SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: Mermaids: Not a real thing | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

Hey everybody, we're back for another. gets weird edition stuff you should know. gets weird playlist and this is episode. three. It's about mermaids everybody. Uh. it's a pretty fun episode from what I. remember and it is called mermaids colon. not a real thing. Welcome to Stuff You Should Know from. how stuffuffs.com.

>> Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm. Josh Clark. Yeah, that's right. There's. Charles W. Chuck Bryant. Jerry's over. there in the ether floating, possibly. not existing. Who knows? Uh, and this is. stuff you should know. That's right. Just a couple of couple of mermen trying. to make their way in the world. >> Yeah. >> Trying to keep their tails wet. >> Yeah. >> You know. >> Yeah. >> Cuz if that thing dries out, you've seen. Splash. >> Yeah. It's a toast.

>> No, she dried out and she was just fine. >> Oh, I thought Oh, you're thinking of ET. when he turned all white and dried out. >> I was thinking of Splash cuz I couldn't. remember. It's one It was one of my. favorite movies as a kid. >> It was a cute movie. Um, it was one of. those early HBO movies, early Tom Hanks, which I'm a big fan of. early Tom Hanks. >> Mhm. >> And, um, I just thought it was a really. fun, funny movie. John Candy. >> Yeah, it was a great movie. >> Uh, what's his name? Played the the evil.

man trying to expose her. Um, Eugene. Levy, I think. >> Oh, was he the bad guy? >> Yeah, he was the one that, >> you know, that's a high quality movie. when Eugene Levy's the bad guy. Yeah, that was the SCTV crew and um he. actually tried to spray her and get her. wet so she would. >> Oh, it was. >> and in fact did turn into a mermaid on. the sidewalk. >> So that's what it was. If she got wet, she'd turn into a mermaid, >> right? >> She got dried. No problem. >> Yes. And Daryl Hannah, of course, who's. running around with Neil Young now. >> Oh, really? >> Yeah. How about that couple?

>> Huh? >> Sure. >> Yeah, why not? They're both. environmentalists. >> But there's a lot of turquoise in that. bedroom. I wonder if you hook up with. Neil Young if or anyone like that if if. you're sort of a new relationship and. not like the wife they had for 40 years. >> If you're like you play a song, why. don't you? >> What? Like I wonder if you ask them to. play music. >> Oh, like you're actually into them. >> Yeah. Like if if you're Billy Joel's new. 25-year-old wife, do you ever say like, "Hey honey, play me a tune.".

>> Right. play that one that you that you. wrote 10 years before I was conceived. >> I think I'm what I'm saying is I would. have a hard time being with Neil Young. and not every night after dinner just. kind of nudging the guitar toward him. >> Oh, I gotcha. >> And saying, "H, I'd love to hear Old. Man.". >> Yeah, please, baby. One for me. >> And yeah, he says, "I've played that. song 45,000 times.". Yeah, I I would guess that Well, I can.

tell you I would I would Yeah, I would. guess that once you reach a certain. point in playing a song, you never want. to hear that song or even think about it. existing again. >> Yeah. >> But then you still have to play it. >> Oh, I try not to think about that when. I'm at those shows. >> Yeah. It makes me feel bad for them. Like they might as well be, >> you know, in the monkey house or. something and you're just throwing. bananas at them. And God bless the the. people who really bring it still. >> Sure. >> Where you feel like, man, they're. playing that song for me tonight. >> Adam Man,

>> does he still bring it? >> He's just who came to mind. >> Whereas when I saw the police on their. reunion, they they were phoning it in. >> Really? >> Yeah. >> Even Stuart Copeland. >> Well, I mean, they were playing the. songs, but it just it didn't look like. they were enjoying themselves at all. It. looked like a total. >> money grab. >> Sure. They entered from three separate. entrances and exited from three separate. Oh, yeah. >> And I got the feeling they didn't even. like speak much. >> That's like I was reading an article on. the Ramones. >> The Rolling Stone one recently.

