The Story of Mermaids: Are They Real After All?

[@f4st3r36]

For April fools day I would love to see Simon redo one of these “myth” type episodes from the perspective that he 100% believes it’s true with no indication to the contrary

[@magabre3212]

brilliant 👏

[@JRockySchmidt]

Can we have Simon replace Amber Heard?

[@MTrefry2]

He did that one year with Arthurian history. I was like 3/4 way through kinda believing it, then I remembered him mentioning that the stories were all made up. Lol

[@leestark9513]

Biographics pn Sherlock Holmes YW

[@generatoralignmentdevalue]

I would love a subtle approach, where the script is the same as normal but all Simon's tangents and reactions are in character as a hardcore believer. It would also lessen the effect on people who get recommended the false joke documentary in like June.

[@bo7341]

As someone who studied geology in college, I feel obligated to point out regarding the aquatic ape that generally things fossilize much more readily in water than on land. Moreover, literally no marine chordate is bipedal or anything resembling it, because the posture is NOT advantageous. Fun fact about the platypus for those who cared to read this far, the reason it is weird is because it's lineage split off from the rest of mammals in the Paleozoic. This is why it retains basal reptile traits like egg laying and poison glands with mammal traits like fur.

[@toddaulner5393]

Prove it. An explanation is not real proof.

[@bo7341]

@@toddaulner5393 which claim are you asking for proof of? Happy to provide.

[@godstenrules]

Look at the evolution of dolphins they were they were land animals at one time.

[@bo7341]

@@godstenrules no they weren't. They evolved from land animals, yes but I disagree with the idea that they "used to be" something else. Also that transition is well represented in the fossil record. A lineage of extinct sloths also lived in the water. The "aquatic ape" isn't completely impossible but there is absolutely no evidence to support it or even a reasonable place where it would fit into the existing fossil record. My point was limited to the arguments that they wouldn't fossilize in water (in fact the opposite is more correct) and that traveling bipedally is an adaptation to water (because it's contrary to basic hydrodynamics and convergent evolution of every swimming chordate).

[@TheFlyingLiger]

As an evolutionary biologist, the part about the aquatic ape HYPOTHESIS (not theory) was painful to listen to. @bo7341 is absolutely correct that fossilization happens much more frequently in water than it does on land, which is why the fosslils of even many terrestrial animals have been found in or around ancient bodies of water. Also the description of AAH in this video is rather misleading. AAH posits that the ancestors of modern humans were more semi-aquatic than fully aquatic, spending a lot of time in water, wading, gathering food etc. The AAH points primarily to the subcutaneous fat tissue, which humans have, but most other terrestrial mammals (including other primates) don't, and is found in practically all aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals, and our hairlessness as evidence of a period of semi-aquatic lifestyle in hominid ancestors. Some supporters of AAH even suggest that this semi-aquatic period might even be the reason bipedalism evolved, as it would allow humans to wade deeper into water while still holding their head above the water. Personally I find the evidence for AAH weak and much more easily explained by different hypotheses. That said, I wouldn't go as far as to call it pseudoscience. It's a hypothesis that attempts to explain some quirks of the human physiology. Just because it does it badly, doesn't make it pseudoscience. It just makes it a bad hypothesis. (Edited to correct a typo and a brainfart)

[@ignitionfrn2223]

3:20 - Chapter 1 - Origins 3:55 - Chapter 2 - The things with sirens 6:05 - Chapter 3 - Atargatis, the 1st siren 9:15 - Chapter 4 - Memorable mermaids in mythology 10:40 - Chapter 4.1 - Melusine, the starkbucks logo 12:10 - Chapter 4.2 - Thessalonike, the sister of alexander the great 13:00 - Chapter 4.3 - Mama Wata an african mermaid tale 14:15 - Chapter 5 - Mermaids in the evolutionary chain 14:45 - Chapter 5.1 - The aquatic ape theory 19:35 - Chapter 5.2 - Convergent evolution 21:50 - Chapter 6 - Mermaid sightings 22:20 - Chapter 6.1 - 2nd century(Gaul) 24:05 - Chapter 6.2 - Rabbi shlomo(1040 - 1105) 26:10 - Chapter 6.3 - The dutch mermaid of edam 29:00 - Chapter 6.4 - Christopher columbus 30:45 - Chapter 6.5 - Henry hudson & his crew 31:35 - Chapter 6.6 - The habitable world described 33:20 - Chapter 7 - The age of the mermaid 33:50 - Chapter 7.1 - The mermaid of kent 36:05 - Chapter 7.2 - The benbecula mermaid 37:20 - Chapter 7.3 - A brief encounter at cape brenton 39:10 - Chapter 7.4 - The creature of the kei islands 41:55 - Chapter 7.5 - A south african mermaid story 43:20 - Chapter 7.6 - A mermaid visits kiryat yam 44:45 - Chapter 7.7 - Mermaids in zimbabwe 47:10 - Chapter 8 - Fake mermaids 47:30 - Chapter 8.1 - Captain John smith's mermaid 49:40 - Chapter 8.2 - The fiji mermaid 56:10 - Chapter 8.3 - Animal planet special 59:25 - Chapter 8.4 - Japanese mermaids 1:02:00 - Chapter 9 - Are they real ? PS: Tell your writer to calm down with the chapters, i feel my brain is blazing over here !!!

