For week four, we read about water deities and sirens from olden times. I found all of these stories interesting as they varied in culture, time, and type of aquatic being. The one that intrigued me the most was the first one, about Oannes. Unlike most modern day representations of aquatic life, Oannes is depicted as a being with more intelligence and knowledge than his human counterparts. As the author states: “Oannes educates humans… hybrid creatures associated with the sea are holders of knowledge” (p.3). This is significant because it is similar to the idea of the Sirens, who also possess knowledge that humans crave. However, Oannes does not have a deviant plan like the Sirens; his mission seems to be solely to help humankind. On page 4: “This Being…used to converse with men… and he gave them an insight into letters, and sciences, and…art. He taught them to construct houses, to found temples, to compile laws, and explained to them the principles of geometrical knowledge.” This passage reveals Oannes’ superior knowledge to humans. This idea of an aquatic being with higher levels of intelligence than our species touches on a point we discussed last week in class–that some merpeople or aquatic beings have the ability to transform into humans and walk among us. While reactions to this idea may vary from fear to fascination, it does mean that these aquatic beings know more of the world than humans, and have more freedom with their ability to choose their world. I think that this fear vs fascination reaction can be determined by what this being chooses to use its intelligence for–a character like Oannes may not induce as much fear as one who plans to use their knowledge for sinister means. Not only is Oannes depicted as one with more practical intelligence, but he also seems to have better social intelligence, and perhaps morals: “He instructed them in everything which could tend to soften manners and humanise mankind” (p.4). What I found interesting in this quote was the phrase “humanise mankind”. An aquatic being being the one to humanize the humans is an unnatural concept, but not one that is impossible. With the harm and hurt humans do to one another, a mediator is often what is needed. In addition, it leans further into the idea that Oannes and other aquatic beings have superior knowledge to humans, in scholastic and social aspects. 

Another part of this story I wanted to touch on was Oannes’ ability to return to the sea in the night, as it was his home. Last week, someone talked about the Selkies, and how their return to the sea was restricted by men taking their shedded pelts and holding them hostage, since these women could not return to their seal forms without the pelts. I find it interesting that Oannes is a male sea creature, and I wonder if this freedom has something to do with his gender. While human men, in many of these mermaid stories, want to tame and conquer aquatic women, not as many aquatic men are subject to being conquered in the same manner.