Seed Talks: The History of Mermaids, Sea Spirits & Women

Dive beneath the surface of mermaid lore, tracing their long histories and what they may reveal about wider society. Followed by Q&A.

Since Hans Christian Andersen turned the mermaid into a romantic heroine, shimmering sea-maidens have swum through popular culture. “Mermaiding” has even become a verb. But where do these figures really come from, and why do they hold such power over us?

This talk strips away the fairy tale to uncover a far darker and more complex ancestry. Across cultures and centuries, people have imagined powerful sea spirits inhabiting liminal waters: from the fish-tailed goddess of ancient Mesopotamia, to medieval two-tailed mermaids, Renaissance Europe’s soulless undines, and West Africa’s formidable Mami Wata.

Born from encounters with the unknown, these female water beings have inspired terror and desire, transformation and loss of control. Together, we’ll explore how mermaids and sea spirits have evolved alongside human fears and fascinations – and how they continue to shape our relationship with nature, the unknown, and femaleness itself.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Natalie Lawrence is a historian of science and author of Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meanings (W&N, 2024; Pegasus 2025), a history of monsters and our imaginations over the last 15,000 years. She has a first class in Natural Sciences, a Masters and a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge. She also co-authored Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence with Professor Paco Calvo (Little Brown, 2022; Norton 2023; 10 translations so far). She has spoken for TEDX, numerous radio channels and podcasts, and presented for Cambridge Science Festival, Geist Talks, Last Tuesday Society, amongst others.

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