[@Hawksong77]

Ok but actually I’m impressed. This is really useful

[@--enyo--]

Legend

[@ofox716]

Why do you only have 8 likes? This is extremely helpful for these longer videos

[@twinkletwinklelittlebat]

*bows* thank you

[@gemmascupoftea]

OGBB❤

[@nugboy420]

Simons response from the beginning and Ilze’s balls for making the story about something crazy shows Ilze has guts. And also knew it would exasperate Simon into oblivion this early into a show. Good play Ilze, well done. 😊

[@archstanton6102]

@@taylorfusher2997 why are you spamming the comments section with this nonsense?

[@richarddejour1722]

A Spanish sailor and a French sailor are talking at a port bar together. The French sailor tells the Spanish sailor that he's been hearing stories of mermaids from the English sailors. The Spanish sailor says that mermaids are just a myth and the English just mistook manatees for mermaids. The French sailor asks how could you mistake a manatee for a mermaid? The Spanish sailor responds "Have you seen English women?"

[@coconutcore]

These sailors didn’t sail to America, did they?

[@Ben_Gunner]

Weird. I live in Spain and trust me, that's a myth.

[@highlandoutsider]

🤣👏👏👏

[@AH.135]

Not before the Norse did

[@magabre3212]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 bahahahahahahaha this is great, never heard this one before. Knee slapper.

[@semaj_5022]

Not gonna lie, I freakin love random stories from mythology around the world, so I'm glad they were included even if you weren't digging em

[@mslpfanatik]

I cracked up the entire time. Simon is fantastic...just the right amount of sarcasm, comedy, and tangents.

[@oliviagrahammake-upservice7480]

I'm only here for the tangents 🤣

[@lesleygraham5927]

Totally right..

[@rapturesrevenge]

Re: Hairless cats. The breed is called the Sphynx (not sure why) and all representatives of the breed descend from one hairless cat that popped up in an otherwise normal litter of kittens. This cat's littermates and parents all had fur. This was the 1950s or 1960s, so genetics wasn't what it is today, but basically, this kitten inherited two copies of a recessive gene from its parents, and this recessive gene caused the hairlessness. This recessive gene was also a mutation of a different gene. I'm not sure what the odds of two carriers of this recessive mutated gene mating and producing a kitten expressing this gene were back then, but it was probably astronomical. It also means that other hairless kittens existed prior to this particular cat's birth, but they either died from exposure (obviously, without fur, it's hard for them to stay warm, and they get sunburned very easily) or they were disposed of by breeders/owners. ANYWAY, this breeder kept this particular kitten and bred it back to one of the parents (I think the kitten was male, so he was bred to his mother) to concentrate the gene, and then the hairless kittens that resulted were bred to furry cats, and so on. I've gotten to pet Sphynx before. They're not cold at all. They're very warm, and the skin is velvety and really soft. I don't think I would ever have one (I live in an area that gets very cold in winter, and it's literally winter for 6-9 months out of the year) but I wouldn't be upset about having one. Sphynx also love water, which is a plus, because they need to be bathed regularly to clean the skin oil off to prevent acne. You can also put little coats and sweaters on them to help keep them warm. They're definitely not for everyone, though.

[@KryssLaBryn]

I gather the main group they're useful for is cat-lovers (and/or their SO's) who are allergic to cats. With no fur to groom or shed, people with cat allergies find them a lot less of a problem.

[@rapturesrevenge]

@@KryssLaBryn they're not hypoallergenic. They still lick themselves and have dander (contrary to popular belief, the breed is not completely hairless). They're probably ideal for people whose allergies are fairly mild.

