European folklore portrayed mermaids as creatures that lured sailors onto rocks

A closer look

Before pop culture gave them red hair and friendly sidekicks, these aquatic divas were a maritime nightmare. European folklore did not view fish-women as innocent ocean explorers. Instead, mermaids were widely regarded as malicious pranksters who would actively lure sailors into jagged rocks. Their primary hobby was not collecting shiny human garbage; it was actively orchestrating massive naval disasters just to break up the sheer monotony of the sea.