World Mermaid Awards 2011

I would like to start off this post by thanking my readers...  From the US to Russia to the United Kingdom to Italy, Belgium, and Australia, everyone loves mermaids!  Please continue to comment and email.  Hugs and splashes to all!

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In August of 2011, I attended the World Mermaid Awards and Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.  This was a memorable adventure for me in many ways.  Let me share some of them with you.

August 10th:  The trip from north Texas to Las Vegas took me two days by car.  At the end of the first day of driving (~600 miles), I stayed overnight in Moriarty, New Mexico.  The motel was just off the highway, with a gas station across the street, and a number of places to eat nearby.  The rain was most welcome, as the weather had been very dry back in Texas.

August 11th:  I arrived in Las Vegas around dinner time on the second day.  The first event of the convention was a Book Signing and Meet & Greet at a Barnes & Noble book store at 7pm.  Since I had arrived early, I had time to eat dinner at a nearby restaurant.  I soon noticed that not far away, the convention organizers and special guests were having dinner at the same restaurant.

The Meet and Greet was great fun.  I had the pleasure of meeting Mermaid Hannah Fraser, one of the most well known mermaids in the world.  I also met Mermaid Kylee Troche from Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida, and authors Carolyn Turgeon and Tera Lynn Childs.  The short video I took of Hannah speaking has had over 860 views on YouTube!

After the Meet and Greet, I drove to the Silverton Hotel and Casino, the location of the convention.  From the Mermaid Bar to the mermaid paintings on the wall to the huge fish tank, we merfolk felt right at home.  I spent some time looking around the casino, trying my hand at a slot machine with the $5 you get when signing in.  I must say I did not do too well.

August 12th:  The convention officially took place on Friday the 12th.  Daytime events included a mermaid  pageant, art silent auction, and vendor tables.  In the evening, the merfolk and fans gathered at the hotel pool for a pool party.  Mermaids Hannah Fraser and Medusirena performed for the crowd.  There was much swimming, splashing, chatting, and friend making.  The mermaid awards were announced as we watched the full moon overhead.  We spent at least two hours in the water, and enjoyed every minute.

August 13th:  On Saturday, there was a VIP pool party at a private home in the northern part of town.  The pool, as you can see from the photos, was beautiful.  Many photos were taken as the mermaids and mermen got their tails wet once again.  My profile picture was taken here as well.

A threat of rain early in the day almost caused the pool party to be cancelled.  When it was decided that the pool party would happen, it was too late to tell the catering company that we were back on.  As a result, only light snacks were available at poolside.  Upon returning to the hotel, I decided to go to a pizza place just off the casino floor.

The guy waiting on me at the pizza place saw my mermaid themed tee shirt and asked me if I was with the convention.  I said that I was.  He then asked me if I believed in mermaids.  "I have to", I said, "I am one."

August 14th:  Sunday was check out day, and the beginning of the long drive back to north Texas. Sure, not everything went smoothly at the convention, but I had a great time, and I am very glad I went.  I met some great folks, and had a great time splashing around with everyone.  I hope to be able to attend more of these events in the future!

More photos from WMA 2011 can be found on my website dedicated to the event.

Best wishes and starfishes,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com

Mermish 101

Mermish, the language of merfolk.  Having a common language helps to develop a feeling of community.  If the language is easy to learn, new merfolk in the community will feel more a part of the mermaid realm.

Authors have proposed a number of mermish dialects over the years.  If a community of merfolk are going to be able to communicate, they must all choose the same dialect.  In addition, if the dialect chosen is awkward or overly complex, few merfolk will end up using it.

Four mermaids meet in Second Life

The most useful dialect of mermish that I have seen so far is the one from The Secret World of Mermaids by Francine Rose.  This is the dialect used by the merfolk of Second Life, where two merfolk that have never met can exchange the greeting Tala (Hello), knowing that the other will understand.  The book contains only about 32 words and phrases, and only a subset get regular use.  This small vocabulary limits what you can say with the language, but this is seldom an issue. Note that the book preview on Amazon.com contains the page on mermish (p16) if you search there for the word 'Tala'.