>> Uh yeah, I guess it was. >> Yeah, they had a great article on them. >> So yeah, I guess it was it was. definitely Rolling Stone. So okay, did. you read it? >> Yeah, then. >> it was awesome. >> But yeah, they like they they would. >> they would just like get on the bus and. not speak to one another. >> Yeah. go to the next town and get on. stage and play and then come off stage. and not like they would they would speak. on stage because they had to. Yeah, that. was it. >> And apparently well at least Joey and. who was his big foil? >> Dee. those ones who really hated each other. >> Yeah. >> Supposedly they didn't speak at all for.

like 25 years straight, >> right? Because uh Joey stole Dee's like. love of his life, >> right? >> And then they were in the band together. still after that. It was just like TS, man. >> So weird. So, like a lot of songs, especially ones like the KKK Took My. Baby Away, >> that's about Joey stealing De's. girlfriend. >> Wow, this is a great article. >> Yeah, good read. >> Yeah. >> Um, so back to Splash. Funny movie about. a mermaid and we're going to talk about.

mermaids here and um mostly what we're. going to cover is the lore and history. and the mythology of the mermaid because. here's a little giveaway. There are no. mermaids. >> What did you look up like pictures of. real mermaid sightings and stuff? >> Yeah. And it's the same thing as. pictures of Bigfoot sightings or. pictures of UFO sightings. >> Some weird distant blur that like you. can't. It could be kelp. >> or it's such an obviously doctorred. photo. >> What would be fun though is if we had a.

time machine. Forget killing Hitler. Forget like. >> way back machine. >> Oh yeah, that's right. I can't believe. we haven't put this into good use. forget like um you know saving the world. or keeping the dodo from going extinct. I would take some of these doctorred. photos that are just so easy to make. today. >> back to like the the 1920s and be like, "Look at this." And they go, "Yeah, I. know. We still believe in that stuff.". >> Uh with your aim being what? >> Just to freak them out. >> Oh, I figured there'd be a money angle.

>> Oh, yeah. >> Josh is traveling Wonder Wonder. Emporium. It's not a bad idea where in which you. just show them photos, >> but I charge them like 2016 rates and no. one can possibly afford that. So, I go. out of business like almost immediately. >> Right. There's like one guy in the town. that's like, I'll pay 2750 to see those, >> right? Step right up. Town's only. billionaire. >> Um, that's a great idea. I don't know. why no one ever thought of that. >> It was a terrible idea. like from. beginning to end.

Forget going back and betting on the. stock market or the outcome of the World. Series. >> I'm going to go back and set up a. business doomed to fail. >> Uh, all right. So, let's talk about. mermaid uh lore. Well, we can start here. in the more modern age because there are. still places that try and uh take people. for money like we were just talking. about even. >> Yeah. Like me. Um, in fact, uh, in. Israel on the coast there, um, they. actually have a town called Kiryat Yam.

And. >> great name. >> If you go to Kiryat Yam, you could win. how much money does it even say? >> Million bucks. >> Million American dollars. >> If you um, >> if you provide incontrovertible evidence. of the mermaid that is reputed to wander. the shores, >> there appear at sunset. as of 2009 was. the first sighting there. >> Yeah. And of course, what that is is is. a ploy to try and get tourists and come. and spend money in the town and look for. the mermaid. >> Sure. >> Come on, chumps. We welcome you to Cury.

Yam. >> I'm sure Loch Ness has made plenty of. tourist money over the years. >> Apparently, they have a standing offer. as well, and that's where the mayor of. Cury Yam got the idea. >> Yeah, great idea. >> Sure. And actually, I saw that photo, too, and it's kind of neat. I don't know. what it is or who created it or. whatever, but there's allegedly a photo. taken obviously from like a cliff down. onto a beach. >> And you know, a beach that will have. like a big just slab of rock surrounded.

by sand. >> Yeah. Sand and mermaids, >> right? There's a mermaid on that rock. just kind of looking out at the sea. >> Yeah. >> And of course it it could be anything. It could be totally doctorred. Who. knows? Um but it's from a distance and. at least they didn't like go full out. like perfect picture of a mermaid or. whatever. It's it's it's just um. suggestive enough that people who. believe in such things would be like. that right there there's a picture of a. mermaid you know. >> Totally. >> So that that uh was found in 2009 or. that surfaced in 2009 and since then the.

town. >> surfaced. >> right since then the town's uh had that. standing offer. >> Correct. So, uh, the really the the. interesting thing to me about mermaids. is the, uh, mythology. Did you take. mythology in college at all? >> Yeah, I did. It I always wanted it to. interest me more than it did. Me, too. It was just, I don't know if it it. wasn't explained to me quite well enough. or just the ancients. nonbiccameal mind wasn't um, fused.

together enough to interest people in. the modern age. >> Well, I think so. I think the stories. themselves as far as good storytelling. were just lacking. >> Uh because a lot of them were just. versions of one another. >> and there was usually a very basic. >> uh premise or or moral, >> right? >> Um and in the case of mermaids, a lot of. times they were a lot of folklore even. was rooted in misogyny, >> you know, about how you know there'll be.

a woman to come along and screw your. life up, >> right? or if you screw up a woman um she. will kill your children or something. like that. Like women were not to be. trusted and they were murderous and. duplicitous in a lot of mythology. It's. true. >> The old hag. >> So uh it was in various I mean hundreds. and hundreds of of books and texts. including the Talmud, believe it or not. And uh you we've talked about Ply the. Elder, the beer and the dude.

