The Middle Eastern Mermaid: Between Myth and Religion

Abstract

The progression of popular representations of hourriyat al-bahr attests to the universality of the myth which has travelled far and wide across civilizations and cultures, acquiring traits and leaving traces in every place the story has been told. It has proved to be one of the most enduring and adaptable stories in human history. Despite its ancient roots, it is still the subject of various popular artistic representations. In the Middle East, the myth tacitly tells the history of a region that once cradled several great civilizations and assimilated diverse religions and bears the marks of a rich culture caught between political and religious forces belonging to both the past and the present. Born from Isis/Atargatis, metamorphosing into the forms represented in One Thousand and One Nights, and more recently adapting to a turbulent culture, the Houreya w ‘Ein has successfully engaged with politics of assimilation and the complex interplay between myth and religion.