Merfolk

Merfolk is a broad term used in folklore and fantasy to describe humanoid beings that inhabit marine environments. The word blends mer, from Old English for sea, with folk, meaning people. In common usage it covers mermaids and mermen alike, as well as related aquatic humanoids encountered in various traditions. Accounts of merfolk range from benevolent guardians to dangerous tricksters.

Physically, merfolk are typically depicted as having the upper body of a human and a tail in place of legs. Some traditions grant features such as gills, webbed digits, or bioluminescence. Abilities commonly attributed include singing, hydrokinesis, or the power to alter currents; yet depictions vary widely. Interactions with humans range from friendship to exploitation or assault, depending on the story.

Across cultures, merfolk appear in many forms. In European folklore, mermaids and mermen are prominent, with tales of shipwrecks, bargains, and sea dangers. Other traditions present related beings such as selkies, seal-people found in Scottish and Icelandic lore, and nixes or kelpies in Germanic myths. Modern usages reuse the term to describe similar creatures in fantasy settings.

In modern fiction and media, merfolk are literary devices representing liminality between land and sea, adolescence, or environmental concerns. Notable examples include The Little Mermaid and various fantasy novels, games, and films. Scholarly discussions view merfolk as flexible symbols whose characteristics reflect cultural attitudes toward the sea, gender, and human relation to nature.