After completing both readings, I have a much better understanding of the origins of mermaids and the application of studying mermaids to our course. The first thing that stood out to me in “Merpeople: a human history” by Vaughn Scribner was on page 62 when it stated that people of the new world were fearful of female opossums. I think it is crazy that the discovery of an opossum was considered to be a ‘hybridized’ blend of Old World animals and humans… I would’ve thought that about bears or some bigger, top-of-the-food-chain, type of animal. After that thought however, I tried to take the perspective of the first person to encounter a new animal species without the internet and I could see how an opossum would come across that way. What would your thoughts be if you were the first person to encounter an opossum in the 1500s? Would you think it is simply another animal? Or would you consider it to be a monster? I think this same concept/question reflects the difference in thought between the 1500s and present day in that in an older time period, people sought a religious, spiritual, or monstrous answer to their questions, whereas today people turn to science (or the internet) for something they don’t understand/can’t explain. 

In the second reading, “The Penguin Book of Mermaids” by Cristiana Bacchilega and Marie Alogalani Brown, the first thing that stood out to me was the description and explanation of the concept of vanity demonstrated through the mirror that we discussed in class on Thursday. The next thing that stood out to me was on page XIII when the authors reference gender propriety being overstepped and linked that with being ‘monstrous’. This would explain the overuse of mermaids in religious ideologies in that mermaids are a tempting beast that would lead to someone committing a sin. I find this interesting because it also later states Odysseus’s story with the sirens. His ability not to succumb to their temptations was deemed “manly” and “heroic”, both of which are words I would not use to describe their encounter. With this said, I am curious as to what the double-standard will be when we start discussing mermen. Will they be sexualized as heavily and possess similar symbolic meanings? Or will it be another patriarchal interpretation and reflect male dominance? The main merman that comes to mind is Poseidon, who is a god and is depicted as a dominant protector of the ocean. Without much background or understanding, mermen seem to have different symbolic meanings than that of their female counterparts, but I guess we will find out when as we get further into the course!