Researchers didn’t expect to find a mummy in Japan that was so strange. A “mermaid” that was found mummified in a Japanese temple has now been studied to find out exactly what it is made of.

The research shows that a mummified “mermaid” is actually a doll made of animal parts. The length of the mermaid is about 12 inches.

What is the myth around the Japanese myth mermaid?

In Japan, there is a story that if you eat the flesh of the 300-year-old mummified mermaid, you will live forever.

Researchers found the mermaid mummy in a Japanese temple in 2022. At the time thought it was made by sewing the head and torso of a monkey to the body of a fish that had been cut in half.

The strange hybrid looked like a Ningyo – a creature from Japanese mythology that looks like a fish but has a human head and is said to cure diseases and make people live longer.

Before, it was kept in a glass case at the temple so people could pray to it. But it had been put away more than 40 years ago to keep it safe. 

Key facts!

• Researchers got hold of the mermaid at the beginning of February 2022.
• They started studying the artefact using different scientific methods, such as X-ray, computerised scanning, etc.
• The test showed that the mermaid’s torso did not come from a monkey.
• But rather that it was mostly made of cloth, paper, and cotton.
• In addition, the metal pins from the neck to the lower back held it together.
• It had also been painted with a paste made by mixing sand and charcoal.
• On the other hand, the torso was covered with parts that had been taken from other animals.
• Parts of the arms, shoulders, neck, and cheeks were covered with hair from mammals and skin from a fish.
• Most likely, the mermaid’s jaw and teeth came from a fish that eats other fish.
• But the scales’ radiocarbon dates showed that they could be as old as the early 1800s.
• The new analysis shows that it is very likely that the mermaid was made up to trick people into thinking that Ningyos and their supposed ability to heal were real, the researchers wrote.
• There are 14 other “mermaids” that have been found in Japan.
• The team is working towards its goal of analysing more examples so that they can be compared.

 

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