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Sirenomelia

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:38:37 +0100

Sirenomelia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sirenomelia
Classification and external resources
ICD-10	Q 87.2
ICD-9	759.89
MeSH	D004480

Sirenomelia, alternatively known as mermaid syndrome is a very rare congenital deformity in which the legs are fused together, giving the appearance of a mermaid's tail.

This condition is found in approximately one out of every 100,000 live births^[1] (about as rare as conjoined twins) and is usually fatal within a day or two of birth because of complications associated with abnormal kidney and bladder development and function. It results from a failure of normal vascular supply from the lower aorta in utero. Maternal diabetes has been associated with caudal regression syndrome and sirenomelia,^[2] although this association is not generally accepted.^[3]

VACTERL-H is an expanded form of the VACTERL association that concludes that this diagnosis is a less severe form of sirenomelia.^[4] The disorder was formerly thought to be an extreme case of Caudal regression syndrome; however, it was reclassified to be considered a separate condition.

]

1 Notable cases
2 Milagros Cerrón (Age 5)
3 Tiffany Yorks (Age 21)
4 Shiloh Pepin (Age 10)
5 References
6 External links

Notable cases

Only a handful of patients who did not have the usual kidney and bladder complications have survived this condition, three of them being:

Milagros Cerrón (Age 5)

Milagros Cerrón Arauco (born April 27, 2004, in Huancayo, Peru). Although most of Milagros’ internal organs, including her heart and lungs, are in perfect condition, she was born with serious internal defects, including a deformed left kidney and a very small right one located very low in her body. In addition, her digestive, urinary tracts and genitals share a single tube. This birth defect occurs during the gastrulation week (week 3) of embyrological development. Gastrulation establishes the three germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. It seems that complications such as defects in the urogenital system as mentioned above can be possibly due to malformations in the intermediate mesoderm.

A four-hour operation to insert silicone bags between her legs to stretch the skin was successfully completed on February 8, 2005. A successful operation to separate her legs to just above the knee took place May 31, 2005, in a "Solidarity Hospital" in the district of Surquillo in Lima. The procedure, however, was so intensive that she became traumatized to the degree of losing her ability to form proper speech patterns, leaving her nearly mute. As yet it is not known if this is a physiological or psychological condition. However, at Milagros's second birthday, her mother reported that she knew more than 50 words. A second operation to complete the separation up to the groin took place on September 7, 2006.^[5] A few weeks later, she took her first steps.^[6]

Her doctor Luis Rubio said he was pleased with the progress Milagros had made, but cautioned that she still needed 10 to 15 years of rehabilitation and more operations before she could lead a normal life. Particularly, she will require reconstructive surgery to rebuild her rudimentary anus, urethra and genitalia.

Milagros' parents are from a poor village in Peru's Andes Mountains; the Solidarity Hospital has given a job to her father Ricardo Cerrón so that the family can remain in Lima, while the City of Lima has pledged to pay for many of the operations.^[7]

Tiffany Yorks (Age 21)

Tiffany Yorks of the United States (born May 7, 1988) underwent successful surgery in order to separate her legs. She is the longest-surviving sirenomelia patient to date.

Shiloh Pepin (Age 10)

Shiloh Pepin was born in Kennebunkport, Maine in August, 1999, with her lower extremities fused, a missing bladder, uterus, colon and vagina, with only one partial kidney and one ovary. Her parents initially anticipated she could expect only a few months of life. An initial kidney transplant at 4 months of age, lasted a number of years, and in 2007 a second kidney transplant was successful. She attends Consolidated Elementary School. Shiloh is the only one of the three survivors of sirenomelia without surgery for separation of the conjoined legs.

