Editing Mermaid (section)

=== Sirens ===

In the early Greek period, the sirens were conceived of as human-headed birds,<!--seventh century BC-->{{sfnp|Holford-Strevens|2006|pp=17–18}}<ref name="argonautica-4.891">Apollonius Rhodius, ''Argonautica'' IV, 891–919. [[Robert Cooper Seaton|Seaton, R. C.]] ed., tr. (2012), [https://books.google.com/books?id=ipANAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA354 p. 354ff]. "and at that time they were fashioned in part like birds and in part like maidens to behold".</ref> but by the classical period, the Greeks sporadically depicted the siren as part fish in art.<ref>{{harvp|Milliken|2014|p=125}}, citing {{harvp|Benwell|Waugh|1965}};<!--no page given--> {{harvp|Waugh|1960|p=}}</ref>{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|The [[Megara|Megarian]] bowl, third century BC, with a scene from the ''[[Odyssey]]'', with sirens depicted as fish-tailed "tritonesses".<ref name="rotroff"/> Harrison names a clay lamp, possibly from the Roman period.<ref name="harrison"/><ref>{{harvp|Benwell|Waugh|1965|p=46}} and Fig. 3a</ref> A [[terracotta]] "mourning siren", 250&nbsp;BC, is the oldest representation of siren as mermaid familiar to Waugh.{{sfnp|Waugh|1960|p=77}}}}

==== Medieval sirens as mermaids ====

{{multiple image
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 | header= Sirens in ''Physiologus'' and bestiaries

 | image1 = Bern Cod.318, f.013v-de natura serenae et honocentauris.jpg
 | alt1 = Siren and onocentaur, Bern Physiologus
 | caption1 = Siren and [[onocentaur]].{{right|{{small|―''Bern Physiologus''. Berner Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 281, fol. 13v}}{{Refn|name="Bern"}}}}

 | image2 = BL-Add 11283, fo.020v-siren.jpg
 | alt2 = Siren in a Second Family bestiary, Additional manuscript
 | caption2 = Siren in a Second Family bestiary{{right|{{small|―British Library MS Add. 11283, fol. 20v.}}<ref name="BL-Add11283"/>}}

 | image3 = Bodleian-Library-MS-Bodl-764 00070 fol-074v-sirene.jpg
 | alt3 = Sirens swimming, in Bodleian bestiary
 | caption3 = Sirens swimming in sea.{{right|{{small|―Bestiary (Bodl. 764), fol. 74v<br />© Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford}}}}

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The siren's part-fish appearance became increasingly popular during the Middle Ages.<ref name="harrison"/> The traits of the classical sirens, such as using their beautiful song as a lure as told by Homer, have often been transferred to mermaids.{{sfnp|Waugh|1960|pp=78–79}}

This change of the medieval siren from bird to fish were thought by some to be the influence of [[Germanic mythology|Germanic myth]], later expounded in literary legends of [[Lorelei]] and [[Undine]];<ref name="harrison" /> though a dissenting comment is that parallels are not limited to Teutonic culture.{{sfnp|Mustard|1908|p=22}}

==== Textual attestations ====

The earliest text describing the siren as fish-tailed occurs in the ''[[Liber Monstrorum|Liber Monstrorum de diversis generibus]]'' (seventh to mid-eighth century), which described sirens as "sea girls" ({{lang|la|{{linktext|marinae |pullae}}}}) whose beauty in form and sweet song allure seafarers, but beneath the human head and torso, have the [[scale (anatomy)|scaly]] tail-end of a fish with which they can navigate the sea.{{Refn|{{harvp|Faral|1953}}, pp. 441ff., cited by McCulloch (1962) [1960], p. 167.<ref name="mcculloch"/>}}{{Refn|{{harvp|Pakis|2010|p=137 and n89}};{{harvp|Holford-Strevens|2006|p=29}} (both quote from the Orchard (2003) translation.<ref name="orchard"/>).}}

"Sirens are mermaids" (Old High German/Early {{langx|gmh|Sirêne sínt méremanniu}}) is explicit in the aforementioned Old German ''Physiologus'' (eleventh century<ref name="handschriftencensus-11043"/>).{{Refn|name="Vienna-ONB-223"|Vienna, [[Austrian National Library|Österreichische Nationalbibliothek]] ms. 223, fol. 32r.<ref name="altdeutsche-physiologus-TITUS"/> Maurer (1967) ed.''Der altdeutsche Physiologus'' [note 37], 92, apud {{harvp|Pakis|2010|p=126, n37}}. (olim MS Philol. 244), [[Friedrich Heinrich von der Hagen|von der Hagen, F.H.]] (1824) ed., {{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=U9UGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA52|2=pp. 52–53}}.}}{{Refn|{{harvp|Pakis|2010|p=126}}, note 39 gives "Siręne sint meremanniu" citing Maurer ed. (1967), the Titus Project transcription is verifiable against the image of the manuscript, fol. 32r.<ref name="altdeutsche-physiologus-TITUS"/><ref name="handschriftencensus-11043"/>}}{{efn|But upon reflection, since the OHG word only means "sea-woman", it is not assured that a fish-tailed being is meant.}}