>> Yeah. >> Uh Rome's plan the elder. He in his. natural history talked about uh a. mermaidlike creature called. >> the nurid. >> Yes, >> I think I'm pronouncing that correctly. >> Yeah. N E R E I D. >> That EI is a tough transition. >> It is. >> because you want to say like Nuri. >> Yeah. >> Or Nurid. >> These were cymphs uh half human half. fish mermaids. And um he also talked. about sea men. And we should point out.

that mermen, we made the joke about us. being mermen. >> Yeah, >> I believe mermen were even first on the. literary scene. Is that correct? >> Well, first at least with mythology or. um theology, I guess there's a. Babylonian god of the sea named Ia. >> Yeah. >> EA sports. >> Just EA. >> And he pops up in uh Babylonian. mythology from I think 4,000 years ago.

And they think that he's actually the. progenitor of or the predecessor I. should say of Poseidon who is the Greek. god of the sea and Neptune who is the. Roman god of the sea cuz the Greeks gave. us western culture but they just walked. around to all of the neighboring. cultures and picked their favorite parts. and put them together. >> Yeah. >> And that was definitely one of them. >> Yeah, for sure. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Uh. well, we talked in our um I guess it was. in the folklore and fairy tale episodes.

that were twin episodes almost. >> Yeah. >> Um about the original Little Mermaid and. how, you know, she was disnified to the. fullest, >> but the original story was far darker. Darker, but also even more touching by. far. Yeah. Yeah, >> like I went back and read the last um. the last like section of it. >> Well, give me a summary at the end. >> So, at the end, this is where it. dramatically differs from the the Disney. story. The Little Mermaid is scorned for.

another woman. Her the the guy she loves. chooses someone else and marries her. And the Little Mermaid is like, "Dude, I. gave up my tail for you." Yeah. I think. a witch has my tongue kind of thing. um. and I want to get back my life. So her. sisters came and bring her this ritual. knife and say you can convert back to a. mermaid if before dawn you plunge this. knife into this dude's heart, this guy.

who loves heart and you get some of his. blood on your feet, you will regrow your. tail and you can jump into the sea and. everything will be just fine again. So. she goes and she finds the guy sleeping. with his new uh bride beside him and she. just can't do it. She throws the knife. into the sea and um becomes seafoam. She. disintegrates and becomes seafoam. So. she gives her her own uh happiness up. for the guys, right? And dies as a.

result. But even better than that, when. she turns into seafoam, she becomes a. different mythical creature. uh like. basically a air nymph that goes around. like helping humans um and she can. possibly get into heaven if she helps. people um for 300 years. Hans Christian. Anderson wrote it way better than I just. recounted it. A lot less ums and likes. >> Yeah. >> Uh but it's it's pretty it's worth. reading. Uh, Ply also talked about.

mermen um back in the day and there. would be mermen or seammen who would uh. at night climb up onto ships. This is a. quote. That's why I'm reading it. Weird. >> Upon which the side of the vessel where. he seated himself would instantly sink. downward and if you remain there any. considerable time even go underwater. And that was something that we will see. as we talk more about mermaids is they. are um very they're often either an omen. that something bad is going to happen to.

sailors or coastal dwelling people. Yeah. >> Or they actually directly cause harm to. sailors or coastal dwelling people. Yeah. And most times under the guise of. something beautiful and like a siren. >> Yeah. >> Um they are often well I don't we. haven't even described one. Surely you. know that a mermaid. >> has the head and body torso of a of a. woman. Human woman. >> usually with huge boobs. >> Yeah. If you're talking about a sailor's.

account, right? >> Sure. >> They're like, "Oh, yeah. She was busty.". >> Did I mention the boobs? >> Yes, you did, sir. Seven times. Um and. uh the from the you know uh torso down. uh she's a fish. Maybe web feet, maybe not. Very. graceful, very fast, and always. beautiful. >> Uh it depends. >> Oh yeah. >> Yeah. There were some of legend that. were not ugly. >> Really?

>> Yeah. >> Not ugly or they were ugly? that they. were not. in parentheses beautiful, ugly. >> Uh, well, I hadn't heard about that. >> Yeah, it's it's in here. >> I I thought No, I'm just I must have. missed that part. >> It's uh it's it's far more frequent what. you were saying that they were beautiful. and alluring. >> Okay. >> Um but we'll we'll talk more about that. after we take a break. Huh. talking. about Josh and we're talking about Trump. and we're talking about. talking about all kinds of stuff.

