Scientists work on mystery of 300-year-old mummified ‘mermaid’ with ‘human face’ and tail

Scientists will examine a mummified "mermaid" purported to confer immortality on anyone who eats its flesh in order to discover its actual nature.

The enigmatic 12-inch monster was purportedly caught in the Pacific Ocean between 1736 and 1741 off the coast of Shikoku, Japan, and is presently housed in a shrine in Asakuchi.

It has an eerie human aspect, except for its fish-like bottom half, which has a grimacing face, pointed teeth, two hands, and hair on its head and brow.

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Researchers from Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts have now scanned the mummy in an attempt to decipher its secrets.

The project's creator, Hiroshi Kinoshita of the Okayama Folklore Society, believes the mummy may have religious significance.

"Japanese mermaids have a legend of immortality. It is said that if you eat the flesh of a mermaid, you will never die.There is a legend in many parts of Japan that a woman accidentally ate the flesh of a mermaid and lived for 800 years.This ‘Yao-Bikuni’ legend is also preserved near the temple where the mermaid mummy was found. I heard that some people, believing in the legend, used to eat the scales of mermaid mummies, "he said.

Folklore argues that a mermaid could be a bad portent in the age of COVID-19.

(With inputs from agencies)