[@vikwitch2185]

I have always wanted one,I think theyre beautiful.A cat rescue about 100 miles from where I live,has 2.1 sadly had eye problems & 1 eye was removed.They do take a lot of care,thats why I dont have one yet

[@angelitabecerra]

Sphynx because they resemble stylized depictions of ancient Egyptian cats. And when you're creating a designer breed a designer name is needed. Changing the "I" to a "Y" just adds to the exoticism I suppose

[@rapturesrevenge]

@@angelitabecerra the breed has been around since the 1960s. They didn't- and still do not - change the spelling of a word to make it more stylish when naming cat breeds. The cat show world is very...posh. Sphynx is more commonly used than Sphinx - including in academic papers - and both spellings are accepted.

[@MF-R]

Christopher Columbus: "That's one ugly woman..." Crewman: "Chris; that's a seal." Why does that feel like it REALLY could of happened given Columbus's track record.

[@georgehill8285]

There’s a Red Dwarf episode where they play a Holodeck type video game called “Better than life” and Cat imagines up a mermaid girlfriend with a fish head and human legs. When the others suggest the fish part should be on the bottom, Cat says “that’s the stupid way around…”

[@ethanmccormack9561]

Omg I so glad I wasnt the only one thinking this 😂😂😂 or how rimmer even though in a simulation which is meant to give you the perfect life his was still completely shit 😂😂😂 one of my favourite episodes is backwards world with Cat at the end in the bush 😂😂😂😂😂

[@Rachel_M_]

I was picturing it in my head but couldn't place it... And then I read your comment.. Thank you 😘

[@brianpembrook9164]

I was actually thinking of Family Guy when Lois met a merman. The entire upper half was fishy. No arms, just flippers/fins.

[@tristhekid]

I saw the title, saw the length, thought the length might be unnecessary and a simple no would’ve done but we appreciate the effort you all put in, especially you fact boy. I’m still gonna listen in because why not.

[@Anton_Chigurh_2007]

I've never seen a mermaid, Simon, but have spoken with someone who definitely knows that they exist. When I was vacationing on a beach in Florida, I noticed that the lifeguard was a large, muscular fellow who was normal in all respects except that he had a tiny head. A head the size of a tomato. After a while, curiosity overcame me and I walked up to ask him how this came to be. "Excuse me, sir, I do not mean to be rude, but were you born with such a small head?'" said I. "No," he replied, "it was perfectly normal size until a couple of years ago. You see, I was patrolling this very beach and noticed a woman thrashing around in the water a few hundred feet from shore, so I swam out to help her. I found that she was entangled in a fishing net, so I removed her from it and brought her back to the beach. As I did so, I noticed that she was not an ordinary woman, but a beautiful mermaid. Once ashore, she thanked me profusely and said "I am so grateful to you for saving my life, sir, I'd do anything for you, how can I repay you?" "I did not hesitate," continued the lifeguard, "and said that I would like to have sex with her." "I'm so sorry but I can't do that since I am fish from the waist down as you can plainly see," the mermaid responded. So the lifeguard said "Well, how about a little head?"

[@adeyemi120]

Great joke 😂😂😂

[@Rachel_M_]

🤣 🤣

[@brucewayne799]

Lol

[@ruthmeow4262]

Let's be honest, most of us would rather hear "boring" mythological mermaid stories over Twilight. I mean, the back of a soup can would be more interesting than Twilight...

[@paulnolan4971]

Oh absofrigginlutley

[@josephernest91]

1000000% agreed!

[@IntrepidFraidyCat]

Lestat is laughing his @$$ off...👍🏻😀

[@danielled8665]

@@IntrepidFraidyCat yaaas love my Gay Vampire Icon. Okay mildly bi.

[@nugboy420]

Gasp 😱

[@phoenixsixxrising]

Another important factor we need to remember about all of the 'sightings' of mermaids is that optometry wasn't really a thing until the 1700's and wouldn't become commonplace until the twentieth century. Not only were sailors of the past stuck on boats for months on end, suffering from vitamin deficiencies, possibly drunk and probably lonely; they could well be nearsighted and saw only vague outlines!

[@lynnlynn6587]

26:56 "then you become their friend and then you capture them... and then you lock them in your basement" Well that explains Danny I guess.....

[@Heatherwashere]

When he said "boring mythological mermaids", I wad struck by an overwhelming urge to yell "Your mom is a boring mythological mermaid!"

[@thespazdragon]

I remember watching a similar 'documentary' to the mermaid ones on animal planet. It was about the evidence for dragons. Narrated by Patrick Stewart... I felt so betrayed when i realized it was just theories.

[@CojoneSordo]

Thank you guys for linking the episodes!!!

