The picture you are seeing here is that of a mermaid, as known in European mythology.
Origin of the word mermaid: The English word "mermaid" is a compound of "mere" (an Old English word for "sea") and "maid" (a girl or young woman).
Mami wata is nothing but a corruption of the word mermaid.
Mermaids are common in European ancient mythologies, where they are also called sirens.
Today, in Europe, the mermaid exists only in their fairy stories and legends, where it is depicted as a woman with a fish's tail instead of legs who lives in the sea.
The first picture of a mermaid is said to have been brought to Nigeria by a British colonial agent in 1901.
Now my question for clarity: did our precolonial African ancestors believe that a mermaid, that is, a woman with a fish tail or even human legs, lived inside their waters?
Fada Angelo Chidi Unegbu
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