Seriously. All right, Chuck, you we were saying. that for the most part mermaids are. beautiful. And one of the reasons why. they are supposed to be beautiful is. because they are frequently um uh.

accused of luring men, sailors out to. sea to their death. >> Yeah. >> And how do you do that? You do that one. of two ways. You have a beautiful. singing voice. >> Yep. >> Or you just straight up look good. yourself. >> That's right. And if you have a. beautiful singing voice, you're a siren, in which case you would not be a mermaid. because a siren is half bird, half. woman. >> Yes. >> And they don't even necessarily live in. the water or near the water. They're. sometimes described as hanging out in. fields. >> Yeah. I guess sometimes you can be very.

pretty and be a good singer, >> right? If you're a mermaid. >> Mhm. >> But the the Yeah, you could be. >> Yeah, >> sure. You'd be uh. >> who am I to disagree? >> You'd be Beyonce, >> right? >> Or Alicia Keys, right? >> Or Adele. Oh, you know who I like is uh. Rihanna. >> Oh, yeah. She's great. >> She's very pretty. >> That part in uh uh what's it called? This is the end. And she played herself. >> Yeah. Yeah.

>> She's pretty great in that. >> She was pretty funny. >> Michael Sarah like spanked her and she. just immediately turned around and. smacked the heck out of him. >> Yeah. I enjoyed parts of that movie, especially Michael Sarah. >> Yeah. playing like a cooked out jerk. That was really funny. >> Yeah. >> Um, so back to the beautiful mermaids. though. Uh, there there was one in 1000 B.CE in. Syria and her name, how would you. pronounce that? >> Adergatus. >> Oh, I think you nailed it. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> All right, we'll go with that. And uh, she and you'll you'll see a lot of.

duality in a lot of these stories. And. she was one for sure that was a. protector, a goddess. Uh, I think she. protected the fertility of her people. and um watched over them and uh fell in. love with a human man as you will often. see in a lot of these stories. >> A dude. >> Yeah. A dude. And it and it was fine for. a little while. >> Mhm. >> Like in most stories and then it goes. south. >> Yeah. >> And she uh kills him. >> She crushed him with her uh greatness.

>> Oh, I thought like her big tail or. something. >> I don't know. Well, she wasn't a mermaid. yet. This is where she becomes. >> Oh, that's true. That's right. I forgot. about that. So, um, she accidentally. kills him and then is very shamed, throws herself into the lake, >> uh, because she wants to become a fish. >> and it she's so beautiful that it only. works half as good. >> I really can't figure out the math on. that. >> No, >> but I guess she's just so beautiful that. the the human beauty part of her is. like, "No, I won't be a fish.". >> Just the lower half can be a fish. Yeah,

cuz she had to fungus, so that was. easily overcome. But her face was really. nice. So the fish part just couldn't. overcome that. >> That's right. So she ended up a mermaid. >> What a weird story. But not just weird. like. >> like oh it's foreign or anything. I'm. not being xenophobic, but it it really. like. >> says a lot about. >> like humanity and like how we think of. things. Like no, she was so good-looking. that this magic couldn't even overcome.

that. >> Yeah. You know, good point. We place a. lot of value on that kind of thing. >> Uh, all right. Should we move on to. Germany? >> Yeah, this one was kind of interesting. to me because Germany's landlocked. >> Oh, I never really thought about that. What Why does Germany have a mermaid. mythology? >> Well, I mean, they have lakes, >> I guess. >> But mermaids are 100% ocean dwellers, aren't they? >> No, there are some river dwellers. >> Oh, that's right. >> Although, I think the sirens were. specifically river. Well, then in the.

German myth, it was a river dweller. Correct. >> Okay. Yeah. The Nixes. >> Uh, yeah. And they lured men into the. river. Yeah, it was a river. And so they. could drown them. Like again, the call. of the siren. Come in here. Look how. beautiful I am. >> Right. Check these out. >> And now I'm holding your head under. water. >> Right. >> And you can't breathe anymore. >> And the guy's like, I regret nothing. Uh but this duality that we're talking. about is uh what you see a lot of times.

in mermaid myths uh from uh West Africa. The mommy wada mother water uh she was a. mermaid who was very nurturing and very. loving. >> If if you didn't cross her. >> Yeah. Exactly. That's where the duality. comes in. >> I don't even know if that's duality. I. think that's just a complex person. Good. good complex character there. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So, she's great, but when you. cross her, she's murderous. Sure. All. right. And that's what she did.

