The curvaceous, fragile, beautiful ladies of the sea have become further popularized in the media mainstream-and are highly considered to be a common story character in today's concentrated commercial culture. Mermaids are so popular in modern times, arguably thanks in large part to the influence of Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid, first published in 1836. Anderson's mermaid character Ariel has since been immortalized in the hands of Walt Disney.

Mermaids are considered the creme de la creme of mythological beauties, and are even cast as characters in the popular fantasy game: Dungeons and Dragons.

Whether it be a hoax-hardy exhibit in P.T. Barnum's museum or Ripley's "Believe it or Not"; a world renowned logo on your Starbucks Coffee cup, or the symbol of perfection on Warsaw's official Coat of Arms-you can be sure that the mysterious, mythological mermaid is as beautiful as she is menacing.