A photo from open sources
The Japanese mermaids called Ningyo here are not have nothing to do with the European perception of these inhabitants water elements.
Japanese Ningyo is not even remotely like a long-haired the beauty from the Disney tale. And even with Russian mermaids, cunning, treacherous, but still beautiful virgins, her Compare is simply impossible.
Japanese Ningyo is a mythological animal, a cross between a fantastic monster and big fish, with daggers as sharp as teeth and even formidable horns on the head.
The Japanese are fully convinced that in the Ryuguji Temple of Fukuoka (Fukuoka) are the remains of this sea lord. Her age defined around the thirteenth century. According to legend, this the mermaid appeared to Prince Shotoku Taishi, strolling alone along the shore of Lake Biwa. Disgusting-looking animal suddenly spoke in a human voice and told Shotoku about reincarnation, as a result of which she must, in this life, be the mermaid. But she is already preparing for a new rebirth, and in the next life will be a man.
Before dying, the mermaid asked the prince to fulfill her last the will: to transfer the remains to the temple, so that her body resembles mortality peace and called people to holiness. The prince did so, but the body the mermaids were then transferred several times from one temple to another, until the remains of this monster ended up in Ryuguji.
A photo from open sources
According to another version, the bones of this mermaid were found on the shore. Hakata Bay (Hakata) of Kyushu Island (Kyushu). Seeing them local the shaman considered this a good omen and ordered to bury the remains of a mermaid in the “underwater palace of the Dragon God.” It was seven centuries ago, why today only Ryuguji Temple six bones of this mysterious creature. Scientists still cannot come to a consensus on who they belong to. Most orthodox researchers attribute them to the featherless guinea pig (Neophocaena phocaenoides) – a rare species of mammal, with the absence of a pronounced dorsal fin. However for ordinary Japanese, these bones remained the remains of the mythological Ningyo.
By the way, there are other legends about Japanese mermaids in which it the sea creature is always a harbinger of misfortune. IN such remains were often found on the seashore just before the war. For this reason, people were afraid and beware of mermaids, and if they accidentally fell into the network, right there dumped them back into the water.
However, there is a legend that one fisherman caught a “fish” with human face and, suspecting nothing, let her go on preparing the upcoming dinner as expected on him numerous guests. To his surprise, none of the guests invited touched this dish. There was only a sake lover who chopped into a drunk drink that lost all vigilance, and because part of the strange fish (fried) took home and treated her daughter. According to legend, the girl tried this dish and since then stopped aging. She was often seen on the seashore, looking at endless distance, and as if in a daze. And then the girl disappeared without a trace …
Mermaid Life Fish Japan
