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While mermaids are widely recognized, they are not the sole human-like beings of the ocean. For ages, global folklore has recounted tales of other aquatic entities resembling humans. These narratives have been a recurring theme in diverse cultures worldwide.
These ten beings may not be charming enough to headline a Disney film, but their stories are equally captivating. Many are known for their malevolent nature, though a few are kind-hearted. Some might even have roots in real-world phenomena.
10. Adaro
The ocean is a harsh and unpredictable environment. Sailors who spent too long at sea often lost their sanity. Children who defied their parents would mysteriously drown without resistance, as if an unseen force had stripped them of their will to survive. In the Solomon Islands, this phenomenon was attributed to a being known as the adaro. This creature had a human-like face and torso, devoid of hair, with black eyes and a gray body. It sported a shark-like tail and breathed underwater using gills located behind its ears.
Legend has it that the adaro lurked in the waters, waiting for unsuspecting victims. If a person had committed numerous sins, the adaro would extract all the positive aspects of their personality, or “shade,” leaving only their darkest traits. In the Solomon Islands, Christian interpretations adapted this myth, suggesting that the adaro were actually fallen angels or demons.
9. Rusalki
In Russian folklore, the rusalki (singular: rusalka) were depicted as youthful, nude women who rose from the waters to nourish the land with moisture and vitality. Unlike mermaids, they were spirits of deceased humans. Early tales describe them as the souls of women who drowned after taking their own lives, overwhelmed by the loss of a child or spouse. Initially, rusalki were portrayed as benevolent spirits, often seen singing, laughing, and combing their hair by the water’s edge.
Over time, tales and depictions of rusalki evolved, portraying them as zombie-like beings rising from their watery tombs. These later narratives emphasized women who were victims of murder, their bodies discarded in lakes and rivers. The undead rusalki would climb out of the water, seeking vengeance against their male killers.
8. Yacuruna
The indigenous tribes of the Amazon rainforest believed in aquatic beings known as yacuruna. These creatures inhabited underwater cities that mirrored life on land but were inverted. Their crystal palaces were adorned with gleaming pearls and fish scales. For travel, the yacuruna rode on snakes, crocodiles, and turtles.
The yacuruna appeared human-like, but their heads, hands, and feet were reversed. Some accounts describe them with webbed hands, feet, and green skin. Legend states that if a human was captured by a yacuruna, they would begin transforming into one, starting with their eyes rolling backward. A shaman’s intervention was necessary to reverse the curse before it became irreversible. Some believed the yacuruna were an advanced society and the origin of a shaman’s healing wisdom.
In one tale, a man named Don Juan Flores Salazar saw his younger sister drown during their childhood. Years later, he experienced a vision of her as an adult, standing near the water. She revealed that she was alive and had married a yacuruna. She returned to impart healing knowledge to him, which led Salazar to become a shaman.
7. Finfolk
In Scottish and Irish folklore, the finfolk were prominent figures. During winter, they resided in an underwater city named Finfolkaheem. In summer, they moved to Hildaland, a magical island that could vanish and reappear at will, making it unreachable for humans.
The finfolk were said to transform into attractive men and women to entice humans into the water. As shape-shifters, they could change from full fish to human or hybrid forms like mermaids. It was believed they sought relationships with humans to gain longevity. Disappearances of boats or drownings were often blamed on the finfolk. With the spread of Christianity, priests claimed that villages practicing biblical teachings and invoking God’s word were protected from finfolk stepping onto land.
6. Umibozu
Nighttime voyages at sea can be terrifying, even in calm weather. Storms bring massive waves capable of overturning vessels. According to Japanese legend, sailors on serene nights would sometimes spot a massive black figure resembling a bald man. Known as the umibozu, meaning “sea monk,” it was seen as a warning of an approaching storm, despite the calm waters. Other tales describe ships on tranquil seas being abruptly pulled under, with witnesses onshore seeing the dark figure.
Modern theories suggest the legend may stem from rogue waves, which can form unexpectedly even in calm conditions. At night, these waves might resemble a human silhouette from afar. Since rogue waves often precede storms, the legend holds some truth.
5. Monk Fish And Bishop Fish
In Denmark and Poland, sailors and fishermen often claimed to see fish with human-like faces. The creature’s head resembled a bishop’s hat, and its body appeared cloaked. Most reports originated in the 1500s, a time when marine biology was poorly understood, and even tales of large whales were dismissed as folklore. The so-called “monk fish” and “bishop fish” shared strikingly similar traits.
One tale recounts fishermen capturing a monk fish, believing it to be a divine sea being. They brought it to a church, hoping for a miraculous response, but it remained silent. The monk fish became a cryptozoological mystery, with illustrations depicting it as eerily human-like.
Today, a genus of fish called Lophius is still referred to as “monkfish.” These fish have wide mouths with pink interiors resembling human tongues and eyes positioned at the front of their heads, giving them a face-like appearance.
4. The Ipupiara
The Ipupiara is a legendary South American sea creature, described as hairy with a thick mustache. It allegedly attacked sailors near Brazil, strangling them and consuming their eyeballs, fingertips, toes, and genitals. In the 1500s, explorers claimed to have slain the Ipupiara by stabbing it in the stomach. They sold the body to Thomas Bartholin, a wealthy Danish physician, who confirmed it had a human-like upper body covered in hair and fish-like lower limbs. The corpse was later displayed in his collection of curiosities.
Modern theorists suggest the Ipupiara might have been a person with sirenomelia, a condition where legs fuse to resemble a fish tail. In that era, disabled children were often abandoned, and this individual may have survived in the wild. Alternatively, the story could have been an elaborate hoax. However, infants with sirenomelia rarely live beyond a few days.
3. The Man Fish
In 1679, Spanish sailors rescued a naked man from the sea. They offered him food and wine, assuming he was a shipwreck survivor, but he remained mute. Once ashore, he fell ill and quickly returned to the water.
Another version of the tale describes the “fish man” as a teenage boy sent to dive for treasure. When he didn’t resurface, everyone assumed he had drowned. Five years later, sailors found him alive. Recognized by townsfolk, he was returned to his mother but struggled to adapt to life on land, eventually retreating back to the sea.
Historians of the time used this tale to suggest humans could adapt to any environment, even developing gills to survive underwater. A statue resembling the fish man was erected in Lierganes, Cantabria, Spain. Today, such stories are regarded as folklore.
2. Oannes
In Babylonian mythology, Oannes was an amphibious deity resembling a merman with a long beard, wearing a fish-shaped hood. Some depictions show him as if a man had hollowed out a giant fish and worn it like a suit, walking upright on land. Other illustrations include human feet protruding from the fish, making him appear less like a mythical creature and more like an eccentric individual.
According to legend, humanity needed to rebuild civilization after a catastrophe, so they sought divine guidance. Oannes emerged from the sea to teach people the arts and sciences, and they eagerly followed his teachings. Each evening, he would return to the water. In Hebrew tradition, Noah rebuilt civilization after the Great Flood with God’s guidance.
1. Vodyanoy
In Slavic folklore, Vodyanoy was the protector of water. He appeared as a wise elder with dominion over all aquatic creatures. Those who respected the waters were blessed with fish and pearls. Vodyanoy traveled on a “water horse,” which was actually a giant catfish.
Depictions of Vodyanoy show a human-like body with webbed hands and a frog-like head featuring a human nose. His beard was often covered in algae and slime. Legends say he could transform into a human to indulge in human food, which people offered to him. Despite his shape-shifting abilities, he could be identified by the constant dripping of water from his left buttock.