References

^ Kallen B, Castilla EE, Lancaster PA, Mutchinick O, Knudsen LB, Martinez-Frias ML, Mastroiacovo P, Robert E (1992). "The cyclops and the mermaid: an epidemiological study of two types of rare malformation". J Med Genet 29 (1): 30–5. doi:10.1136/jmg.29.1.30. PMID 1552541.
^ Abraham M. Rudolph, Robert K. Kamei and Kim J. Overby. ""Rudolph's Fundamentals of Pediatrics"". McGraw Hill Professional 2002, ISBN 0838584500. http://books.google.com/books?id=qsQWI-v50MwC&pg=PA217&dq=sirenomelia+%22maternal+diabetes%22+incidence&lr=&sig=5N1g2ozcZROPsTR-AvjV2cW6zv8#PPP1,M1. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
^ Oneije C. I., Sherer D. M., Handwerker S. and Shah L.. ""Caudal Regression Syndrome and Sirenomelia in Only One Twin in Two Diabetic Pregnancies"". Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology 31: 151-3; 2004. http://www.epidna.com/showabstract.php?pmid=15266776. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.
^ E Assimakopoulos, A Athanasiadis, M Zafrakas, K Dragoumis and J Bontis. ""Prenatal diagnosis of sirenomelia with bilateral hydrocephalus : Report of a previously undocumented form of VACTERL-H association"". American journal of perinatology 15: 193-97; 1998. http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2191723. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
^ BBC News 24, September 7, 2006,"Mermaid" girl's legs separated; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5325082.stm
^ Daily Mail September 27, 2006, "Mermaid" girl takes her first unaided steps; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=407134&in_page_id
^ BBC News September 28, 2006, "Mermaid" girl takes first steps; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5381616.stm

Sirenia

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:35:47 +0100

Sirenia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sirenia
Fossil range: 50–0 Ma

PreЄ

Early Eocene - Recent

West Indian Manatees (Trichechus manatus)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Eutheria
Superorder:	Afrotheria
Order:	Sirenia Illiger, 1811

Families

Dugongidae
Trichechidae
†Prorastomidae
†Protosirenidae

For the musicians, see Sirenia (band).

Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. There are four existing species, dugong and manatees, in two families and genera. Sirenia also includes Steller's sea cow, extinct since the eighteenth century, and a number of fossil taxa. The order evolved during the Eocene epoch, more than 50 million years ago.

Sirenia, informally sirenians, are referred to by the common name sirens, deriving from the sirens of Greek mythology.^[1]^[2]

[hide]

1 Description
2 Classification
3 Subdivision
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links

Description

Sirenians including manatees and the dugong, have major aquatic adaptations: forelimbs have modified into arms used for steering, the tail has modified into a paddle used for propulsion, and the hind limbs (legs) are but two small remnant bones floating deep in the muscle. They appear fat, but are fusiform, hydrodynamic, and highly muscular. Their skulls are highly modified for taking breaths of air at the water's surface and dentition is greatly reduced. The skeletal bones of both the manatee and dugong are very dense which helps to neutralize the buoyancy of their blubber. The manatee appears to have an almost unlimited ability to produce new teeth as the anterior teeth wear down. They have only two teats, located under their forelimbs, similar to elephants. The elephants are thought as the closest living relative of the sirenians.

The lungs of sirenians are unlobed and flattened ^[3]^[4]. In sirenians, the lungs and diaphragm extend the entire length of the vertebral column. These adaptations help sirenians control their buoyancy and maintain their horizontal position in the water ^[5]^[6].

Living sirenians grow between 2.5-4 meters long and can weigh up to 1500 kg. Hydrodamalis gigas, Steller's sea cow, could reach lengths of 8 meters.^[3]

The three manatee species (family Trichechidae) and the dugong (family Dugongidae) are endangered species. All four living species are vulnerable to extinction from habitat loss and other negative impacts related to human population growth and coastal development. Steller's Sea Cow, extinct since 1786, has been hunted into extinction by humans. Manatees and the Dugong are the only marine mammals classified as herbivores. Unlike the other marine mammals (dolphins, whales, seals, sea lions, sea otters, and walruses), sirenians eat primarily sea-grasses and other aquatic vegetation and have an extremely low metabolism and poor tolerance for especially cold water. Sirenians have been observed eating dead animals (sea gulls), but their diet is made up primarily of vegetation. Like dolphins and whales, manatees and the Dugong are totally aquatic mammals that never leave the water — not even to give birth. These animals have been observed eating grass clippings from homes adjacent to water ways, but in this rare occurrence, only the top portion of the sirenia is lifted out of the water. The combination of these factors means that sirenians are restricted to warm shallow coastal waters, estuaries, and rivers, with healthy ecosystems that support large amounts of seagrass and/or other vegetation.

