The Jenny Hanivers Are Skates, Not Mermaids
You've probably wondered as a kid (or would have liked to think) that magical creatures were real. How many times have you imaged that you were a mermaid, or that you were riding on the back of a unicorn? For centuries, there have been tales of beautiful mermaids seducing sailors with their songs, along with disturbing stories about mermaids eating human flesh. However, there is evidence that goes way beyond stories. There is even physical mermaid proof in existence, albeit dubious. For many centuries, eyewitnesses claim to have seen real mermaids around the world and the sightings travel all the way back to the Roman Emperor Augustus (63 BCE-14 CE). Multiple artists produced images of mermaids drawn from life. THousands of sailors bought Jenny Hanivers, little mermaid-like creatures. Even Christopher Columbus argues that he saw three mermaids off the coast of Haiti. When it comes to the history of mermaids, there is historical evidence that mermaids are real. Before you doubt the evidence, it is important that you keep in mind that more than 95% of the ocean has never been explored by humans. Is it possible that mermaids could be hiding in the deep sea?
You've probably wondered as a kid (or would have liked to think) that magical creatures were real. How many times have you imaged that you were a mermaid, or that you were riding on the back of a unicorn? For centuries, there have been tales of beautiful mermaids seducing sailors with their songs, along with disturbing stories about mermaids eating human flesh. However, there is evidence that goes way beyond stories. There is even physical mermaid proof in existence, albeit dubious. For many centuries, eyewitnesses claim to have seen real mermaids around the world and the sightings travel all the way back to the Roman Emperor Augustus (63 BCE-14 CE). Multiple artists produced images of mermaids drawn from life. THousands of sailors bought Jenny Hanivers, little mermaid-like creatures. Even Christopher Columbus argues that he saw three mermaids off the coast of Haiti. When it comes to the history of mermaids, there is historical evidence that mermaids are real. Before you doubt the evidence, it is important that you keep in mind that more than 95% of the ocean has never been explored by humans. Is it possible that mermaids could be hiding in the deep sea?
The Jenny Hanivers Are Skates, Not Mermaids
In another case of misidentification, the Jenny Hanivers that sailors and tourists flocked to Antwerp to buy was actually skates and rays. Sailors dried them out and then carved them shaped them to resemble mermaids, demons, and devilfish. Like the Fiji mermaid shown by P.T Barnum, the Jenny Hanivers were a hoax. Swiss naturalist Conrad Gesner tried to debunk the myth of the Jenny Hanivers all the way back in 1558, when he said the mermaids were just disfigured rays. The objects remained popular into the 19th century, and some can still be found today.
