The story of the 300-year-old mummified mermaid. Whose mysteries solve about 3 centuries after its discovery.
Do you believe in fairytales? Do you believe that pixie and pixie dust is real?
Do you believe in mummies? Do you believe that the series ‘The Mummy’ movie base on a true story?
Do you believe in ghosts? Do you believe that the doll you snuggle with at night could possess by Annabelle?
Do you believe in mermaids? Do you believe that creatures half human half fish have or had an existence?
If you believe in any of these, you said to have a wild imagination. Well, if you ask me, I would say you have a wide perception.
Well, my dear readers. Today I intend to take you on an ancient trip to a world where fictional characters are a reality. The secrets scientists have been able to unravel to some extent and are working to reveal completely soon.
How was it discovered?
The exact year is not known, but through multiple sources. We see that this mermaid caught in the Pacific Ocean along the island of Shikoku, Japan somewhere between 1736 and 1741. It caught by a fisherman who was fishing for his daily meal when he came across this extraordinary creature. The fisherman did not know what it was and what to do with it, so he took it to his superior, who either kept it or sold it to another person. Rumors have it that the mermaid passed from family to family before it houses in the Okayama prefecture Temple in Asakuchi city, Japan. It is wonderful how the mermaid stayed within the country for so many centuries.
In the temple, the mermaid mummified and displayed in a fireproof safe for visitors to visit and pray for, and has now recently taken down for an in-depth study by the scientists of Kurashiki university.
What does the mummified mermaid look like?
The mermaid (contrary to the life-size mermaids we see in movies) is only 12 inches long with a grimacing face. It has pointed teeth and hair on its head and eyebrows. It has two hands held to its cheeks and its eyes are now hollow. Because of the worn-out state it witnessed in, it is hard to say if it was a beautiful mermaid, as we believe the creature to be. It is also hard to tell if the mermaid was a male or a female.
On closer inspection, the mermaid seen as half a human and half a fish. The upper half resembled a monkey more than a human. It up to you to decide whether it half a monkey seen to a fish or half a human.
The importance of this mummified mermaid
This 300-year-old mummified mermaid holds significance both scientifically and religiously. In ancient Japan, when mermaids said to exist, they were considered immortal creatures. In fact, it was believed that the woman who ate the flesh of a mermaid became immortal too, increasing the life of the person to about 800 years. This, however, is not yet proven by science.
Mermaids also hold religious significance. In the temple it portrayed, people came and prayed to it for 40 years until it not taken down for studying. Even priests and chiefs of churches believe in this theory and still, pray to it for health and well-being.
During the years COVID-19 was at its peak, chief priest Kozen Kuida said,
“We have worshipped it, hoping that it would help alleviate the coronavirus pandemic even if only slightly,” he said, “I hope the research project can leave scientific records for future generations.” He told The Asahi Shimbun newspaper in an interview.
Research done on the mermaid
As of now, the 300-year-old mummified mermaid has taken down from the temple display and into the hands of scientists from the Kurashiki university. They have gained permission to perform a CT scan of the mermaid to get a better idea of what they have in possession for over 3 centuries.
Hiroshi Kinoshita, the founder of the research project, said,
“Japanese mermaids have a legend of immortality. It said that if you eat the flesh of a mermaid, you will never die. There is a legend in many parts of Japan that a woman accidentally ate the flesh of a mermaid and lived for 800 years,” he said, “This ‘Yao-Bikuni’ legend also preserved near the temple where the mermaid mummy found. I heard that some people, believing in the legend, used to eat the scales of mermaid mummies”
If a well-educated scientist states facts about the immortality of mermaids, people are sure to follow along.
“There is also a legend that a mermaid predicted an infectious disease.” He concluded.
Conclusion
Miracles revealed every day and will continue to reveal till the end of time. Who knew something caught by a fisherman of the 18th century would hold such importance to those living in the 21st?
