The Different Versions of Mermaids

Mamiwata means the mother of water when loosely translated. Another version of mermaid-like creatures called Selkeys are found in Orkney Islands, north of Scottish mainland. Christina Bacheliga is co-editor of the Penguin Book of Mermaids. She says these different versions of mermaids share something in common: They force us to question our relationship to water and other beings in the natural world.