Columbus & Mermaids?
29 July 2011
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
During an 1493 exploration, Christopher Columbus reported a mermaid sighting. Upon seeing three creatures, he stated that they were “not as pretty as they are depicted, for somehow in the face they look like men.”
What were these mermaid-like creatures Columbus stumbled across? Manatees, which are also known as Sea Cows.
“Mermaid Compared with the Manatee at the Zoological Gardens London” Photo Credit: Bayberry Gallery
Great info and great writer. I will check again your blog. take care.
Columbus wasn’t a idiot he was a map maker by trade and seamen not likely to think a manatee looks human or has a human face. In his report he states the mermaid wasn’t as good looking as pictured in lore but the face was human looking NOT bovine.
Ravin, thank you for your comment! I agree with you that Columbus was not an idiot and I hope this post does not give that impression.
While Columbus himself never said that the “mermaids” were manatees, it is the general assumption based upon his location (by Haiti) that what he probably wrote about was sea cows. There is not too much known about the circumstances in which he saw the creatures besides the fact that they “came quite high out of the water.” I don’t think the fact that he thought manatees were mermaids of sorts is too big of a stretch since they do have some human-like features.
At the time, Columbus was probably more surprised (or disappointed) that the “mermaids” were not female sirens of beauty as folklore often depicted but, instead, men-like!