The One That Got Away

The Excentric World investigative team takes a look at a recent discovery off the coast of Maryland that could rock the halls of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Mermaid folklore began with the appearance of the Assyrian goddess Atargatis, who transforms herself into a mermaid out of shame for accidentally killing her human lover.

Reported sightings of mermaids have been an integral part of tall tales of the deep waters since mankind began to sail the seven seas. Even Christopher Columbus, the wayward explorer who, for some unknown reason, is celebrated in the United States, claimed to have spotted mermaids on his voyages to infect and pillage native villagers while coasting around the Carribean.

With the recent discovery of these skeletal remains, the debate over the existence of this elusive siren of the seas–this seductively posed half-woman, half-fish–has resurfaced. Archaeological reconstruction experts believe the remains to be genuine and to total 6ft, 4in in height. Some believe she graced the cover of the original Sailor Boy Magazine in the early 1400’s.