[@Peppermint_Winter]

I read an article online years ago - like 1999 or so - that was called 'Mermaids are Real!' but the premise was very interesting. It stated that in the heyday of mermaid sightings, between 1500 and 1700s, it very rarely mentioned a tail. Most of them were just sightings of naked women out swimming. That doesn't sound supernatural to us, but at the time, very few Europeans could swim. It was considered almost supernatural. Two mermaids found drowned in a fishing net were examined by a doctor in the 1600s and he marveled that they were identical to humans. If you did live on the seashore and learned to swim well, you'd use the opportunity to dive for clams and lobster. Men couldn't do it regularly or they would sterilize themselves with the cold water. And once you came up, you'd try to fix your hair. Hence the naked women on rocks, combing their hair. It wasn't until the Church started cracking down on artists saying they couldn't paint naked women, it had to be a supernatural creature *and you had to be able to tell it was a supernatural creature* that fish tails were added. I don't know how true it was, but it was an interesting take.

[@rowe024]

Do you have any info whatsoever on cold water sterilizing men? Have you heard of Wim Hoff?

[@Peppermint_Winter]

@@rowe024 Well, not sterilized permanently, just as long as they were hanging out in ice cold temperatures. That is why testicles are on the outside of the body; they require very specific temperatures to function properly. In the balmy waters of tropic and sub-tropical oceans, it probably doesn't make much of a difference. In the North Atlantic, yeah, it makes a difference. And I looked up Wim Hof ( no, I had not ever heard of him) and while he is known for tolerating low temperatures, it doesn't say how many kids he fathered while doing this for 8+ hours a day. I didn't say men couldn't *stand* the cold.

[@Nerathul1]

Obviously Simon's next channel will be "Casual Mythologist"

[@tawnie8550]

Loved this!!! I lost it when you were talking about stroking the hairless cat... My God you guys are brilliant. The combination of the writing..the memes and your comments and rants are priceless. Thank you so much for this. Made my day!!!

[@pinnnkyton]

Long format is the only format i upvote. I love that simon is not just looking to cash in and cares about quality content

[@AllTheHappySquirrels]

Ilse writing an interesting (and long) script about mermaids for Simon to read. 👏👏👏 Legend. Edited to add: how did Ilse miss out on Jake the Alligator Man? I thought he would surely have come up in conversation about the Fiji Mermaid. Sure, he's technically half alligator, not fish, but he definitely fits the theme.

[@knuckle12356]

I, too grew up visiting Marsh's Free Museum. We would stay for a week every summer during Kite Festival at my grandma's cabin. It was in a small town near Ilwaco. Good memories. 👍🏻

[@Redfoot138]

There was a stretch in the video when I was totally incredulous that the mermaid stories just kept coming. She was clearly trolling Simon at that point.

[@benjohnson1372]

Simon's editor has been on fire these past couple of months. Cracking me up 👐

[@coyootje]

I'd love to see episodes on Bigfoot and the Missing 411 phenomena as well. Both would be very interesting topics for this channel imo.

[@reneryan8427]

AKA the episode in which Simon utters the phrase "stroke the weird skin-cat".

[@beaatpeace2490]

"That's gotta be a weird power dynamic", caught me so off guard I actually Barked in laughter. 😂😂 Thanks Simon!

[@robertstuart480]

But it would be the ultimate flex at the local bar. "Oh yeah! Well, I made my goddess wife climax!"

[@jillscarborough8321]

For me it was “Can someone else put the tail on?” 😂

[@kdkorz10211]

The editing in this episode is superb

[@wintren101]

This freaking mockumentary about mermaids discussed in this video, made my mom actually believe there were mermaids and that the government was hiding them from us

[@XrandomXkiwiX]

I literally believed for years that we'd proven mermaids existed after watching that 😭😂

[@wilberforcehumphries]

did your mom take much acid in the 60s?

[@eebeegee8325]

I got fooled briefly in the first one as it was very well done but when my aunt watched it... I am still trying to convince her it was a hoax 😆

[@hacker4chn841]

That mockumentary was awful and they MILKED that for years.

[@fromolwyoming]

I enjoyed it as a fun "what if", then I found out some people took it seriously. Despite the captions that it was a mockumentary.

[@etherdark]

Can tell when Jen edits, always look forward to their 4th wall commentary inserts.

[@marandamurphy]

Jen please turn off the popping sound for each image. 😊

[@DeliveryMcGee]

On mermaid biology: How exactly do you think fish lay eggs? A mermaid would have some kind of hole there (a single all-purpose one, if more fish-based, but you could still ... y'know.) Babies swimming: surely you've seen that Nirvana album cover.

