The Mermaid Who Asks for Alexander
In the Aegean, a mermaid rises beside ships on stormy nights and asks one question: 'Is King Alexander alive?' The wrong answer sinks the ship.
What was reported
In Greek folklore, the Gorgona is a mermaid said to be the sister of Alexander the Great. Legend says Alexander found a flask of the water of immortality, and his sister, not knowing what it was, poured it away or drank it. He cursed her, or in grief she threw herself into the sea, and she became a mermaid, unable to die.
She wanders the seas, and when she meets a ship, she asks the sailors: 'Is King Alexander alive?' The right answer is: 'He lives and reigns and conquers the world.' Then she calms the waves. If they say he's dead, she raises a storm and sinks the ship.
Explanations offered
The legend grew from medieval romances about Alexander, which were hugely popular in Greece. It shows how a real historical figure became part of sailors' folklore. The Gorgona appears in Greek folk art and in shadow-puppet theatre.
- When
- Told since the Middle Ages
- Where
- The Aegean Sea, Greece
- Witnesses
- Greek sailors' folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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