Scientists are attempting to solve the mystery of a 300-year-old mummified mermaid’ with a ‘human face’ and tail

Scientists will investigate a mummified “mermaid” said to grant immortality to anyone who eats its flesh in order to discover its true nature.

The mysterious 12-inch creature was allegedly caught in the Pacific Ocean off the Japanese island of Shikoku between 1736 and 1741 and is now housed in a temple in Asakuchi.

It has a human-like appearance, with a grimacing face, pointed teeth, two hands, and hair on its head and brow, except for its fish-like lower half.

Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts researchers have now taken the mummy for CT scanning in an attempt to uncover its secrets.

The project’s creator, Hiroshi Kinoshita of the Okayama Folklore Society, believes the strange creature may have religious significance.

“Japanese mermaids have an immortality legend,” he explained.

“It is said that if you eat mermaid flesh, you will never die.”

“There is a legend in many parts of Japan that a woman ate the flesh of a mermaid by accident and lived for 800 years.”

“This ‘Yao-Bikuni’ legend is also preserved near the temple where the mermaid mummy was found.”

“I heard that some people, believing in the legend, used to eat the scales of mermaid mummies.”

Folklore suggests that a mermaid could be an ominous portent in the age of Covid-19.

“There’s also a legend about a mermaid foretelling an infectious disease,” Hiroshi explained.

A historic letter dated 1903, apparently written by a former owner, was discovered alongside the mummy and tells the storey of its origins.

According to the letter, “a mermaid was caught in a fish-catching net in the sea off Kochi Prefecture.”

“The fishermen who caught it had no idea it was a mermaid, but they took it to Osaka and sold it as a rare fish.” My forefathers purchased it and kept it as a family heirloom.”

It’s unclear how or when the mummy arrived at Asakuchi’s Enjuin temple.

However, the chief priest, Kozen Kuida, stated that it was displayed in a glass case 40 years ago and is now kept in a fireproof safe.

“We worshipped it, hoping that it would help alleviate the coronavirus pandemic, even if only slightly,” he told the Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun.

Kinoshita, on the other hand, takes a more pragmatic approach to the creature.