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Merfolk or merpeople are legendary water-dwelling human-like beings. They are attested in folklore and mythology throughout the ages in various parts of the world.

Female merfolk may be referred to as mermaids, although in a strict sense mermaids are confined to beings who are half-woman and half-fish in appearance. Male merfolk are called mermen. Depending on the story, they can be described as ugly or beautiful.

Appearance
Although merfolk share common characteristics across the world and throughout history, such as living in water and having similarities to fish, their appearances and behaviors differ greatly depending on the culture and time period of origin.

Tradiational European merfolk typically have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish. They are often portrayed naked and are rarely shown with clothing. Many of the merfolk of European legends and stories are mermaids (i.e. mostly female). The modern, stereotypical image of mermaids originated in English folk tales from around the 16th and 17th centuries. These come from older Celtic stories of merfolk who came from the water but appeared the same as humans. Older European paintings and coats of arms sometimes depict mermaids with two fishtails.


 * Note:Include remaining from section in Japanese culture section***

Folklore
Several types of beings which may fall under "merfolk" are mentioned in the Shanhaijing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) dating to the 4th century BC.

China
The jiaoren ( "flood dragon people" or "shark people") that appear in medieval writings are considered to be references to merfolk.

This mythical southern mermaid or merman is recorded in 's "Records of Strange Things" (early 6th century CE).

"In the midst of the South Sea are the houses of the kău people who dwell in the water like fish, but have not given up weaving at the loom. Their eyes have the power to weep, but what they bring forth is pearls."

Similar passages appear in other texts such as the Bowuzhi (c. 290 CE).

These aquatic people supposedly spun a type of raw silk called jiaoxiao "mermaid silk" or jiaonujuan  "mermaid woman's silk". Schafer equates this with sea silk, the rare fabric woven from byssus filaments produced by Pinna "pen shell" mollusks. Chinese myths also recorded this "silk" coming from shuiyang 水羊 "water sheep" or shuican 蠶水 "water silkworm".

In popular culture

 * Merfolk are a fictional race of humanoids that live underwater in Dungeons & Dragons.
 * Merfolk are humanoid aquatic creatures with fish-like characteristics in Magic: The Gathering.
 * Merfolk are humanoid aquatic creatures with fish-like characteristics in Spectromancer.
 * In One Piece, the Merfolk are among the different races in the anime and one of the two types that dwell underwater (the other being the Fishmen). Each of the Merfolk has their "fish" parts based off different fishes and related creatures like coelacanths, icefish, kissing gouramis, Japanese rice fish, striped beakfish, righteye flounders, olive flounders, blue-striped angelfish, smelt-whitings, sharks, oarfish, opahs, blue-ringed octopi, shortfin mako sharks, seahorses, catfish, Bering wolffish, goldfish, and brotulas.