The first known mermaid stories are from Assyria in around 1000 BC. The story goes that the ancient Syrian goddess Atargatis fell in love with a shepherd, a mortal. She unintentionally killed him, and because of her shame, jumped into a lake and adopted the form of a fish. However, the waters would not conceal her beauty, so she took the form of a mermaid instead and became the goddess of fertility and welfare.
An enormous temple which came complete with a pond full of fish was devoted to the goddess, while artwork and statues depicting mermen and maids were used during the Neo-Assyrian period as protective figurines. The ancient Greeks later recognised Atargatis by the name Derketo.
– Lucy Davidson, "Singing Sirens: The Mesmerising History of Mermaids"
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