What is a Mermaid? In folklore,a super natural,sea-dwelling creature;from the waist up,a mermaid is a beautiful,alluring woman and from the waist down she has a body and tail of a fish,complete with scales.The mermaid is frequently described as appearing above the surface of the water and combing her long hair with one hand while holding a mirror in the other.While grooming herself she is likely to sing with a voice so enchanting that men cannot resist it.Mermaids,in the numerous tales told of them,often foretell the future,sometimes under compulsion;give supernatural powers to human beings;or fall in love with human beings and entice their mortal lovers to follow them beneath the sea.Most mermaids are kind and gentle but some are cruel(there are tales that depict some mermaids as drinkers of blood).A similarity exists between many mermaid stories and those told about the Sirens.In Irish folktales,one is named Merrow,a mermaid who warns fishermen of coming storms.