Do mermaids exist?
The word mermaid is a compound of the Old English mere (sea), and maid (a girl or young woman). A mermaid is defined as a mythological creature that is half maiden and half fish or sea serpent. It seems there has always been an interest, a fascination, or even an obsession by many people by the thought of those who are half-animal and half-person. I suppose some like to think of an animal who can think, act, and even talk like a person. There are also those who like to think of a person who can move like an animal and have the strength of the greatest animals.
Other mythological creatures such as the centaur, the satyr, and the sphinx are still able to fascinate many who love to learn about these creatures and their powers. Could such a person exist? Could such an animal exist? Well, most of the creatures already listed are considered to be mythological creatures. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, mythology is defined as “a set of stories or beliefs about a particular person, institution, or situation, especially when exaggerated or fictitious.” In other words, they are NOT REAL.
Is there anything in the Bible that can help us to determine if any of these creatures could possibly exist?
Well, in the beginning, the Lord intended for people to eat only fruits and vegetables. We read in Genesis 1:29, “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” After the flood, the Lord then stated that all animals were for us to eat. We read in Genesis 9:1-3, “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.” Cannibalism (the eating of human flesh) is always condemned in the scriptures (Leviticus 26:28-29, Jeremiah 19:8-9, Psalm 27:2, etc.) So, it is permissible to eat animals but not humans. If there is a creature that is both animal and human, what would be done with him? Could he be eaten? Does this not defy the logic of God’s law of creation?
A very important point regarding a half animal/half human creature is found in 1 Corinthians 15:39, “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.” While this portion primarily deals with our bodily resurrection which will one day come to pass, it also makes an excellent point. The bodies of men, beasts, fishes, and birds are all different. “All flesh is not the same.” God has given to the various kinds of animals, bodies in shape, texture, and organization, very different one from another, as he has purposed and created. To combine these creatures together with one another again defies the logic of God’s law of creation.
In a sense, there is a mermaid mentioned in the Bible. We read in Judges 16:23, “Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.” These Philistines who did not acknowledge or worship God, had created Dagon to be their god. The word ‘Dagon’ is defined as a fish-god. Dagon is mentioned several times in the Bible but is exposed as being powerless. Perhaps this early mention by the Philistines of a half man/half animal could have helped begin or continue the myth of the mermaid.
It is good to know that mermaids, centaurs, etc. are simply the product of the imaginations of man. They are not real, neither could they be. “All flesh is not the same.” (CC) (546.2)