Actually, she had uh if you were loyal. to her, she would you could be wealthy. from her magic mirror and comb. Uh but. if you betrayed her, then what this. article says is she rains down fury and. destruction, >> right? >> Right out of. >> she reign the h word from above. >> But the duality is is an important part. of it because the the physical creature. itself is two things. Sure. >> And they are also two things emotionally. and. >> but so the mermaid the mermaid or merman.

or mer folk as they're called in this. article. Are they really? >> Yeah. So mer folk are half fish half. people, right? >> Yeah. >> But they're not anywhere near unique in. the the pantheon of mythological. creatures throughout the ages, right? >> There's again there's sirens, half. birds, half women. There's there's just. tons of ha like the um the minotaur half. man half bull. Yeah. >> The centaur was what? Half goat or horse. and half man.

>> I don't remember that sounds right. >> I think half horse. Um. and I was like where did all these come. from? I suspected beastiality. And it turns. out I may be right. >> Oh yeah. >> Yeah. >> What'd you find? There are some scholars. out there who believe that this is the. product of a um much more relaxed. attitude toward beastiality than we. modern humans have today. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> I still never saw that documentary about. the horse.

>> Yeah, it's a good one. Zoo. >> Yeah, I need that. Fell off my radar, >> man. It's one of those ones where they. largely do recre like the whole thing's. almost recreation, >> right? >> And I usually am not hip on those. It. doesn't feel like a documentary to me, but that one changed my mind about that. whole technique that they did it so. well. >> Really? >> Yep. >> It's rough. >> I bet. >> it's rough. Especially like when you. think about, you know, the animals as. well. >> Yeah, of course. >> You know, but there's more than just. that that makes it rough.

>> I need to see that. Um, so I guess we. can talk a little bit about some. eyewitness accounts. They're all bunk, of course, but they have happened in. World War II uh in Japan on Indonesia's. Kai Islands. Uh supposedly they. encountered a monster on the beach that. had, you know, webbed hands and feet and. was kind of part human, part fish. >> Yeah. It was like, "Look at these jazz. hands. You can't do this.". And then back in the day, uh, some of. our most revered explorers.

and adventure adventurers, uh, reported. seeing mermaids like John Smith and. Henry Hudson. >> and Columbus. Everybody loves him. >> Yeah. What was uh, there's a good quote. in here from Columbus because he wasn't. too impressed. >> Yeah. He said, and here's the thing. I. read that in his diary, he's referring. to himself in the third person. Wow, that says a lot. >> That's odd. He's like. >> Ricky Henderson, >> right? Or George Castanza. So, he says.

that he saw some Oh, yeah. The quote's. not in here. You got to read the quote. He's out sailing around. Oh, what is that? Out in the ocean. I. think I'll take a look through my spying. glass. >> The day before when the admiral was. going to the And the admiral is himself. >> Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. He was. the admiral of his fleet for sure. The. day before when the admiral was going on. to the Rio delo, >> that's the river of gold, >> he said he saw three mermaids who came. quite high out of the water but were not. as pretty as they are depicted for.

somehow in the face they look like men. >> but I still thought about it. >> Yeah. So. >> scene. >> what they think now and I don't know how. they substantiated this is that Columbus. was seeing manatees. >> Yeah. Have you seen manes? >> Yeah. It looks nothing like a human. >> From enough of a distance though, you're. like, "Wait a what is that?" Especially. if you've never seen a manatee before. >> I don't think it looks humanlike at all. >> From enough of a distance. Mhm.

>> Yeah, I can see how somebody would, especially if you believe that mermaids. existed and you see a manatee. >> Maybe it's hard for me. >> I can totally get that. >> go there in that uh put my mind in that. kind of frame. >> in the frame of Christopher Columbus. Well, just to have never seen a mermaid, to have never seen a manatee, to be high. on uh on what's the green stuff? >> Arawax scalps. >> Oh my god. >> Why? I just blanked on the green uh. >> marijuana. >> No,

>> the green. >> the the green drink. Absinth. >> I don't think absin was around with. Columbus. >> Oh, are you kidding me? >> No, I'm not. >> You shooting that stuff? I can kind of. see it. Uh, so he maybe saw a manatee and was. like, "Eh, they're not so great looking. after all. >> They're not that great. >> What's everyone talking about?". >> Uh, yeah, he saw one. This is like Jimmy. Carter in the UFOs. >> Like, you're kind of surprised when you. hear this that somebody cited it.

