Mummified mermaid baffles scientists

A mummified "mermaid" said to grant immortality to whoever tastes its flesh will be examined by scientists in order to reveal its true nature.

The mysterious creature was allegedly caught in the Pacific Ocean, off the Japanese island of Shikoku, between 1736 and 1741, and is now kept in a temple in the city of Asakuchi.

The creature has a human appearance except for its fish-like lower half.

Researchers from the Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts have now taken the mummy for CT scanning in a bid to unravel its secrets.

Hiroshi Kinoshita of the Okayama Folklore Society, who came up with the project, said the bizarre creature could have religious significance.

Hiroshi Kinoshita "Japanese mermaids have a legend of immortality," he said.

"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."

The scientists examining the mummy will publish their findings later this year.

Comments

How highlife musician, Israel Nwoba was murdered in 1955

Israel Njemanze was a notable highlife musician who sang to the delight of Nigerians in 1950s. Unfortunately, his life was cut short by some assailants who killed him, dumped and dismembered his body on the railway line in Mushin, Lagos. His killers were later tried, sentenced to death and hanged. FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary writes. Israel Njemanze .a.k.a Nwoba was a soldier and highlife musician who made waves between 1949 and 1955 before his gruesome murder. He was reputed for being the leader of the band known as ‘Three Night Wizards’. He was a crowd-puller at every performance. However, he nursed the ambition of building a hotel in Port Harcourt, where he would settle down to play music after his retirement from the armed forces. This plan was not to be as Njemanze was murdered on Friday, April 7, 1955 in Mushin, Lagos by unknown assailants. As a soldier, he lived with his family at the Command workshop, Yaba, Lagos. He later formed a band with two guitarist friends hen...

Nollywood in tears as John Okafor aka Mr. Ibu dies at 62

Reports reaching our news desk at Frank Oben Mindspace indicate that veteran nollywood actor and comedian, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, is dead. He was said to have died on Saturday, March 2, 2024. In October 2023, the veteran actor was reported ill and required financial assistance. But in November 2023, Okafor's family confirmed that one of his legs had been amputated to keep him alive He was aged 62

Lagos Mechanic’s Car Crushes Mother, Two Children In Ajamgbadi Area

A Woman and her two children have been confirmed dead after a car rammed into them in the Ajamgbadi area of Lagos State. The accident occurred on Saturday around 8:30 pm at 77 Bus Stop Shibiri Imude Road, Ajamgbadi. The 29-year-old driver of the ash-coloured Toyota Camry with registration number BDG-55IHG, who is also a mechanic, one Oluwatimilehin Olajide, was said to have fled the scene of the accident after a mob attempted to lynch him, and ran to a nearby police post. An eyewitness told PUNCH Metro that the car was on top speed when it crushed the woman and her two children. He said, “The driver was at a high speed when the car rammed into the woman and her two children. The trio died instantly. “The driver of the car took off with his car. I guess he was scared of the boys there who wanted to lynch him. They however chased after him,” he added. When contacted, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident. He said the driver of the car, a m...

Frank Oben Mindspace

Search This Blog