[@garyz2043]

Fish do have holes,not just anal but some produce live young.

[@brucewayne799]

You mean a fish hole,I see my way-out.

[@atkelar]

To quote Fry from Futurama... "why couldn't she be the other kind of mermaid, with the fish part on top?" 🤣

[@PositiveOnly-dm3rx]

They did that in family guy when Lois is stranded on an island. "But if I was the other kind of mermaid, I wouldn't have a d***. Didn't think about that, did you?!?" 😂😂😂

[@Miapetdragon69]

Sirenomelia, which is also known as mermaid syndrome, is an extremely rare congenital developmental disorder characterized by anomalies of the lower spine and the lower limbs. Affected infants are born with partial or complete fusion of the legs.

[@miketobias1821]

Well, i learned something today. Thank you 👍👍

[@learnwitharitriic]

Does this fusion cause legs to look like fish tails or fins? Curious to know

[@cherylrayes8015]

Pretty sure Columbus was Italian 🤔

[@NUMBEREDidentity]

I have a couple silicone mermaid tails and hold mermaid events locally, ... Yes its a thing... I wonder how many people that have seen us at the meetups or out swimming and are convinced they saw a real one.... 😂

[@teaspoonsofpeanutbutter6425]

Nah, as great as you guys are at what you do, your knees always give you away as definately human.

[@NUMBEREDidentity]

@@teaspoonsofpeanutbutter6425 I mean I've definitely fooled some kids. They'll grow up telling the tale of how they really did meet a mermaid.

[@teaspoonsofpeanutbutter6425]

@@NUMBEREDidentity I vet they were in awe! It's a shame the tails weren't made with something at the knee to soften the look and make the while thing look more fluid. So you could still move freely but the knees would look smoother...we'll have to go patent something, make our millions!

[@richardtherichard26]

Probably none of them since mermaids are fictional characters

[@erinchizmar6832]

Omg how do you get into that?? Especially in a land locked place 😂

[@vw6158]

The show Red Dwarf had the head of a fish that feet of a human. It was the Cat's idea of the perfect woman.

[@PositiveOnly-dm3rx]

They also did that on family guy when Lois gets stranded on an island.

[@bandit_of_trash]

I'm loving all the South African references in Ilze's scripts 😂

[@benzomanic2972]

I expected a 2 second video... Simon just saying "NO".

[@xBruceLee88x]

In his defense, he didn't write the script

[@elizabethmcglothlin5406]

A bit over an hour is taking the way to 'No'!

[@paulnolan4971]

Yeah this is longform "No, don't be stupid."

[@Justin-ob7ze]

A channel where Simon plays DnD with his writers or people like his writers would be hilarious, the shear level of chaos clashing with his general logical way of thinking would be incredibly entertaining, plus I'm more than certain he doesn't know piss all about DnD lore so the cold play would be hilarious.

[@--enyo--]

I don’t think he’d get through more than a few seconds of D&D. On the other hand you might be able to get him to play at least an hour of a Star Trek TTRPG, or perhaps Traveller, Stars Without Number, Alien, Mothership etc. Hell, even Call of Cthulhu or Cyberpunk might stand a chance. Or Cy_Borg. 🤣

[@Religion0]

What the hell, Simon? Mythology is fascinating!

[@thedarkweeb1253]

Mermaids new evidence was in my opinion a pretty good mockumentary (is what I think they called it). The animal channel also made one about dragons if I'm not mistaken.

[@oakstrong1]

Well dragons do exist, they are a scientific fact. Compro dragons get their name from the island where they live and they are bloody dangerous.

[@erinchizmar6832]

I saw the dragon one when I was ten and I was so convinced they were real 😂

[@dannykassmieh1198]

I haven't even watched this video yet and know Simon's reaction. I actually laughed seeing the title and thought there's no way Simon decided on the title unless in his sarcastic way. Have you covered differed species of Homo that have existed? Apparently there may have been hobbit-like species. I'd enjoy a video on that topic. Simon would be fun to watch if he doesn't know about them. I could be wrong, but Simon can sort that out for me in the future hopefully. ;)

[@missylongbottom2064]

Homo floresiensis

[@brianlittleforest631]

Yeah I second that suggestion.

[@unowen9668]

Can you imagine Simon trying to pronounce the scientific names!!🤣

[@ryanzero4636]

Right? I almost didn't even click on it because I knew all it would be is "NO, NO IT DOESN'T" but I needed to clear it from my recommended lol

[@WasabiSniffer]

Simon, “no it’s not real. Nothing is real. Everything is ridiculous.”

