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Merman
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== Medieval period == === Marmennill === {{main|Marmennill}} A merman is called ''marmennill'' in Old Norse,<ref name="craigie"/> attested in the ''Ladnámabók''.<ref name="vigfusson&powell"/>{{Refn|Group="lower-alpha"|The Sturlubók version gives ''marmennill'', while the [[Hauksbók]] gives ''margmelli''.<ref name="cochrane"/>}} An early settler in Iceland ({{c.|11th century}}){{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|The settler was Grímr Ingjaldsson whose family hails from Haddingjadalr ([[Hallingdal]]), Norway.<ref name="craigie"/>}} allegedly caught a merman while fishing, and the creature prophesied one thing: the man's son will gain possession of the piece of land where the mare Skálm chooses to "lie down under her load". In a subsequent fishing trip the man was drowned, survived by the boy who stayed behind.{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|This boy is identifiable as Þórir<ref name="mitchell"/> (anglicized as Thore<ref name="vigfusson&powell"/>).}}<ref name="vigfusson&powell"/><ref name="craigie"/><ref name="mitchell"/><ref name="palsson1988"/> === Hafstrambr === The ''hafstrambr'' is a merman, described as a counterpart to the hideous mermaid ''margýgr'' in the ''[[Konungs skuggsjá]]'' ("King's mirror", {{c.|1250}}). He is said to generally match her anthropomorphic appearance on the top half, though his lower half is said to have been never been seen.<ref name="lehn&schroeder"/><ref name="nansen"/> In actuality, it may have been just a sea-mammal ([[hooded seal]], ''Cystophora cristata''),<ref name="nordgaard"/><ref name="finnur"/> or the phenomenon of some sea creature appearing magnified in size, caused by mid-range [[mirage]].<ref name="lehn&schroeder"/> Medieval Norsemen may have regarded the ''hafstrambr'' as the largest sorts of mermen, which would explain why the word for ''marmennill'' ('little mer-man') would be given in the diminutive.<ref name="GhM"/> Other commentators treat the ''hafstrambr'' merely as an imaginary sea-monster.<ref name="gundersen-KLNM"/><ref name="cleasby-vigfusson-haf"/> === Early cartography === A twin-tailed merman is depicted on the [[Bianco world map]] (1436).<ref name="watts" /><ref name="siebold" />{{Efn|This is replicated in the Vincenzio Formaleoni map of 1783 "[http://jcb.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/detail/JCBMAPS~1~1~3272~101552:Planisferio-antico-di-Andrea-Bianco Planisferio antico di Andrea Bianco Che si conserva in Venezia nella Biblioteca di S. Marc]", LUNA, JCB Map Collection. The figure occurs at the far right.}} A merman and a mermaid are shown on the [[Martin Behaim#Behaim globe|Behaim globe]] ({{c.|1490–1493}}).<ref name="terkla" />
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