Hello. This is 6 Minute English from
BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Georgina.
Do you believe in ghosts, Georgina?
Well, I've never actually seen one - not
even at Halloween.
How about dragons then?
Or fairies and elves?
Have you been reading fantasy
books, Neil? Lord of the Rings?
I have been reading a book, Georgina,
but not Lord of the Rings. My book is
about an amphibious creature - a creature
that lives both on land and in water.
Some kind of Frog-Man?
You've almost got the idea, Georgina,
but think - woman, not man;
and fish, not frog.
Half-woman, half-fish?
I've got it - a mermaid!
That's right! Mermaids are magical
creatures, half-woman, half-fish, that
feature in the myths and legends of
many cultures around the world.
Like the Sirens, whose seductive singing
shipwrecked Odysseus and his sailors
in ancient Greek mythology.
The Sirens are perhaps the most famous,
but certainly not the only, mermaids
we'll be hearing about. But before we dive into
the programme, it's time for my quiz question.
The book I've been reading was, of course,
The Little Mermaid.
Yes, I've seen the Disney movie.
The mermaid is called Ariel.
Right - but the movie was based on a fairy
tale written by Hans Christian Andersen.
It became so famous that a statue of the
Little Mermaid was built in the harbour
of Andersen s birthplace - but where?
Was it: a) Amsterdam, b) Copenhagen,
or c) Oslo?
I'm going to say b) Copenhagen.
OK, Georgina, I'll tell you the answer
later. Disney's defenceless mermaid,
Ariel, seems the total opposite to the
seductive, dangerous Sirens in the Odyssey.
In fact, descriptions and stories of
mermaids have always changed
from place to place.
One mermaid-like character found
across Africa and the Americas is
named, Mami Wata. Here's British
writer, Marcelle Mateki, talking about
the origins of this legend to BBC
World Service programme, The Forum:
Even the name, Mami Wata, which
is pidgin English for 'Mother Water', so
it's loosely translated from pidgin English
as 'the mother of water' and the
characteristics that are commonly
shared when speaking about Mami Wata
across the West African coast is that
this deity is the protector of
the water kingdom.
The name 'Mami Wata' comes from
Nigerian pidgin English - a language
which has developed from a mixture
of two languages and is used as
a way of communicating by people
who do not speak each
other's languages.
Marcelle says that 'Mami Wata'
means 'the mother of water'
when loosely translated - translated in
a way that carries over the basic ideas
but using words which may
not be so accurate.
Mami Wata is also described as
the protector of the water kingdom
and a deity - a god, goddess
or other divine being.
Another version of a mermaid-like
creatures, called Selkies, are found
in the remote Orkney Islands, north
of the Scottish mainland.
The Selkies can take human form
and marry men but every now and
then they return to their watery
kingdom under the sea.
Cristina Bacchilega is co-editor of
The Penguin Book of Mermaids.
According to her, these different
versions of mermaids share
something in common - they
force us to question our relationship
to water and other beings in the
natural world - and even to question
how we see ourselves.
Here's Cristina explaining more in
the BBC World Service's, The Forum:
The beings, not just mermaids but
Selkies and water deities and other
water spirits are often shape-shifters,
they have a certain kind of fluidity of being.
So do we approach this world with
humility, or do we really uphold a
kind of anthropocentric view,
human-centred view of life?
Mythical creatures are often
shape-shifters - they have the
power to change into a different
shape or form.
Moving between the sea and the
Earth, mermaids link two natural worlds.
Cristina thinks that, as humans,
we should approach them with humility.
Someone who has humility is not
proud and doesn't think they are
better than others.
Well, Neil, I don't think I m better
than a ghost, a water spirit
or a mermaid - it's just that I've
never seen one. But then again, I've
never seen electricity - and
I believe in that!
Maybe it would help if you
saw a statue of a mermaid,
if not the real thing?
Maybe, but where would I find one?
In my quiz question I asked
where you'd see the statue of
Hans Christian Andersen's
Little Mermaid. What did you
say, Georgina?
I guessed b) Copenhagen.
Which was the correct answer!
The Little Mermaid statue is found
in Andersen's birthplace of
Copenhagen. And it really is little - only
one-and-a-quarter metres high!
In this programme, we've been
talking about mermaids - mythical
half-woman, half-fish creatures
which are amphibious - live
both on land and in water.
In some cultures, mermaids
are deities - or goddesses. They
can also be shape-shifters - imaginary
creatures with the power to change
into different shapes.
One African mermaid is called,
Mami Wata, in pidgin English - a
mixture of English and local
languages which enables people
who do not share a common
language to communicate.
Mami Wata means 'Mother Water' - but
this is a loose translation - a
translation which carries over the
basic idea but using words
which may not be so accurate.
That s all for this programme, but
the next time you're near the sea,
keep an eye out for a splash in
the waves - you never know
what you might see!
Join us again soon for more
discussion and vocabulary here
at 6 Minute English. And follow us
on social media. Bye for now!
Bye!