The Trichechidae species differ from Dugongidae in the shape of the skull and the shape of the tail.

Classification

See also: Evolution of sirenians and Paenungulata

Sirenia has been placed in the clade Paenungulata, within Afrotheria, grouping it with two other orders of living mammals: Proboscidea, the elephant families, and Hyracoidea, the hyraxes, and two extinct orders, Embrithopoda and Desmostylia.

Subdivision

ORDER SIRENIA
- Genus †Ishatherium
  - †Ishatherium subathuensis
- Family †Prorastomidae
  - Genus †Pezosiren
    - †Pezosiren portelli
  - Genus †Prorastomus
    - †Prorastomus sirenoides
- Family †Protosirenidae
  - Genus †Protosiren
    - †Protosiren minima
    - †Protosiren sattaensis
    - †Protosiren fraasi
    - †Protosiren smithae
- Family Dugongidae
  - Genus †Sirenotherium
    - †Sirenotherium pirabense
  - Subfamily Dugonginae
    - Genus Dugong
      - Dugong dugon, Dugong
  - Subfamily †Hydrodamalinae
    - Genus †Dusisiren
      - †Dusisiren dewana
      - †Dusisiren jordani
      - †Dusisiren takasatensis
    - Genus †Hydrodamalis
      - †Hydrodamalis cuestae
      - †Hydrodamalis gigas, Steller's Sea Cow
- Family Trichechidae
  - Subfamily †Miosireninae
    - Genus †Anomotherium
      - †Anomotherium langewieschei
    - Genus †Miosiren
      - †Miosiren canhami
      - †Miosiren kocki
  - Subfamily Trichechinae
    - Genus †Potamosiren
      - †Potamosiren magdalenensis
    - Genus Trichechus
      - Trichechus manatus, West Indian Manatee
        
        Trichechus manatus manatus, Antillean Manatee
        Trichechus manatus latirostris, Florida Manatee
      - Trichechus senegalensis, African Manatee
      - Trichechus inunguis, Amazonian Manatee
      - Trichechus bernhardi, Dwarf Manatee
  - Genus †Ribodon
    - †Ribodon limbatus

† extinct

Notes

^ TSN 180676. Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
^ What are sirenians? Sirenian International - Manatee & Dugong Research, Education, & Conservation
^ ^a ^b Eldredge, Neal (2002). Life on Earth: An Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution. ABC-CLIO. pp. 532. ISBN 1-57607-286-X.
^ Marine Mammal Medicine, 2001, Leslie Dierauf & Frances Gulland, CRC Press
^ Domning, Daryl; Vivian Buffrenil (1991). "Hydrostasis in the Sirenia: Quantitative data and functional interpretations". Marine Mammal Science 7 (4): 331-368.
^ Rommel, Sentiel; John E. Reynolds (2000). "Diaphragm structure and function in the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)". The Anatomical Record (Wiley-Liss, Inc.) 259 (1): 41-51.

References

Shoshani, Jeheskel (November 16, 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 92-93. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
Garrison, Tom - Oceanography 5th Edition
The Paleobiology Database

Cecaelia

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:33:48 +0100

Cecaelia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A cecaelia (pronounced /sɨˈseɪliə/ sə-SAY-lee-ə; unrelated to Cecilia or caecilian) is a composite mythical being, appearing occasionally in art (notably from Japan), literature, and multimedia; combining the head, arms and torso of a woman (more rarely a man) and, from the lower torso down, the tentacles of an octopus or squid as a form of mermaid or sea demon. The term derives primarily from the distorted mispronounced name of a character/story title from a black-and-white comic in Vampirella Magazine featured in the early 1970s which shows a woman/octopus hybrid character called "Cilia"^{[citation needed]}.

Other common terms used are "octopus-mermaid", "octo-mermaid", "octo-girl", "octopian", and variants thereof. While the broader term mermaid (Latin- "sea maiden") would otherwise apply, cecaelia are generally considered a separate unrelated species. Also, more commonly, cecaelia are referred to as "sea witches" (see below).

[hide]

1 Cilia
2 In Literature and Art
3 In Popular Media
- 3.1 Sea witches
- 3.2 Other media sightings
4 References

Cilia

The originating story of the term cecaelia comes from the comic "Cilia" in Issue #16^[1] of Vampirella Magazine (Warren Publications) in April, 1972, and later reprinted in Issue #27^[2] in September, 1973, though it is unrelated to the title hero character for which the magazine was named. It was a short black and white comic strip written by Nicola Cuti and illustrated by Felix Mas.

