Merfolk

— WARNING —

This article belongs to the monster history category of pages, which detail the creatures of the Monster High franchise and do so in relation to the source context of those creatures. There is a likelihood that this article contains material not suited for young people and in general holds topics that are upsetting. If you only wish to read about the basic inspiration choices for the Monster High characters and creatures, go to Merfolk in Monster High

The Mermaids in episode Happy Howlidays.

Merfolk are water-based creatures traditionally imagined as having a top half indistinguishable from humans and a fish-like lower half, usually in the form of one tail with a caudal fin at the end. Some Merfolk have different lower halves than fishtails, such as an octopus (these are known as cecaelia) or an eel-like lower body. There are many variations, though, which are largely of recent nature, and there is an overlap with other aquatic creatures, such as water monsters and sirens. Mermaids are predominantly thought of as female, and male ones tend to be given the designation of “mermen”, or the creatures are degendered with terms like “merfolk” or “merperson”. The nature attributed to mermaids ranges from murderous, for either entertainment or food, to saviorhood of children and sailors. They do not always drown humans on purpose; however, they just forget that humans can’t breathe underwater. Modern mermaids are usually benevolent and do not harm humans, sometimes even avoiding them for fear of being hunted. Depending on the lore, mermaids can be vegans or carnivores. Although female mermaids are sometimes shown as bare-chested, more child-friendly depictions have them wearing something up top.

Description

Generation 1

Mermaids in Monster High follow the post-2000 exploration of mermaid designs that assign fish traits to the upper half. All three mermaids, the CAM siren, and the cilophyte backgrounders have the same skin covering their entire bodies. They do not possess any part that could be mistaken for a human's. Madison is the exception, although, as said before, she is not technically a mermaid. But like traditional mermaids, they have no trouble switching between salt and fresh water, though salt water appears to be their default domain, or even living outside of water other than the matter of transportation on land. Being a half-ghost, Sirena does not have this consideration because she can float and is a type of undead being half ghost. Finnegan gets around in a turbo-wheelchair, since he can’t swim due to a crippled fin. Mermen, like Finn and Finnegan have blue skin and a dorsal fin on their heads. Some mermaids have been shown to have black highlights and streaks in their hair. Some mermaids can have fishlike tails, but they can also have serpent lower bodies, eel tails, or a squid and or octopus-like lower bodies. They have also been shown to have webbed hands, scale like eyebrows, and sometimes have fish fins on their arms. When Clawdeen turns into a wolf-fish mermaid, her skin becomes purple.

Monster High

Generation 1

The Monster High cast of mermaids includes Sirena Von Boo and her mother as well as Finnegan Wake and Finn. There's also a Create-A-Monster set shaped like a mermaid, but marketed as a siren. Similarly, while presented as a siren, Madison Fear has the form of a legged mermaid. And while they aren't characters, Monster High has introduced two cilophyte-like creatures in the webisode "Falling Spirits".

While preceded by the CAM siren, the first merman of Monster High is Finnegan. He debuted in the webisodes in 2013, only to disappear until the end of 2014, at which point he was a contestant in and eventual winner of the second doll election. Webisode appearances, a doll, and other elements of the part-of-the-cast package followed in 2015.

Sirena made her full debut during Finnegan's phase of absence, being introduced altogether over the course of 2014. She is part of the first set of hybrids brought into the franchise and she is constructed around the concept of limitlessness. That is, as a ghost-mermaid, there is no place where she does not belong or can't go. This is reflected in her personality in that she can't keep her thoughts straight and often drifts from one topic to another depending on what input she receives from her environment. This can cause her to drift from place to place with a constantly changing aim, and no one can find her if she does that unless by accident or when she chooses to come back herself. Because she has always come back, her family and friends don't worry when she is gone.

Finn is merman from Rotland and the former boyfriend of Lorna McNessie, a fresh water monster living in Loch Ness. He and Lorna were working on getting their parents to accept their relationship, as there is a long-standing enmity between fresh water monsters and salt water monsters, when Finn broke up with her. In Gloom and Bloom, Part 1, merfolk are only mentioned as it's explained that Lorna broke up with Finn.

In "Happy Howlidays", it's confirmed that merfolk celebrate a holiday called "New Tides Eve", where they play finball and dance.

Generation 2

Ebbie Blue for now is a mermaid but when she hits puberty she will grow legs, and no longer have a tail. So she'll end up looking like a common water monster.

Abilities

• Underwater Breathing: Merfolk are able to breathe underwater for extended periods of time.
• Aquatic Adaptation: Merfolk can live and swim in both saltwater and freshwater. Merfolk can also resist the pressure and coldness of the deep oceans.

Skillset

• Swimming: Merfolk are very good swimmers.

Known Merfolk

Generation 1

• Sirena Von Boo (Ghost/Mermaid Hybrid)
• Sirena Von Boo's mother
• Pearl Serpentine (Hydra)
• Peri Serpentine (Hydra)
• Sea Mares (Sea Horse Maidens)
• Finn
• Finnegan Wake

Generation 2

• Ebbie Blue

Generation 3

• Finnegan Wake
• Mer-Mom Wake
• Mer-Dad Wake

Gallery

Sirena Von Boo half-mermaid, half-ghost

Pearl and Peri Serpentine the hydra

Finnegan Wake the merman

Finn the merman

Lagoona Blue as a mermaid

Frankie Stein as a mermaid

Draculaura as a mermaid

Clawdeen Wolf as a mermaid

Toralei Stripe as a mermaid

Finnegan Wake in Generation 3

Etymology

The modern word "mermaid" has its roots in the first half of the 14th century as "mermayde", before which the creature was known as a merewif or meremenn. The recurring "mer" portion means "sea" or, more generally, "large body of water", and words like it can be found in many European countries. The suggested Proto-Indo-European word is, therefore, "móri".

Mermaids are regularly conflated with sirens, such that some European languages do not differentiate between the two and call both a variation of "siren". Modern day Greek does differentiate, using "σειρήνα" ("seirína") for sirens and "γοργόνα" ("gorgóna") for mermaids. Meanwhile, "γοργόνα" is the word used both for mermaids and gorgons.

External links 

• https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/marine-mammals/mermaids-manatees-myth-and-reality
• https://www.livescience.com/39882-mermaid.html

Notes

• Well before the introduction of any mermaid in Monster High, a mermaid silhouette was used as the logo on the pool doors. It was first seen in "New Ghoul @ School", which aired in October of 2010.