wasabiroots
1. Melusine from European Folklore
The stories of the Melusine can be found in France, Germany, Luxembourg and even as far as Albania during the medieval times. Now she is famous for being the nameless mermaid found in the Starbucks logo. Well, at least a variation of the Melusine. Because the Melusine was depicted as a woman who has a serpent or fish like lower body but sometimes she would also have wings or two tails or even both at the same time.
There are a lot of varying stories of her and one legend says that the French Lusignan royal house that ruled Cyprus from the year 1192 to 1489 were the descendants of Melusine. Well a few other royals have also claimed to be descendants as well.
Now, her story always revolve around her mermaid form being found out while bathing.
One of the stories that are often told starts like this.
Melusine was a beautiful woman that is cursed. Her curse was that, every time she bathes, everything waist down would turn into a fish like tail or that of a serpent. So she lives in the forest out of people’s eyes. Or she could be a fairy of the forest. You pick.
Anyways, one day, Raymond, the Duke of Aquitaine, saw her and begged her to marry him. She agreed with a condition that he never disturb her whenever she wants privacy which is apparently always a Saturday.
So they got married and everything seemed fine. They even had children together around 10 or more. But curiousity can be a bad thing. Because not knowing sets the imagination wild and the Duke became suspicious of Melusine, suspicious of adultery.
So he decided to break the promise and spied on his wife. But rather than adultery, he saw her true form. Shocked at the truth, after days of confusion he called her a serpent . That’s when she knew he had broken the promise. So Melusine sad that the promise was broken, she transformed into a dragon-like being, wailed in disbelief and flew off never to be seen again.