Thou rememb'rest
Since once I sat upon a promontory
And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin's back,
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath
That the rude sea grew civil at her song,
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres
To hear the sea-maid's music.
~William Shakespear~

A Midsummer Night's Dream

 Mermaids 

Long before the theory of evolution, the ancient philosophers believed that life came from the sea. Therefor it would seem resonable to believe the existense of a half woman, half fish creature living in the depths of the sea would not be paculiar in ancient times. But where exactly did this notion come from? Some historians believe the mermaid arose through Babylonian and Sumarian beliefs and gods. Wherever they originated the one thing that remains clear is that they still hold a sense of wonder for many, even in present day culture. Mermaids continue to be a a part of pop culture appearing in art, poems, music and television.