[@audreymuzingo933]

Holy sh, I somehow NEVER heard of that Animal Planet show. NOW I get why one of my 7th grade science students (in 2012) raised her hand in the middle of a lesson on cellular respiration or something, to ask "Are mermaids real?" and she was a frequent disrupter so I thought that's all she was trying to do, and I just kind of glared at her for a second and moved on. Then I noticed she and some girls around her looked shocked, like why is Ms. Muzingo angry? UGH!!! Thanks a lot corporate television! Some of us are already struggling to get backwoods brainwashed kids to accept real science, and here you are producing absolute trash, posed AS science!

[@loveableswampwitch]

I’ve literally been waiting for this, this completes my day lol

[@stephenk.1997]

When Simon first said, “wait. There are male mermaids? I don’t remember male mermaids.” [sic] My first thought was, “yes you do! Aquaman!” Then I remembered that Simon was legendary for his lack of pop culture knowledge. So, no, he is probably telling me to “shut up nerd!” right now. If I wrote for him I’d load the script down with so many pop culture references just to watch him laugh while telling us how much we wasted our lives. Until one day I sneaked in a single word, “kltpzyxm,” and he would disappear back to the Fifth Dimension from whence he came. Just kidding you sexy beast. We all know you wouldn’t even try to pronounce that word.

[@NUMBEREDidentity]

There are also male mermaids in the little mermaid... King Tritan.

[@stephenk.1997]

@@NUMBEREDidentity oh yeah… and that’s probably a better example. I just know he hates superheroes so I figured I’d use one because I am a terrible imp.

[@AlexAre0]

Lol not even a minute in and I am laughing. His reaction to the script title lol

[@chrisharris5497]

Simon deserves another dozen channels just for saying what every parent thinks by calling his child a bastard, next video will be Simon saying my child's no longer having nightmares, I've discovered Gin works wonders 😆😆😆

[@AngeliqueStP]

A touch of laudanum from Simon's private stash makes parenting SO much easier.😁

[@MsChrisn21]

I love this channel for Simon being himself and telling us what he really tells us what he thinks.

[@andyhanks7105]

An hour? A whole hour on the existence of mermaids? I love this channel.

[@amb163]

Simon, I got your fish-headed mermaid here. There's a song by Great Big Sea (a Canadian band) called "The Mermaid." A man falls in love with a classic mermaid, but then she leaves. The last verse goes: But then one day, she swam away So I sang to the clams and the whales "Oh, how I miss her seaweed hair And the silver shine of her scales But then her sister, she swam by And set my heart awhirl Cause her upper part was an ugly fish But her bottom part was a girl Yes her hair was green as seaweed Her skin was blue and pale Her legs they are a work of art, I loved that girl with all my heart And I don't give a damn about the upper part Cause that's how I get my tail.

[@Dawnetello]

I just discovered you. I'm subbing! Love the content!

[@qrufus]

It was briefly mentioned in the beginning. But, what about those who were born with "mermaid syndrome"? It's possible that the sightings were of people with a congenital deformity (who happened to be near water).

[@mikemay3557]

Absolutely love the editing

[@zulea7883]

Petting a hairless cat feels like stroking a peach, Simon. It's amazing.

[@Caro-e3f]

Agreed. Nude cats have lovely soft peach fuzz.

[@davedavidson8208]

Chicken breast cats

[@garyschlagheck4871]

awesome episode. thank you

[@blaznskais2048]

Animal Planet released the mermaid mockumentry to ride the wave of success Discovery recently had had with a mockumentry on Megladon. Pretty sure it had something to do with falling viewership. This is also not the first hypothetical “if it was real this is how it happen” mockumentry, as in 2009 AP released one on werewolves as well as a short lived but mildly successful show “Lost Tapes”. Other mockumentry released by Animal Planet and Discovery channel include; Cryptid: The Swamp Beast, The Cannibal in the Jungle, and Voodoo Shark. If you like “what if” or are into cryptids they’re an interesting watch. Pretty sure History Channel also did one on the Yeti in connection to the Dyatlov Pass incident.

[@btetschner]

A+ Topic, fantastic video! This topic is way ahead of its time, I am familiar with most of the great mysteries of the world and had no idea that there was such a long history of mermaid sightings. Considering the history, I am surprised more people who right books and screenplays don't use mermaids for a topic. Thank you for the video.