Apparently Reagan said he saw UFOs as. well. >> Uh, John Smith said he saw some. He. liked what he saw. He liked the look of. the manatees cuz he said he fell in love. with one with long green hair. >> Yeah. He said it was wasn't badl looking. or it wasn't unattractive or something. like that. >> Yeah. >> It was kind of a head he hedged his bets. a little bit. >> Yeah. >> I guess he wanted to check the rest of. her out. >> Yeah. >> And then he saw she had a tail and he's. like, "Oh, >> can't go there.". >> So, what what's going on here? Are they.

hallucinating because they've been on. the high seas too long? >> That's what a lot of people say. >> Yeah. Um, other people say that again. they were predisposed to believing in. mermaids because people thought mermaids. existed. This were this was the age of. exploration. So it's the beginning of. the age of exploration which means that. before then the oceans were largely. unexplored and there were tons of. beliefs in thousand or thousands of year. old mythologies about creatures that.

lived in the sea. So if you thought that. those things existed, then something. that looked kind of like a mermaid could. be a mermaid. So that was probably they. were just they're just cases of mistaken. identity. >> They were highly suggestible. >> Yeah, >> we did one on sea monsters. Remember? >> We did. >> Yeah. >> Yep. That was a good one. I thought that. one was going to be awful and it turned. out pretty great. >> that episode. >> Yeah. Like I remember thinking like this. is not going to go well and. >> kind of like this one. >> Yeah. How do you think this one's going?

>> Pretty great. All right. Well, let's. take a break then and uh give each other. a neck rub. Okay. >> And then we'll come back. More. comfortable than ever. >> All right. >> Talking about. stuff. Seriously.

There is a dude. I love this guy. His. name is Carl Bance. >> and he you're not a Carl Bance fan. >> Well, I just I'm not quite sure I. understand unless. >> Did you read the Go ahead the the. article? >> Well, just to set it up. >> Okay. So, a dude named Carl Bance back. in 1990, he wrote a an article in a. legitimate journal, the journal.

limnology and oceanography. Um, and they. published it and it is an entirely. tongue andcheek but totally played. straight account of the extinct species. mermaid. >> Yeah. like wherein he he surmises on. like for real where they came from, what. their biology was, uh where they why. they left us. >> Yep. That they were warm water dwelling, that they ate human flesh, which is why. they lured people to their death.

>> Um he goes so far as to say that they um. most likely only produced one or two. offspring at a time because the females. of the um of the species had two breasts. and that was it. Okay. >> You know, >> sure. >> Um like like this is the thought that. this guy put into this this article and. the fact that he writes it totally. straight. >> Yeah. >> And like really gives it its due. attention. Like it wasn't that that like. this is going to be a great idea and. just the idea itself is hilarious. So I. don't really have to put any effort into.

actual execution. He put effort into the. execution and it did he did pretty good. >> I'm not knocking him. I guess I just. don't see why this journal would put. something like that out there even. >> I don't know. I mean, I guess they had a. good sense of humor and they were maybe. it was the April Fool's episode or. >> I was wondering if that was the case, too. And I forgot to look if it was the. April issue. >> Perhaps he did use the words horny. skinfolds, though, >> right? >> Their skin and he theorized was not. smooth uh smooth scaled like a regular.

fish, but it had quote horny skin folds. >> like an armadillo. >> Yeah. >> What's interesting is I saw another um. account from 1830 in Scotland. There's a. c a a a town called Benbeckula. on the outer heedes, right? Which is. like the outer islands, the ara. archipelago. It's an archipelago. That's. how you say that, right? >> Archipelago. >> Yeah. >> Either way, there's a town there. >> String of islands. >> Coastal. Thank you. A coastal town where.

in 1830 the whole town swore they saw a. mermaid and tried to grab the mermaid. and the mermaid swam away. So, some kid. threw a rock at it and hid it in its. back and two days later they found it. dead on shore and they felt so bad about. it that they. >> killed the kid. >> They uh they buried it. They gave it a. funeral with like a casket and. everything. >> Wow. >> And um they said that it didn't have. scales that it had like kind of rough.

skin instead. >> Horny skinfold. >> Yeah. They didn't use that term, but. this is like a thing in 1830 in. Scotland. Yeah. Pretty interesting that. when you read the account of it years. later, >> that's like my new band name, by the. way. >> Horny Skin Folds. Yeah. Nice. >> Yeah, that is interesting. Uh maybe there's something there, >> right? >> How do you keep the the folds of the. horny skimfold clean? You know, I bet. like gunk gets trapped in there. >> Gross.