The Middle English bestiary (mid-13th century) clearly means "mermaid" when it explains the siren to be a ''mereman'',<ref name="oed-mermin"/><ref>{{harvp|Pakis|2010|pp=126–127}}, note 42, though the remark is shorthanded, stating that the "same word" as the Old High German term is used.</ref> stating that she has a body and breast like that of a maiden but joined, at the navel, by a body part which is definitely fish, with fins growing out of her.{{Refn|name="MEBestiary"|British Library Arundel MS 292, fol. 8 verso<ref name="ME-bestiary-ed-morris"/>}}<ref>{{harvp|Armistead tr.|2001}} vv, 391–462, pp. 85–86</ref><ref name="ME-bestiary-ed-morris"/>

[[Old French]] verse bestiaries (e.g. [[Philip de Thaun|Philipp de Thaun]]'s version, written c. 1121–1139) also accommodated by stating that a part of the siren may be bird or fish.{{sfnp|Holford-Strevens|2006|p=34}}

==== Iconographic attestations ====
In a ninth-century ''Physiologus'' manufactured in France (Fig., top left),{{Refn|name="Bern"|The [[Bern Physiologus]]. fol. 13v. Rubric: "De natura serena et honocentauri". Produced c. 830, [[Hautvillers Abbey]] near Reims, France.<ref name="Berne-Cod.318"/>}} the siren was illustrated as a "woman-fish", i.e., mermaid-like, despite being described as bird-like in the text.<ref name="woodruff" /><ref name="leclercq-marx" />

The Bodleian bestiary dated 1220–12 also pictures a group of fish-tailed mermaid-like sirens (Fig. bottom), contradicting its text which likens it to a winged fowl ({{lang|la|volatilis habet figuram}}) down to their feet.{{Refn|Oxford, MS Bodley 764, fol. 74v.<ref name="Bodl764"/>{{sfnp|Hardwick|2011|p=92}}<ref>{{harvp|Holford-Strevens|2006|pp=31–32}}, Fig. 1.4</ref><ref name="bodley764-tr-barber"/>}}

In the interim, the siren as pure mermaid was becoming commonplace, particularly in the so-called "Second Family" Latin bestiaries, as represented in one of the early manuscripts classified into this group ([[Additional manuscripts|Additional manuscript]] 11283, c. 1170–1180s. Fig., top right).<ref name="clark" />

====Mirror and comb====

While the siren holding a fish was a commonplace theme,<ref name="clark" /> the siren in bestiaries were also sometimes depicted holding the comb,{{sfnp|George|Yapp|1991|p=99}}{{Refn|Cf. three sirens with two holding fish and third a mirror, as in Getty MS. 100 (''{{linktext|olim}}'' Alnwick ms.)<ref name="Getty-MS100-ex-Alnwick"/>}} or the mirror.{{Refn|British Library Ms. Royal 2.B.Vii, fol. 96v.{{sfnp|George|Yapp|1991|p=99}}<ref name="BL-Roy2.B.vii-catalogue"/>}}

The comb and mirror became a persistent symbol of the siren-mermaid.{{sfnp|Holford-Strevens|2006|p=36}}<ref name="peacock"/>

In the Christian moralizing context (e.g the bestiaries), the mermaid's mirror and comb were held as the symbol of vanity.<ref name="peacock"/>{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|In the bestiaries. And that is generally accepted to be the intended symbolism in ecclesiastical art, such as church carvings of mermaids,{{sfnp|Waugh|1960|p=77}}<ref name="chunko-dominguez"/> but this church view has been derided as misogynistic from a modern perspective,{{sfnp|Bacchilega|Brown|2019|p=xiv}} and it has been noted that the mirror and comb were originally the accoutrements of the love goddess Venus in Classical Times.{{sfnp|Wood|2018|p=68}}<ref>Warner, Marina ''From the Beast to the Blonde'', p. 406 ''apud'' {{harvp|Fraser|2017}}, Chapter 1. {{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=EP-WDgAAQBAJ&lpg=PT16|2=§ Prehistory: Mermaids in the West}}: "comb and mirror.. probably inherited from the goddess of love, Aphrodite".</ref>}}