[@bajaboy27]

Cristobal Colon was Italian and went to the Spanish king to finance his voyage, it was the queen who was really interested and convinced the king. Yes Simon you should know this things

[@sfspurri]

He went to the Portuguese first and they refused him

[@Redfoot138]

I get the feeling that Simon cranks out so many of these videos across all of his channels that he has a totally warped Cliff's Notes understanding of history where facts just bleed into one another. Another 100 videos and he will be in a home.

[@bajaboy27]

@@sfspurri Yes this is true, but in that case he tried at home in Italy where it also got turned away. The premise of the comment was on who actually financed the trip for him and his sailors which consisted mostly of prisoners that were given the opportunity of remain locked up or take their chances with him on the sea of unknowns. This obviously because no sane sailor at that time was crazy enough to embark on such voyage since death was likely to be found. Or something to that effect. 🤣 Cheers 🍻

[@bajaboy27]

@@Redfoot138 lol! Yes I've come to that same conclusion since I've noticed he often slips a few times per video.. though he's only reading, his writers should get the facts right since they're getting paid for it. I'm sure Simon has more than a hand full of writers because as you said he puts out a lot of content across multiple channels. Cheers 🍻

[@sfspurri]

@@bajaboy27 I don’t believe he actually asked Italy. He moved to Portugal as a young man and married a Portuguese woman. He asked Portugal on two separate occasions and they denied him both times and then he asked Spain.

[@mslpfanatik]

I cracked up the entire time. Simon is fantastic...just the right amount of sarcasm and comedy.

[@selkie76]

I recall the "reverse-mermaid" concept being used as a joke in the pirate-based sit-com, "Captain Butler" (which can be found here on KZbin, I notice ^_~), back in the '90s. The eponymous captain is transformed into such a being when he marries a regular mermaid in one episode.

[@panamalgato]

Jen! You've done it again!

[@mickydale8594]

Simon: cats hate water! Tiger somewhere:...😒 small brained fact boi..smh Lmao 🤣👏

[@Poutling]

I usually don't comment on videos but I just had to say that "Mutant Manatee" would make a great name for a death metal band.

[@draconity]

If you're gonna tell me that Pliny the Elder was Greek, how am I gonna believe that literally anything in this whole thing was researched instead of pulled out of the writer's ass? Pliny is one of the most famous ROMANS in history

[@JgleJne]

I come for the education on the topic and stay for the random tangents that Simon does. Pure entertainment!😂

[@kelliesaunders4905]

A seal plops up on a rock with some seaweed on its head. Drunk sailor saw it… the girls all get prettier at closing time

[@BeautifulBackRoadsMO]

I needed this episode and I didnt realize it

[@richardtherichard26]

My ex gf was OBSESSED with Sphinx cats. If you ask me I think they’re the creepiest most hideous beings on the planet. And I’m including cardi b.

[@Dad......]

Editing and meme's were top notch this episode.

[@audreymuzingo933]

FINALLY Simon, you broach this hot button controversy. Unicorns next please! Or dragons, either one.

[@therandomgeek85]

Simon "I've never heard of male mermaids" King Triton "am I a joke to you fact boy?"

[@willmfrank]

Mermaidman: "I felt that."

[@scizorlord5126]

Funny enough, the reverse mermaid idea is essentially the deep ones from H.P. Lovecraft's Shadow over Innsmouth.

[@TheWhip.]

FACT BOY! How could you? It's Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. My best friend is from here and I double checked before I commented. I have never heard of Cape Brenton. . . Come on editors!! We are talking about Mermaids, can't we get the name of a place in modern times right? *Just teasing you. Mistakes happen. I love all the channels. Please don't block me.* ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

[@SoulScream1984]

I saw mermaids at the Denver aquarium, my wife elbowed me after I kept seeing them.

[@JulieDodgshon]

Thats the best Simon quote: “I guess we could Stroke The Weird Skin Cat”!

[@nzr4674]

Simon, speaking of being out of one's mind, its common knowledge mermaids were thought to evolved from porpoises helping delirious sailors lost at sea suffering hallucinations. Great job as usual.

[@andreapetersen152]

Take heart Simon, if I recall correctly, the Mermaid documentaries were for part of Animal Planet's Monster week for Halloween. They were intended as "mockumentaries" for the monster week programs. The mixing a megalodon mockumentary into the mix for Shark Week the same (following/preceeding?) year was closer to the History Channel themes.

[@y-not]

Why couldn't she be the other kind of mermaid? With the fish part on top and the lady part on the bottom. (Fry from Futurama...)

[@Trivial_Whim]

No, prior to being about aliens and cryptids, the History Channel was about World War II. And only WWII.

[@saritacruz3020]

I can't understand how someone would mistake a manatee for a mermaid, unless they were under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs.

