Until the tale of The Little Mermaid (the non-Disney version) came out, mermaids were treated completely opposite of what they are today in fantasy. They were known as a fearsome creature called a siren; evil fish women who would send sailors to their doom through intoxicating songs. The sailors would usually jump into the water to meet up with these women, who then proceeded to eat the men as a tasty snack. Sirens were feared for their man-eating tendencies, and filled many readers with fear of the vast ocean blue. However, like vampires, mermaids were downgraded to a more friendly human loving creature in the recent decades. Now, only a select few stories choose to depict the sirens at their core, taking away what potentially could be a great horror figure.
I recommend a return to these old routes for some writers, as it could balance out the old from the new. Those who like the friendly mermaids and do not care that much about ancient lore can stick to their cliché filled stories. However, those who have always loved the fearsome image of the siren like me can create a fantasy villain not seen often enough and can create something truly original out of it.
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One Hundred Fantasy Clichés That Really Need To Rest In Peace
De TodoFrom the same writer that pointed out some of the worst tropes in popular culture in A Hundred Clichés That Need To Die comes the much awaited sequel with a twist. See why the fantasy genre in fiction is extremely flawed and has numerous clichés th...