In the story, a nude thin-figure cecaelia rescues the only two survivors of the crash of the wooden sailing ship Davy Jones just after April 16, 1872 in an unspecified oceanside location somewhere between England and Africa. While the one sailor is unconscious for the entire two week ordeal (the story itself is recounted from his point of view after the ordeal), the captain begins to search for help and food, coming upon the cecaelia as she is weeping on the beach. Initially repulsed and fearful of her appearance, she speaks calmly to him:

"Don't be frightened, mortal. I am a gentle sea creature. I am a cilophyte. My people have saved many of yours from drowning."

She tells him that she had rescued them, but she too became lost and separated from others of her kind during the rescue. She then helps the two survivors by hunting for food in the sea and providing medicine for the unconscious sailor. During this time the captain begins to fall in love with the cilophyte as she helps them. She comes to be known by him as "Cilia". Having also fallen in love with him, she agrees to go back with the captain to England, disguised as a mysterious third passenger- 'walking' on her tentacles in a long black dress to disguise her aquatic origins.

After returning to England, stories among the townsfolk and fishermen quietly begin to circle about the captain's new wife- she is frequently gone for long periods of time, she almost never appears in public, and she is sometimes seen drenched in water. Eventually, a small group of fisherman kidnap Cilia. Days later, they anonymously reveal to the captain where his wife is- chained to the rocks on the nearby shore, where she has been humiliated and badly beaten. When the captain arrives to rescue her, Cilia's injuries are severe, and she dies in his arms. Stricken with grief, he carries her dead body into the water, intentionally drowning himself in the process.

Days after this happens, a ship crashes during a stormy night near the village where the captain and Cilia lived. When the rescue party arrives, they discover that all of the sailors aboard- among them the ones who kidnapped Cilia- have been tortured and mauled, literally torn limb-from-limb. Though not specifically mentioned, there is evidence in the final windows of the comic that the sailors were attacked by other cilophytes in an act of revenge, though the rescue party obviously does not recognize this as such...

There is only one really clear picture of Cilia in the strip, but oddly it shows her with only six tentacles forming below her waist, as opposed to an octopus' normal eight. It is likely that her two arms are included in the limb count. It is in that same frame that she speaks to the captain for the first time.

In Literature and Art

Cecaelia have appeared occasionally in artwork and literature- indeed predating the story "Cilia"- though they are not consistently named-

The Japanese artist Hokusai produced a couple of erotic pieces that featured such a woman-octopus hybrid, as well as related pieces showing couplings of women with octopuses.

H. P. Lovecraft's mythology frequently featured squid and octopoi hybrids, including a two legged female cecaelia derived from both "The Shadow of Innsmouth" and "Dagon", which was made into a movie in 2001, with Macarena Gómez playing the role of the siren-like Uxía Cambarro. Though she only has two tentacles in place of human legs, some classify Uxía as more likely being a variant on a lamia, which- like a mermaid- is half-woman, but features a single long snake's tail instead of a shorter fish tail with fins.

In the bi-monthly adult comic book "Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose" (1996-present), the character John Webb encounters and is abducted and seduced by a "magikal" cecaelia, whom he successfully resists and escapes from.

In Popular Media

Sea witches

Perhaps one of the most well-recognized cecaelia in modern history is Ursula the Sea Witch, from Walt Disney Pictures' "The Little Mermaid" (1989), voiced by Pat Carroll. Full figured and purple-tinged skin, Ursula uses her black-and-purple tentacle arms to dramatic effect, though in the climax of the film she is killed by Prince Eric. (She was only animated with six tentacles compared to a real octopus's eight. However, she technically has eight limbs if her two human arms are included). She also had a very brief non-speaking cameo in one episode of Hercules: The Animated Series (1998-1999). Her sister, the cecaelia Morgana (voiced also by Carroll), is featured in much the same role in the direct-to-DVD sequel "The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea" (2000)- though she's thinner and more squid-like.

