The Tale Behind the Karoo Mermaid

The Mermaid or Water-meid, as she is also known in these parts, has been an integral part of Karoo folklore for years.

Capetonian Wendy Hardie, went in search of the Karoo mermaid and the result is a stunning road-trip documentary, In Search of Mermaids in the Karoo. The DVD takes you from Cape Town, along the Route 62, over the Swartberg Pass and through the Karoo – following an intriguing trail of indigenous stories, firsthand sightings and San rock art relating to this fascinating legend.

The documentary is accompanied by a Guide-book giving details of : How to get there, places to stay, plus contact details of people we filmed along the way, who all helped shed light on this ancient legend.

For those who prefer the road less travelled…meandering slowly down dusty lanes, off the beaten track, into remote villages steeped in historic integrity, chatting with locals, listening to firsthand accounts of mermaid-sightings, discovering ancient San rock art of mermaid-like creatures, exploring the stark beauty of the Karoo, and finding out what really makes it tick….this road-trip could be for you!

Wendy (seen in the picture on the right, waving) tells us some of what lies behind her fascination with this legendary lass.

Mermaids and other female goddesses were common in early nature based societies, where people understood that having a harmonious relationship with

 

Mother-Earth was crucial for their survival. They saw and revered the power of nature and treated it as something that was alive. They were plainly aware that if they mistreated the earth… it would mistreat them in return. In fact, the sacred qualities with which they imbued nature, kept them from mistreating it.

 

With the dawn of the so called Enlightenment, and the scientific and industrial age, belief in nature goddesses fell away, and a more patriarchal culture ensued - where nature was seen as something wild and threatening that needed to be tamed, dominated, owned, controlled, managed, used, exploited and polluted for  the exclusive benefit of human beings.

 

Most of us are now plainly aware of the devastating results this approach has had on our environment – resulting in a dwindling access to clean water and other valuable resources, an unsustainable environment, global warming, destructive weather patterns, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and tsunamis - and how crucial it is that we rectify things before ‘nature mistreats us in return’!

 

And perhaps this is what people of the Karoo still have – a connection with the earth which allows them to still see the sacred in nature. Many people here believe that storms & floods are caused by the Mermaid, angry at the havoc humans have created with the earth. In our environmentally challenged times, we could do well to take heed!

Get your own copy of Searching for Mermaids in the Karoo

The DVD of the documentary, plus Guide-booklet, plus map - is available at Tourism Offices along the route, as well as Clarke’s Bookshop in Long Street, Exclusive Books in Cavendish Square, or can be ordered directly from Wendy by mailing hardie@iafrica.com.

The cost for direct purchase is R185 inclusive of VAT, plus R20 packing and postage.

Stay in the Karoo and along Route 62

For luxurious or comfortable Karoo and Route 62 accomodation, contact Portfolio Collection.

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