic rusalki, Mami Wata traditions, Japanese ningyo, sailors’ sightings, and Hans Christian Andersen’s melancholy Little Mermaid. These figures are not one shared creature with different names. Their forms, meanings, histories, and religious roles differ widely. Yet many of their stories begin beside water: on a ship at night, near a riverbank, beside a spring, or on a shore where a familiar world gives way to another. Calm, reflective, and rich with old ships, coastal villages, songs, seals, rivers, and distant lights, this is a bedtime telling about why people have long imagined voices beneath the sea.

This podcast uses artificial intelligence in its research, writing, production, and narration. Episodes are editorially reviewed before publication.

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YES OR NO: Do you think mermaid legends began partly from sailors misidentifying real animals??????