As a follower of OGOM, you are invited to attend a research seminar hosted online by the University of Hertfordshire. The research paper will last around 40 mins with 20 mins for discussion and questions. Its free, but you will need to register via the booking site at Ticket Press here. Ticket holders will receive their joining instructions via email a couple of days before the event. I had to cancel this earlier in April, so I’m really hoping you can join me for an excursion into the world of these spectacular mermaids on May 20.
Speaker: Sam George, Associate Professor of Research, University of Hertfordshire
Title: ‘The Luck of the Ningyo: Japanese human-fish Yokai and the rise of the fake museum mermaid’
Abstract: This research seminar will explore the representation of the Ningyo or Japanese human fish Yokai; a creature of genderless hybridity that functions as both a prophecy beast and a Mer Monster. Sam will chart its fascinating history, from the earliest sightings in folk tales and chronicles of Japan, to its manifestation in new media in the present. She argues that Ningyo were made monstrous through Japan’s interactions with the West when mummified or dried specimens were sold to Europeans for show in the nineteenth century. Descriptions of these mummified or desiccated mermaid creations are decidedly gothic and bring the Ningyo within the realms of the weird and the eerie. In Japan, however, they are sacred objects, inviting good fortune and acting as amulets in Buddhist or Shinto shrines, where they have lain preserved for centuries.
Microsoft Teams Event 20 May, 1.30-2.30. BST.
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