Sep. 23, 2008
My Little Mermaid
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I just got word that a mermaid lives in the bay at my driving school office. Yesterday I was visiting the new coffee shop that opened up next door and in chatting with the owner mentioned I owned the business across the parking lot. "Oh, is the little mermaid your daughter?" she asked. Looking out the window towards the beach I watched my very blonde daughter scampering in the water in her pink bathing suit. "Yup, that's her, " I said. "Oh, she gave me a scare the other day, " continued the lady. Oh oh.....here it comes. This is what I was afraid of. My kids are going to get me in trouble always wanting to play in the water. Someone is going to report me for child neglect, as from certain vantage points it often looks like my 5yo is out there playing in the surf unattended. What others from the road and parking lot can't see is our office door open, with big sister sitting in the doorway and mom hovering in the background keeping an eye on the bobbing blonde head of little sister. "I'm sorry," I replied, "were you thinking she wasn't being watched?" "No, I thought I was seeing Sirena. I had to do a double take to make sure she had legs and not a tail!" Ah! Guam has a local legend. Apparently, Sirena was a young girl who loved to swim. She neglected her family chores to swim in the ocean. One day, her mother was so mad at her that she cursed her own daughter and said, "you shall become a fish the next time you disobey and go swimming without doing your chores." Her auntie, overhearing the curse, quickly counteracted the curse by adding in the clause, "a fish from the waist down only". Sirena, unable to resist the lure of the sea, soon disobeyed her mother and as soon as her feet hit the water, they turned into a tail. She was destined to live forever in the sea as a mermaid. Guam's people are very superstitious. For them, the story of Sirena, is not just a legend, but a true story that could happen to their children if they are disobedient. I think that is why many older Chamorro women (40 and up) cannot swim. Their families were so fearful of their daughters becoming mermaids that they didn't allow them near the ocean. Sad, when you look at the beautiful beaches we have on this island. To tie this in with my Canadian home of Powell River, BC, a beautiful underwater mermaid statue can be found off the coast at Saltery Bay. The Emerald Princess, as she is affectionately known as, is a popular dive spot for divers in the area.  |
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Oct. 5, 2008 - Your mermaid
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Posted by Anonymous