The History of Mermaids, Sea Spirits & Women

Since Hans Christian Andersen turned the mermaid into a romantic heroine, shimmering sea-maidens have swum through popular culture. “Mermaiding” has even become a verb. But where do these figures really come from, and why do they hold such power over us?

This talk strips away the fairy tale to uncover a far darker and more complex ancestry. Across cultures and centuries, people have imagined powerful sea spirits inhabiting liminal waters: from the fish-tailed goddess of ancient Mesopotamia, to medieval two-tailed mermaids, Renaissance Europe’s soulless undines, and West Africa’s formidable Mami Wata.

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

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*Dr Natalie Lawrence is a historian of science and author of Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meanings (W&N, 2024; Pegasus 2025), a history of monsters and our imaginations over the last 15,000 years. She has a first class in Natural Sciences, a Masters and a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge. She also co-authored Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence with Professor Paco Calvo (Little Brown, 2022; Norton 2023; 10 translations so far). She has spoken for TEDX, numerous radio channels and podcasts, and presented for Cambridge Science Festival, Geist Talks, Last Tuesday Society, amongst others.*

Presented by Seed Talks

This is an 16+ event