We’ve talked about the meaning of mermaids in dreams, but here we open up to the grander world of the mermaid symbol as it is used in art and fiction.

First and foremost, mermaids are usually attractive creatures with humanoid upper bodies and a fish tail. That alone gives us a clue: mermaids are links between humanity and the sea, the missing link between ourselves and the origins of all life.

Mermaids have often been tightly linked to sirens, beautiful women with even more beautiful voices who lure sailors to their death. Many medieval sailors believed that seeing a mermaid was a dark augury telling you that you would not return from your current voyage. That connection between beauty and danger can give mermaids a sense of destructive seduction.

Connected to this seductive element in mermaids is their general romantic quality. Many tales of mermaids involve land-going humans falling in love with mermaids. This is not always to the detriment of the seduced human, but it sure does present some obvious problems for the relationship. In this way, mermaids can also be symbols for powerful love beset by significant challenges.

As mermaids are one with the sea, they also seem to be embodiments of intuitive powers. Their ability to swim to the world underneath the surface is a direct expression of one’s ability to go into the unconscious.

And finally, we would be remiss to not mention the use of mermaids as symbols of the divine feminine (or Anima, as described by Carl Jung).To bring things further along, let’s also look at the accoutrement of mermaids: namely, a comb and mirror. These items are very commonly associated with the mermaid and help bring out subtler meanings.