Mermaids

As a kid, whenever we went to the zoo, I imagined the aquarium building was a temple dedicated to a mermaid goddess. It looked just the thing, with its seashell facade and cool blue interior.

I was silently pondering this during a recent trip there with my family, how despite Atargatis, Aphrodite or the sirens, and despite the deep sea being more mysterious even than outer space, we tend to see mermaids in terms of mythology but not spirituality. 

The moon jellies were a particular favorite, by the way

I was still thinking about it in the car the next day; I suppose it stuck with me because I've never really gotten over moving inland. I was born amid this limestone karst, but the ocean brings me a certain sort of peace that a river can never match. I miss the salty sea air.

So we were driving, and I looked to up from my reverie to see, rather amusingly, this mermaid waving at passersby.

Many people who've known me have pointed out that I don't seem very American, but here is one instance where I really fit the stereotype - I love this sort of kitschy roadside art. I also love synchronicites, and coming upon a mermaid while you are pondering mermaids would certainly count as one. A good sign, perhaps?

It gets better - just that week, I discovered, the city of San Marcos had installed a number of painted mermaid sculptures and holy cow, there's a map. You know how I feel about maps.

mermaid sculptures waiting in the beautiful bleakness of a storage unit

The relationship between San Marcos and mermaids, I assume, has to do with Aquarena Springs and its Aquamaids and possibly a legend of a Native girl who made a bargain with a magical catfish. However, these are not motifs that traveled even a few miles west to my town

Soon I will pop over to San Marcos and track down the statues. It will be an adventure.True, these are river mermaids and not the ocean, but still I feel the touch of something otherworldly in this string of synchronicities. Perhaps the mermaid goddess lives after all.