Mermaids have long fascinated humans, right from the days of Hans Christian Anderson’s novel, The Little Mermaid, to the children of today that read about Mermaids and Mermen in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. The fascination of humans with these peculiar creatures is not restricted to the West. Philippines, Japanese and a variety of other completely distinct and separate cultures refer to mermaids and mermaid like creatures.