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Mermaid1

Mermaids are creatures featured in ABC's Once Upon a Time.

Their appearance consists of the top half of a woman, and the bottom half being that of a fish. Sailors and pirates alike fear them more than sharks, whales and even the kraken.

Biology and Culture

Mermaids are aquatic creatures with the head and upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. They are able to breathe air while out of water. Mermaids are known for their hypnotic, powerful singing voice, which can lure ships to their death. Hook describes them as "the most dangerous creature in all the seas", and worse than a kraken. ("The Heart of the Truest Believer" et al., "Poor Unfortunate Soul)

Every year when the high tide rises, the sea goddess Ursula grants merpeople the ability to walk on dry land with human legs, until the next tide occurs. Mermaids have the ability to cross worlds, and to open portals and bring objects from one world to another. In some occasions, they are able to take other people through their portals. They can be summoned by conch shells. ("Ariel", "Dark Hollow", "Poor Unfortunate Soul", "A Wondrous Place")

Ursula, who was a mermaid before being transformed into a Cecaelia, is the daughter of Poseidon, who is a Deity; indicating that merpeople can interbreed with Deities. ("Poor Unfortunate Soul")

Little is known about Mermaid culture. According to Hook, mermaids can't be trusted because they are liars. Mr. Gold has also stated that mermaids can't be trusted. They stay in touch with each other beneath the sea by using conch shells. ("The Heart of the Truest Believer", "Ariel", "Strange Case")

Personality

The mermaids who attack our heroes' ship seem like hostile sea monsters, however Snow white suggests that they only behave this way because they are afraid of Peter. Thus she wishes to reason with them while her companions insist that they cannot be trusted and should be done away with. The one which they succeed in capturing appears openly vengeful, yet Snow White still makes the case that she might have called away her storm had she simply been released.

Their personalities differ from mermaid to mermaid such as Ariel who is kind and has saved people from drowning. Ursula showed a similar sweet demeanor prior to the loss of her song and her change into the Sea Witch.

Powers and Abilities

  • Longevity: Mermaids, like fairies and dwarves, may have a never-ending lifespan and remain youthful throughout their lives. Ariel (who escaped the Dark Curse) hadn't aged a day for over 28 years (she couldn't have spent all her time on Neverland). Ariel from the Wish Realm also remained young even though all the humans had grown old.
  • Enhanced Strength: A mermaid's tail is very strong and in large swarms, they can sink a ship by slapping and cracking the hull with their flukes.
  • Enhanced Swimming: A mermaid's tail enables her to swim more swiftly than an equivalent human being and also to more effectively perform underwater feats of agility. Regina implies that mermaids are very fast swimmers.
  • Mermaid Magic: A type of magic possessed by mermaids.
    • World-Crossing: Mermaids can open portals which allow them to swim from one world to another. They can take others with them and they can summon objects like ships, as long as they are on or underwater.
    • Hydrokinesis: Mermaids may have some power over water. In "Homecoming", Ariel's arrival was signified by a strong surge of water and she was seemingly deposited on a rock by a wave. After she appeared, the waves grew still.
    • Atmokinesis: A mermaid can psychically influence the weather patterns around her by using a conch shell. The results can be dramatic and are perhaps linked to her emotions, for the one captive in "Heart of the Truest Believer" was quite incensed when she summoned her tempest. Mermaids can alter the effects of their storms. The captured mermaid linked her storm to the conflict between the travelers so that their anger kept her spell going and only peace between them could undo it. Regina could not undo one mermaid's spell, implying that a mermaid's hold over the weather is stronger than that of a land dwelling sorcerer.
    • Siren Singing: Some mermaids can use their beautiful voices to mesmerize even the toughest man and lure them towards her. These enchanted people will only wish to get closer to the singing mermaid and will not care about anything else, even their own lives. However their voices have brighter side. They can temporarily distract a person from their anger, pain and sorrow and bring peace to the listeners' minds. Only Ursula displayed this ability but Hook implies that other mermaids are capable of enchantment. It is implied in "Dead in the Water" that mermaids can cast enchantments that last long after they stop singing.
    • Seashells: Mermaids use conch shells to call each other under the sea, no matter how far away they are. With a receiving shell, humans can use this magic as well. As demonstrated by Ursula, mermaid hearing is attuned to the sound of the shell and they can hear it while other beings cannot.

Known mermaids

Neverland mermaids

When the Jolly Roger arrives in Neverland a second time, it is attacked by mermaids. However, they are successfully defeated. These mermaids appear to be malevolent, or working for Pan.

Mermaid2

Ariel

Ariel is a kind mermaid, who falls in love with a human prince named Eric. She eventually gains a magic bracelet which allows her to switch between mermaid and human form whenever she chooses, allowing her to be with her prince.

Ursula

Ursula was a mermaid, and the daughter of Poseidon, who used Ursula's voice to lure pirates to their deaths. Ursula decided that she wanted to use her singing voice to make people happy, instead of using it as a weapon. She meets Captain Hook, although Poseidon angers Hook which causes the pirate to steal Ursula's singing voice with a magic seashell. Angry with both Hook and Poseidon, Ursula uses Poseidon's trident to transform her tail into tentacles and becomes the Sea Witch. However, after Hook restores Ursula's singing voice and she reunites with her father, all is eventually forgiven and Ursula returns to the sea.

Appearances

  • S3, E01: "The Heart of the Truest Believer"
  • S3, E06: "Ariel"
  • S3, E07: "Dark Hollow"
  • S3, E10: "The New Neverland"
  • S3, E17: "The Jolly Roger"

  • S4, E11: "Heroes And Villains"
  • S4, E12: "Darkness On The Edge Of Town"
  • S4, E13: "Unforgiven"
  • S4, E14: "Enter The Dragon"
  • S4, E15: "Poor Unfortunate Soul"
  • S4, E16: "Best Laid Plans" (flashback)

  • S6, E15: "A Wondrous Place"
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