Let's take a look at other dialects of mermish:  The Book of Mermaids by Patricia Saxton contains a dialect of mermish with 11 words given as an example. In this dialect, O-kee'-ya is Hello and Jai-quay' is Good bye. I find these to be a bit too awkward for regular use online or in person.

Mermaidia Blue lists a large number of mermish words on her website, Go Into The Deep.  This dialect is being used by The Santharian Dream, a free online role playing site.  An example of this dialect would be ~Lla~bi~dehffoo~ (She's sad).  In addition to being difficult to learn, I could not find a word for 'hello' in this dialect.

In Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs, the merfolk of the kingdom of Thalassinia speak English.  This is because the kingdom is located only about 45 miles east of Florida, USA.  It is said that other mer kingdoms speak the language of their human neighbors.  This allows the merfolk to barter with humans, trading fish for fruits for example.

In the J.K. Rowling novel, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, mermish is mentioned, and it is said that Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is able to speak it as are a few of the other wizards.  No examples of mermish are provided in the Harry Potter novels, but a Harry Potter related Wiki says of mermish, "Above water, it is composed of unpleasant, screechy noises."

Another website I have visited in the past, but can no longer locate, also suggested a dialect of mermish in which most of the words were extremely long and difficult to use.  Therefore, it appears that any merfolk wanting to learn a dialect of mermish use Ms. Rose's creation.  And so, I will now wrap up this discussion with these words...

Lusa Em, Sesmuna,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com

Two Short Splashes

Book Review

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing a novella by English author, Matthew Wingett.  Turn The Tides Gently is set on the island city of Portsmouth, England, and follows the unique adventures of a young man named Dave.  Dave has visions...  Visions of the past, and visions of the present.  They always seem so real.  But the mermaid, SHE was real, right?  As the story unfolds, Dave's dreamy world is changing, and we are following the magic.

The mermaid is, of course, a very important character in this story.  Everyone can enjoy this story, but a mermaid or mermaid fan may wish the mermaid in the story had a larger role.  The story captures our heart as we learn of the many people in Dave's world, including his late brother Jack, and his mother who rejects him.

Turn The Tides Gently is available on Amazon, and you can follow Matthew Wingett on Twitter at @TurnTheTidesGen.

BE a Mermaid or Merman

We merfolk are often asked, "How can I be a mermaid (or merman)?"  The internet is full of rituals, potions, and other useless procedures.  These only serve to embarass the intended merperson.  In this article, I will provide what I believe to be a reasonable procedure for becoming a mermaid, short of genetic alteration which is currently unavailable.  A similar procedure would apply for guys wanting to be mermen.

The first step is to say to yourself (or out loud if you prefer), "I am a mermaid."

Okay, now that you're a mermaid, you are going to most likely want/need a fish-tail.  Even without a tail, your mermaid identity lives in your heart and soul.  You ARE a mermaid.

Once you have decided that you need a tail, you have an important choice to make: buy one, or make your own.  In either case, it is important to do plenty of research before you pay a single dollar / pound / euro / seashell.  The best source of information that I know of for purchasing or creating a mer tail is the MerNetwork forum.

Mermaid tails can be fabric, neoprene, or silicone...  silicone being the most expensive.  Most tails are made for swimming, but some are made specifically for dry land photography use.  Tails are usually custom sized for the purchaser using several measurements, and it can be very difficult or nearly impossible to buy a second-hand tail that actually fits properly.

Before you start splashing around in your new tail, make sure your swimming skills are up to par. Take lessons if you need to.  Are you comfortable being underwater for a period of time?  Do you have someone that can be nearby when you swim?  Swimming alone is dangerous.

The final step in your transformation to mermaid/merman is to periodically seek inspiration.  Enjoy the company of other merfolk, read books, including those we talked about in my first article, watch mermaid themed movies/television, and join in on the conversation on the MerNetwork forum.

Best Wishes and Starfishes,

-Mermaid Cynthia

cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com