The History of Mermaids, Sea Spirits & Women

Dive into the enduring allure of the mermaid with anthropologist Dr Helen Cornish, tracing centuries of myth, history, and storytelling. From ancient sea-spirits and classical sirens to medieval legends and modern reinventions, this talk reveals how mermaids have long embodied society’s hopes, fears and fascinations. They represent changing attitudes toward the sea, toward women’s power, and toward those cast as outsiders.

In this talk, Dr Cornish examines folktales from Cornwall including The Mermaid of Zennor and The Mermaid of Seaton. She’ll look at how these local tales evoke romance, vengeance and warning before expanding to global mythologies of merfolk and shape-shifting sea spirits. Dr Cornish will also examine how the mermaid’s modern revival speaks to evolving gender symbolism and anxieties about the ocean – where contemporary mermaids emerge not as temptresses, but as protectors of the sea.

Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm - come down early to grab a good seat!

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Speaker Bio:  

Anthropologist Dr Helen Cornish is a lecturer on the MA in Folklore Studies at the University of Hertfordshire. She is a co-founder of NAoHH (Network for an Anthropology of History and Heritage). Her research and publications have focused on contemporary Witchcraft, where the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall has been a key research site. Wider interests address Cornish folk festivals, Ghost Tours, and folklore and ecologies. 

This talk is 16+ 

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