The character of Ursula also appears as the antagonist in Disney's Broadway musical production of The Little Mermaid (2008-present), she is originally performed here by stage actress Sherie Rene Scott. A major change for the character was introduced here which was not seen before- that Ursula and King Triton as brother and sister (thus making Princess Ariel her niece). Ursula and Triton, at their father's deathbed, are given presents- Triton was given the crown and magical trident which give him command over Atlantica, and Ursula half of the sea and a magical seashell. This enrages Ursula, and although she and Triton are supposed to co-rule Atlantica, she secretly plots to take over the kingdom through the use of dark, forbidden magic that manifests through the shell. However, she is caught before she can do so, and is eternally banished from the kingdom. Later in the musical Ursula uses her magical shell to store Ariel's voice in. Just like she did with her necklace in the film. It is implied in the musical, that she may have originally been a mermaid, and that either Triton or her misuse of magic transformed her into an ugly cecaelia as punishment, but this is not shown. This plot element of Ursula being a relative of Ariel's family was in the initial script drafts for the 1989 animated film, but was eventually dropped. Her association with King Triton, however, is vaguely hinted at in her first appearance in the film where she says that she once lived in the palace, but no further explanation is given. This closer family-relations plot element is only part of the Broadway production, and is not considered canon in any other animated or literature in the larger franchise.

One time during the "Little Mermaid"-based TV series (1992-1994)- in which she makes several appearances, again as an antagonist- Ursula's species was identified as "Octopian".

Because of a lack of common knowledge in identifying Ursula and Morgana's species (which is not mentioned specifically in the more readily-available motion picture, subsequent direct-to-DVD movies, or any literature), cecaelia in general are now more frequently referred to as "sea witches" today due to the popularity of Disney's example in their Little Mermaid franchise.

By contrast, the unnamed Sea Witch from Hans Christian Andersen's original story of "The Little Mermaid"- first published in 1837- was vaguely described as being just an old mermaid who specialized in potions and magic; a rather minor though important character in the story compared to Disney's re-interpretation.

Other media sightings

Here are other well-recognized sightings of cecaelia from TV, movies, and video games:

In the 1993 Japanese-only video game Romancing SaGa 2 for the Super Famicon video game console (the Japanese version of the Super Nintendo), a male cecaelia named Subier is one of the seven major antagonists.

A male cecaelia is figured as a guard in the 2000 music video by Ricky Martin based on his hit song "She Bangs", which also featured a combined live-action/CGI mermaid.

A Sony advertisement for the "PlayStation 9" (which was actually promoting the PlayStation 2) briefly features in an underwater sequence a cecaelia that turns into a giant octopus. However, instead of human arms, the cecaelia had two more tentacles attached to her shoulders in their place, for a total of 10. Although the sequence is short (barely two seconds long), the advertisement was aired thousands of times in the United States alone and was seen by millions of people.

In the 2002 video game "Kingdom Hearts" produced by Square Enix and Disney Interactive for the PlayStation 2 platform, one of the worlds that the main characters visit is the Kingdom of Atlantica from "The Little Mermaid". Because the events of the game take place underwater in this world, some of the characters undergo a transformation. Specifically, Donald Duck becomes a cecaelia version of himself, with six small light blue tentacles replacing the lower half of his body. Also, Ursula the Sea Witch makes an appearance as one of the many lead villains throughout the game. She does return in the sequel game "Kingdom Hearts 2" (2005), but there she more closely matches her role from "The Little Mermaid" (though there is no acknowledgment in-game that any of the characters had met her in the previous game).

In the 2002 computer game "Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind", one of the island's native fauna are a male cecaelia-like race living by the Northern coast-lines known in the game as "dreugh". They are rusty red in colour with two crab-clawed human arms, a second pair of smaller clawed arms followed by only 4 octopus like tentacles. They, like most wildlife in the game, are malevolent and will attack the player if he/she swims too close. Sometimes after the Dreugh has been killed, the player can harvest "Dreugh wax" from the corpse which can be sold to one of the game's merchants for gold. Some armor in the game is also forged from Dreugh shell known in the game as "Dreugh Armor"

In the MMORPG "World of Warcraft" there are no in-game cecaelia, but the official artwork of Queen Azshara (villainess of the universe and Empress of the Naga) depicts her as a sort of cecaelia - having lower body of an octopus and upper body of nightelven female with snakes for hair. Naga "Sea Witches" appear in in "Warcraft III", but they are serpentine unlike the ones in "The Little Mermaid".