>> I know. >> Maybe that's the name of the first. single. Cleaning the folds. The other thing um that Bance did in his. article was explain probably why they're. extinct now. He he came to the. conclusion they're extinct. Um he said. they were warm water so they would have. cohabitated or shared the their um. ecosystem with jellyfish. And as humans. started to fish more and more of the sea. um we upset the ecological balance. Yeah. >> Jellyfish populations were allowed to. boom, which is the case and they stung.

the mermaids to death because the. mermaids had they lacked the blubber. that would protect them not just in cold. water but from jellyfish stings as well. So they died out from jellyfish stings. >> Yeah. Because their their upper skin was. just regular skin, right? It wasn't the. horny skin folds. >> Yeah. >> So, it provided no protection. >> Exactly. >> Pretty good. >> It's worth reading. Go check it out. It's called mermaids, the bi their. biology, culture, and demise. And you. can find like the full PDF online. >> Well, I think we have to address the.

animal planet snafu. >> I don't know if they would call it a. snafu. I think they would call it a. ratings bonanza. >> Yeah. Which uh what was the other? Oh, when we talked about the megalodon when. Discovery Channel aired a megalodon. documentary. >> that appeared by all accounts to be. true, >> right? >> And was not. >> same thing with Mermaids, but they did. it twice. >> They did. They did a sequel because it. got, like you said, huge ratings. >> Mhm. And uh this was a documentary um.

well not a documentary, it was a. mockumentary. that looked like Did you watch any clips. or anything? >> Uh of the second one. Yeah. >> Yeah. I mean it looked like you know a a. show like a hunting Bigfoot crew. >> It's like you know we got this mermaid. We know where she is and we're down here. hunting and they. >> 3,000 ft. >> Yeah. >> below the surface. >> Yeah. And they interviewed a guy that. looked like Zack Galifanakis. If only it would have been Zack. Calipanis, it would have made it much. better. But um you know then it was one. of these shows where at the end in small.

lettering well it's probably not even. small but at the end of the credits it's. like this was all made up. These are. actors and. >> yeah but still buy it. If you go online. people are still like arguing over the. the legitimacy or credentials of the. marine geologist Torsten Schmidt. >> That's a great name. >> It is. Um, and people are like, "Well, if he were a real scientist, he would. have been published elsewhere besides. this, and he's not published." And it's. like, "That's because he's not real. He's made up.".

>> Yeah. This is like settled, >> right? >> They didn't even pretend that it was. real. >> So, I don't I don't know if that's the. case or not because. >> Well, I mean, they said it wasn't on the. at the end of the show. >> Okay. But they didn't come out and say. everybody everybody. >> Oh, well, I see what you mean, >> right? And so actually Noah, the. National Oceanic and Atmospheric. Administration had to release an they. felt they needed to release a statement. after the first one saying like, "Hey, um, mermaids don't exist. No evidence. has ever been found. We're Noah." The.

end. >> And I bet they'd love that even. >> show. Yeah. >> Oh my god, Noah's making a statement. about. >> it's going to be all over the news, >> right? And so I guess enough people. bought it and and um bought into it that. they were able to release a sequel. And. in the sequel, the reason they released. the sequel was because Torstston Schmidt. had footage of a webbed hand like. smacking the windshield of his little. like um underwater sub, twoman sub. >> Um and then swimming off. >> Yeah. >> And so they just kept showing that over.

and over and over again. And I saw that. shot Galifanakis. >> He did look like him, didn't he? >> A lot. Um, I thought you were going to. say they it was found out when Torstston. Schmidt showed up on a episode of Two. Broke Girls the next week as like a. waiter. >> Yeah. In a progressive insurance ad is. like customer number two. >> Exactly. >> There's one other sighting I wanted to. mention. This one is second for my. favorite after the Scottish one. Okay. >> It was in uh Edom, Netherlands. Is it. Edom?

>> Sure. >> Like the cheese. >> Yeah. Okay. Um, two girls were like. rowing their boats and found a mermaid. and took it home and dressed it up as a. little girl and taught it to live on. land, but it remained mute its whole. life. >> like ET. >> Yeah. But isn't that cute? >> That is very cute. >> They're like, "You're coming home with. us." Oh, you've got a family. TS, we got. a family, too. And it's your new family. >> And they just made that story up and. told people, and it survived, >> I guess. >> Interesting. Although they didn't they.

didn't apparent like they metriculated. the mermaid into human society there but. we're talking 1430 so who knows what was. going on. >> Yeah. >> They were eating. >> they probably got their hands on on. somebody who was like. who knows. >> Yeah. >> And they were like oh mermaid. This is a. mermaid. >> Oh just someone who had some sort of. physical deformationation. >> and made them come live with them. >> Yeah. >> Dressed as a girl for the rest of their. life like Schlitzy or something. >> Yeah. like we did in the freak shows. They would.

