Mermaid
Siren
OK, a lot of people get sirens and mermaids mixed up but they are not synonomous terms nor are sirens a kind of mermaid or an evil mermaid. They are two different things. Mermaids came from the nerieds who in greek mythology, were the 50 daughters of Nereus and Doris. They were ocean water "nymphs" or spirits of the sea. They were said to symbolize all of the beauty and kindness of the ocean and would often help sailors get through perilous storms. They were originally depicted as looking human but around the time roman rule began they were depicted as having fish tails.
V original mermaids (nerieds) V
Sirens were in greek mythology (as in modern times) depicted as luring sailors to their deaths by singing enchanting songs. But they weren't orginally depcted as halfwoman half fish, they were depicted as having the body of a bird and the head of a woman.
V Original Siren
So, if anyone was confused as to weather the deoictions of mermaids as sweet, curious and playful or as evil, seducing temptresses was true, I hope this answeres your question.
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