References

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecaelia"

Rusalka

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:32:17 +0100

Rusalka

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008)

For other uses of the word, see Rusalka (disambiguation).

Rusalka (1968), a painting by Konstantin Vasiliev.

In Slavic mythology, a rusalka (plural: rusalki) was a female ghost, water nymph, succubus or mermaid-like demon that dwelled in a waterway.

According to most traditions, the rusalki were fish-women, who lived at the bottom of rivers. In the middle of the night, they would walk out to the bank and dance in meadows. If they saw handsome men, they would fascinate them with songs and dancing, mesmerise them, then lead the person away to the river floor to live with them. The stories about rusalki have parallels with those of Hylas and the Nymphs, the Germanic Nix, the Irish Banshee, the Scottish Bean Nighe and the Romanian Iele. See Slavic fairies for similar creatures.

[hide]

1 Origin
2 Description
3 Rusalka Week
4 References in Art and culture
5 See also
6 Notes
7 References

Origin

In most versions, the rusalka is an unquiet dead being, associated with the "unclean force". According to Zelenin, people who die violently and before their time, such as young women who commit suicide because they have been jilted by their lovers, or unmarried women who are pregnant, must live out their designated time on earth as a spirit.

The ghostly version is the soul of a young woman who had died in or near a river or a lake and came to haunt that waterway. This undead rusalka is not invariably malevolent, and will be allowed to die in peace if her death is avenged.

Rusalki can also come from unbaptised children, often those who were born out of wedlock and drowned by their mothers for that reason. Baby rusalki supposedly wander the forest begging to be baptised so that they can have peace. They are not necessarily innocent, however, and can attack a human foolish enough to approach them.

Description

Rusalka by Ivan Bilibin, 1934.

While her primary dwelling place was the body of water in which she died, the rusalka could come out of the water at night, climb a tree, and sit there singing songs, sit on a dock and comb her hair, or join other rusalki in circle dances (Russian: хороводы, Polish: korowody) in the field.

Though in some versions of the myth, the eyes shine like green fire, others describe them with extremely pale and translucent skin, and no visible pupils. Her hair is sometimes depicted as green or golden, and often perpetually wet. The Rusalka could not live long on dry land, but with her comb she was always safe, for it gave her the power to conjure water when she needed it. According to some legends, should the rusalka's hair dry out, she will die.

Rusalki like to have men and children join in their games. They can do so by enticing men with their singing and then drowning them, while the children were often lured with baskets of fruit. Men seduced by the rusalka could die in her arms, and in some versions hearing her laugh could also cause death.

Specifics pertaining to rusalka differed within regions. Although in most tales they lived without men, in Ukraine they were often linked with water, while in Belarus they were linked with the forest and field. Where land was fertile, the maidens appeared naked and beautiful. In harsher areas of Great Russia, they appeared as "large breasted amazons" (Hubbs). And often, in the north, they were ugly and covered in hair.

Rusalka Week

Main article: Semik

The rusalki were believed to be at their most dangerous during the Rusalka Week (Rusal'naia) in early June. At this time, they were supposed to have left their watery depths in order to swing on branches of birch and willow trees by nights. Swimming during this week was strictly forbidden, lest mermaids would drag a swimmer down to the river floor. A common feature of the celebration of Rusal'naia week was the ritual banishing or burial of the rusalka at the end of the week, which remained as entertainment in Russia until the 1930s ^[1].

Max Vasmer notes that the very word rusalka originally referred to the dances of girls at Whitsuntide. The word is derived through Greek ῥουσάλια from "rosalia", the Latin term for Whitsuntide week (originally it meant "the festival of roses").

index

Sirenomelia

Sirenomelia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

Notable cases

Milagros Cerrón (Age 5)

Tiffany Yorks (Age 21)

Shiloh Pepin (Age 10)

Sirenia

Sirenia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

Description

Classification

Subdivision

References

Cecaelia

Cecaelia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

Cilia

In Literature and Art

In Popular Media

Sea witches

Other media sightings

References

Rusalka

Rusalka

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

Origin

Description

Rusalka Week