Mermaid Sighting 1430

In 1403 violent storms broke the dykes near Edam, West Friesland in Holland. The low-lying land was flooded and a mermaid floated in through the broken dyke. Some girls from nearby had taken a boat out to milk their cows and saw a mermaid floundering in shallow muddy water. They brought her home and dressed her in women's clothing and fed her. The mermaid hoped to return to the sea but was carefully watched to prevent any escape. Eventually she was taught to weave and spin and show reverence for a Crucifix, but she could never learn to speak. She lived on land for fifteen years and then died. Because she learned to kneel before the Crucifix she was permitted burial in a churchyard.