Legends about mermaids are proudly told for the Hungarian people. But Hungarian residents say that half-human, half-fish creatures are by no means as friendly as depicted in fairy tales. Sellö is one of these creatures for Hungarians. Meanwhile, the stories told reflect reality surprisingly well. It is quite real when you look at the image and historical development of the mermaids and mermaids living in us. Nowadays, the first hero of a Disney cartoon is probably the first image that comes to everyone's mind when you hear the word mermaid. This image is reminiscent of a pretty beautiful girl. However, these sea monsters were among the most bloodthirsty monsters in antiquity and even in the Middle Ages.

Passing in Myths

For example, mermaid characters, repeated in ancient Greek myths and legends, sing beautiful songs. Thanks to these songs, he seduces sailors who pass through their island. This sound of Salo probably resembles the sound of the bird swallowing them. It is also known to make sounds like sirens. The sailor named Odysseus tied himself to the mast. Its purpose in doing this is to get rid of Sellö. By putting wax in the ears of the sailormen, he was able to communicate with them by hand sign. Thus, while listening to their songs, their ships could safely pass by the sirens of Salo.

According to another legend, after the death of Thessaloniki, the sister of Alexander the Great, she became a mermaid and lived in the Aegean Sea. It is estimated that the creature in this sea is also Selö.

Mermaid Legend

The 13th-century Norwegian royal mirror Konungs skuggsja writes that the mermaids' appearance heralded a devastating storm approaching. The mermaids' behavior may have also signaled the future. For this reason, it was thought that if the mermaid played with fish or threw fish onto the ship, if the mermaids would eat the fish or throw it the other way, the sailors could be almost sure of their impending death. It was regarded as a sign that they were unlikely to survive the storm.

The Slavic folk tradition of Eastern Europe is also known as a mermaid-like creature. The so-called Russians were the souls of young women "who lived in rivers and lakes" who died of violent death. The creatures described as beautiful would go out at night, dance and say their names, bring the men out of their homes, and eventually drown them in the water. Tellingly, Sellö is a mermaid with such features.