>> just call them make up whatever animal. they wanted to. >> That was another great episode, too. >> Are you just recounting the good ones. while we do this one? >> Just to remind people, it gets better. >> Uh, so being a mermaid is an actual job. you can get if you back in the day in. the 1940s and 50s. It was a big hit. >> Mhm. >> Uh to go to like a sea park and have. mermaid shows. >> and specifically one in is it Wikiwatchi. Springs? >> Yeah, Wikiwatchi Springs, Florida uh.

near Tampa. And uh it was a booming. business uh back then. They said um. between half million and a million. tourists every year, including big. famous people like Elvis Presley and Don. Knots. >> Yeah, those are the two they mentioned. >> Those two would trash a place together. >> Oh, I bet. Don gets into the whiskey, it's all. over. Um, so yeah, it was a huge deal. back then. They're still doing it there. today. But it is a real job. You can um.

you can go if you're a great swimmer. >> like you have to know what you're doing. >> Oh, yeah. >> Like it seems like, oh yeah, you just. put on that that tail, but that tail is. is heavy and awkward. >> Well, yeah. And plus like some buoyant. swimming with your legs together. >> Yeah, that's hard. >> It's very difficult. Yeah, it's not an. easy job from what I can tell. >> Yeah. So, apparently once you put like. they look very graceful uh swimming. around in those things, but you go put. one on and get in a pool and see what. happens. >> Right. And the this article I think. Riley points out that the professional.

mermaids that you see today are um like. this is from years and years and years. of practice. >> Yeah. >> Like they didn't just get in the water. and they're like, "Yeah, I'm a natural.". >> Yeah. Exactly. >> Um. >> it's got to be really awkward. >> Sure. And you also have to know how to. hold your breath like a mo. >> Like a mo. >> Yeah. I stopped myself. >> Yeah, you do. And you have to learn how. to swim uh the mermaid crawl, which is. what they name it, but you know, it's. not like regular swimming.

>> Uh Yeah. Right. >> You know. >> Yeah. >> And you can make a little dough, too. >> A little bit. >> It said you can be hired like as a. one-off for a party. What is that like? You go to like a neighborhood pool and. everyone gathers around like, "Look at. the mermaid." and claps out of rhythm. >> That's so funny. >> And you're like, "What do you guys want. me to do?". >> I guess you can do that. But the the. most mostly what I've seen are like the. shows in some like sleepy Florida town, >> right? >> Like Gator Farm and uh. >> that was the start. >> and the and the Wiki Watchi mermaids.

>> or like at resorts or something like. that. >> Yeah. Back when they used to love that. kind of thing. Mhm. Uh and some of these. uh professional mermaids apparently use. their uh status as a soapbox for. ecology. >> Yeah. >> And uh efforts to keep the oceans clean. >> Yeah. That's pretty cool. Yeah. >> There seems to be a real thread of that. running through the professional mermaid. culture. You're like a eco activist. >> That's a decent band name, too. >> Professional mermaid culture.

>> Yeah. >> This one was rich with bands. >> Band names. Horny skin folds. >> Yow. Uh, if you want to know more about. mermaids, you can type that word in the. search bar at housetopworks.com. And. since I said search bar, it's time for. listener mail. >> Actually, in lie of listener mail today. Uh, we are going to ask you for something. cuz we people al often say like, how can. I help the show? Uh, spreading the word.

is awesome. We always appreciate that. But one thing we haven't asked you to do. in a long time is to go to iTunes and. leave a review. >> Oh yeah. >> Because that makes a big difference if. there are reviews. Uh even if they're. not favorable, just be honest. >> Vote with your conscience. >> Vote your conscience. And uh yeah, go to. iTunes, leave a review for us because. just having reviews is a good thing. And. um tell a friend, help spread the word. I feel like years go by before we say. things like this. >> Yeah. Well, I think literally that's the.

case. >> Yeah, it's been a long time. >> So, we really appreciate the the way the. show was built was on word of mouth. largely and we really count on that. So, tell a friend, go to iTunes and leave a. uh a recommendation. And um the other. thing that we also need are more. jingles. >> Oh, yeah. >> These jingles that you hear, these. bumpers are from fans and listeners, musicians, >> very kind ones. >> Yeah. And they really enjoy doing it and. we love throwing them out there. So, uh, send us your jingle and, um, we can't.

promise we'll use it, but we probably. will. >> Yeah, cuz they're pretty great. >> Yeah. So, that's all I got. >> Well, thanks. Uh, if you want to get in. touch with us to help us out with any of. this stuff, you can tweet to us at. syskodcast. You can join us on. facebook.com/stuffyou. should know. You can send us an email to. stuffpodcast@ousstuffworks.com. And as always, join us at our home on. the web, stuffyou know.com. For more on this and thousands of other. topics, visit howstuffworks.com.