[@TrissTess]

Jen, Chapeau to the GIF of Fran Drescher during the Jewish Mermaid! 👏 😂 👏

[@xxMelaniexx]

Was not expecting are mermaids real to be over an hour. I just started it, so is it all tangents by Simon about how insane it is to think they are? I will see

[@bcburnettcom]

This video on mermaids provides a refreshing and informative take on the mythical creatures. It presents a skeptical view of common misconceptions about mermaids, such as their existence and their supposed ability to lure sailors to their demise. Through careful examination of historical accounts and scientific evidence, the video effectively debunks these myths. Overall, this video offers an intriguing and thought-provoking exploration of mermaids that will appeal to skeptics and believers alike. Thank you chatgpt for putting my thoughts in a readable review :)

[@rashkavar]

This was the first decoding the unknown in my recommended feed and I am finally here not to learn about mermaids so much as to learn how Simon was convinced to talk about them for over an hour!

[@rhianawilk315]

Stroking the weird skin cat....I'm almost to the end of the video and still giggling over that

[@jeremykoehnlein2158]

You know why the Disney mermaids wore seashells right? The B shells were too small.

[@FLV.USA.CONSTITITION.2ND.]

Hey big brain, love the 45 minute plus videos. Not sure how it works on your end but when you have ads in them and I have my headphones on listening to it I am more inclined to listen to all your ads fully to give you better revenue when they're short I tend to skip through them keep up the longer videos and build the playlist that go on for hours. Not say I don't listen to them I listen to them multiple times I put my headphones on listen for 30 minutes plus while going to sleep and they'll play 8 hours straight if there's playlists or long videos it'll listen to multiple times and every ad will go the full distance just saying keep it up love your big tiny brain!!

[@TerenceClark]

My ex is, among other things, a certified mermaid. Wait, wait, wait! I don't mean a literal mermaid. Well I do, but not like the actual creature. She's a PADI certified (yes, it's a thing) mermaid and is qualified to do long duration underwater performances with her mermaid tail, which is a fancy bit of fabric that fits over her legs. She owns about 8 of them and my kids also do photo shoots with her in their tails. I've worn one before and honestly once you get the hang of them they do actually provide a performance boost underwater. My ex, for the record, also teaches yoga and performs/teaches aerial arts (trapeze, aerial silks, lyra, etc), another skill set she has taught to my kids. So she and my kids are aerial mermaids. It's cool, but honestly super bizarre. You would not believe the weird shit I used to have to write off on her business taxes when we were still together 😂 How in the hell she doesn't get audited I do not know.

[@chuckclark3214]

Simon calling Twilight genius fiction is one of the most hilarious things I have ever heard. 🤣

[@Bootsalmighty]

Fun facts about Hairless Sphinx cats, first they are a Canadian breed, second they are surprisingly soft.

[@susanmissett-king1839]

You said "mermaid lore" and I heard "mermaid law" and had a very confusing few moments😅

[@RainbowTheSnail]

The hairless cats are for people who want a cat but are allergic to cat hair.

[@AllTheHappySquirrels]

They're also surprisingly lovable. I've met a couple of Sphinx cats and they're lovely.

[@exia7777]

They actually still have hair

[@Nyctophora]

This was enjoyable as a history of the myth, thank you!

[@stephjovi]

If you see a mermaid expect death on board. Yeah that makes sense. If they started fantasizing and hallucinating things are bad on board and something might just happen. Maybe the rum was bad, maybe the scurvy was too strong.

[@missylongbottom2064]

In the small town of Cleburne TX, just south of Fort Worth, there is a Fiji Mermaid in the town's museum.

[@mcchillindaily4581]

Doesn't believe in mermaids; wants to live forever. Ok.

[@jamesbourne9183]

'I guess you could stroke the weird skin cat' Words to live by

[@danibissonnette1601]

I am starting to wonder if the "detachable" tail might have been some swimming aid similar to the swim fins we use today. Women might have dived in the North Atlantic in the past to get deeper water food stuffs like lobsters. We know there were people deep water diving in that region due to the osteological evidence for cold water diving "divers ear" which is a small bony build up behind the auditory canal.

[@briantaylor2670]

Can you change the flavor of the lifesaver hanging on the wall in your background? Keep those great stories coming

[@benhartwig8753]

An hour long video, that I’m 100% sure is interesting af, as all of Simons videos are….to say NO! They’re not real. It let’s have it!

[@matthewchristofferson2832]

That hairless cat rant is one of the greatest rants of all time. Almost made me drop the glass I was holding 😂😂😂