The body of a "mermaid" was found on the beach (Facebook/Paul Jones)
Just over a year ago, the web was abuzz when images of the remains of a horrific looking creature with a human face and fin were shared online and allegedly presented what many believed to be a 300-year-old mummified mermaid that bestows luck and even eternal life.
A study by Kurashiki University of Science and Arts discovered the origins of the "mermaid" through a CT scan - and the results were shared on YouTube.
Before we tell you about their discovery, we will remind you that the creepy creature was allegedly caught in the Pacific Ocean off Japan between 1736 and 1741, with its face distorted, its teeth pointed, both hands placed on its face in what appears to be an act of panic - and hair covering its head and eyebrows.
Judging by its upper part, it looks like a human or a small monkey, but its lower half looks like part of a fish as it includes a fin and scales.
From this, many came to the "logical" conclusion that this is an ancient mermaid.
The mysterious creature that reaches a length of about 30 cm was allegedly found near the Japanese island of Shikoku and has since been kept in a temple in the city of Asakuchi. Researchers from Kurashiki University of Science and Arts decided to put an end to the rumors and took the mummy for CT scans in order to reveal its secrets - and now the mystery has been solved. to that?
Scientists working to unravel mystery of 300-year-old mummified 'mermaid' with 'human face' and tail https://t.co/DyYYwFNWMg pic.twitter.com/6ggnEdck5X
— New York Post (@nypost) March 3, 2022
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Mummified 'Mermaid' to be analyzed by Japanese Scientists https://t.co/KiUicU9BM2 pic.twitter.com/htkbr3WYM2
— Behind The Scenes (@TTBTS_UFOSPOT) March 1, 2022
Ready to find out what it is?
The mermaid turned out to be... a doll with fish parts.
Researchers have concluded that the creature worshiped by devout Japanese all these years is made of paper, cloth, cotton and fish parts, the Sun reported.
The locals who believed that the mermaid gives luck and even eternal life to those who managed to bite into her flesh, will be disappointed to find out that this is not the real thing.
Some even believed that she would be the one to put an end to the corona epidemic.
The findings of the year-long study (yes, we're not sure why it took so long either) were announced last week when the CT scan was shared on YouTube. "Based on our analysis and the history of mummy making in Japan, we can only conclude that the mermaid mummy is Probably man-made," Takafumi Kato, a paleontologist working on the project, told Vice World News. The university's CT scans showed no spine, ribs or other skeletal bones.
The creature is preserved in a centuries-old Japanese temple, located in southern Japan (Photo: screenshot, COURTESY OF KURASHIKI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND THE ARTS)
Still, what is surprising here is that we find out that there are parts of her body that belong to fish.
The lower body contained fish bones, possibly from a tail or dorsal fin.
The mummy's jaw and teeth were from a carnivorous fish - the only bone in its head - while the arms, shoulders, neck and cheeks were covered in puffer fish skin.
Radioactive dating determined that the figure was made in the late 19th century.
This is how the CT scan was conducted for the mermaid:
Another dozen mermaid mummies have been found throughout Japan over the years - and it is assumed that they were created during the Edo period, a period in the history of Japan that began in 1603 and ended in 1868. During that period, a variety of diseases such as smallpox and measles were rampant.
And the locals believed that these creatures were able to heal them.
"Japanese mermaids are accompanied by legends about eternal life," Hiroshi Kinoshita of the Okayama Folklore Society told the Sun, "They say that if you eat mermaid meat, you will never die."
While scientists have clarified the structure of the mummy that was found, the head priest of the temple where it resides, Kuzen Koida, said that it will continue to be displayed there for anyone interested.
He said: "This is equivalent to people joining hands in front of Buddhist statues made of stone or wood. I want to continue to protect this mummy and pass it on to future generations with great care."
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