Japan: Woodblock print of a ningyo (mermaid) of kairai ('sea lightning') reportedly captured in Toyoma Bay, c. 1805. The accompanying text records that the creature was metres long. A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head and torso and the tail of a fish. Mermaids are represented broadly in folklore, literature, and popular culture. In Japan mermaids are called ningyo or 'fish people'. An old Japanese belief was that eating the flesh of a ningyo could grant immortality.

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Size: 4967px × 3729px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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