The Origin of the Mermaid

In many places in our country, people believe that mermaids exist. Legends about
mermaids vary with the region. In some places, these creatures are looked upon as enchanted
beings who claim the lives of people every year. In others, they are believed to be beautiful
nymphs of the sea, half woman and half fish.

One of the most interesting tales about the origin of mermaids comes from Sulu. The tale
says that ages ago, when this archipelago was still young, there was a couple. Having just been
joined in marriage, the man loved his wife dearly. The woman, in turn, also loved her husband
very much.

All went well with the couple at first, until the time came when she started to conceive.
Just like any woman, at the early stage of motherhood, the young wife wanted to eat many
rare foods, among them, the durian. In those times, the durian was however, very rare indeed. It
grew only in very few places in Mindanao. So the poor young husband had much difficulty in
finding one for his wife.

“If you can’t find it here, then go to the neighboring islands. I must eat fruit!” the young
wife told her husband.

“But it might take long before I find any,” the young husband replied.

“Oh, I wish I could swim!” cried the young wife “Then I would look for the durian myself.”

Seeing his wife in tear, the young husband promised not to return until he found her a
durian. He bade her goodbye and sailed away early the following day. That day, however,
wore off fast, and before long, nightfall had come. But the young husband failed to return.

Worried over her husband’s fate, the young wife made way for the shore the following
morning. There, on a tall rock, she seated herself to wait for her husband’s return. The morning
passed unnoticed. Soon the sun rose overhead, and it was noon. But the young wife saw no
trace of her husband. Terribly worried, and blaming herself for his disappearance, she then
started to cry.

“Oh, I wish I could swim so I could search for him everywhere!” she said to herself tearfully.

Busy with her thoughts, the young woman did not notice the rising tide. With a start, she
tried to rise as the water touched her. She then discovered, to her surprise that her legs had
disappeared and that a tail had grown in their place. She discovered, too, that scales had
grown from her waist down to her tail.

Her heart filled with joy, because she could swim at last, she then slid down the rock and
started swimming away.
 The young woman, at that moment, had turned into a mermaid. But legend says that she
never found her husband, and that the later never returned home either. She is still searching for
him to this day, so the natives of Sulu say.

A. Answer the following questions. Write the letter of your answer.

_____ 1. Who is the main character in the story?

a. the nymphs b. the young c. the young woman d. the natives of Sulu

_____ 2. What did the young woman ask from her husband?

a. tail b. Sulu c. durian d. islands

_____ 3. What did the young man do after his wife asked him for a rare food?

a. He did not do anything

b. He bought their neighbor’s fruit tree

c. He drove his wife

d. He sailed to neighboring islands to find her food

_____ 4. In the story, what happened to the young woman after her husband left?

a. She got ill c. She sailed and followed her husband

b. she was very happy d. She became worried over her husband

_____ 5. After her husband did not return, what happened to the young woman?

a. She became terribly worried and blamed herself.

b. She did not notice her husband’s disappearance at all.

c. She only waited in their home until her husband returned.

d. She went for a walk and looked for her husband in the islands.

B. Write S on the line if the statement tells about the setting, CON if it tells about the conflict,
P if it tells about the plot, CHA if it tells about the character and T if it tells about the
theme.

________ 1. The sea is where every enchanted being are found

________ 2. The origin of mermaid is about the young woman who became a mermaid
________ 3. At the end of the legend, the mermaid never found her husband.

________ 4. The young woman, who became a mermaid, is looking for her husband until now.

________ 5. The young woman is worried for her husband never returned to their home.

________ 6. The wife of the young man started to conceive and kept asking for rare food.

________ 7. The young man promised his wife to return home when he finds the fruit that his wife
is craving for.

Arrange the sentences below by writing 1 as the first thing that happened and 5 as the last.

____ In the end, the wife got worried and wished to have a tail and she became a mermaid so

she could find her husband

____ Next, the husband tried to look for food for his wife but he couldn’t find any until he did not

return anymore

____ Once there was a couple, they were very happy and in love

____ The husband was very happy, but the wife is having problem with her taste in food

____ Then, the wife of the man started to conceive

Write the plural form of the word in the parenthesis in each sentence. Write your answer in the
space provided.

1. Mermaids are known to be (child) ________________________________________ of the sea.

2. Mermaids live in the deepest part of the ocean, where they eat (leaf) _____________________

that grow in it.

3. People in Sulu believe that mermaids came from (woman) ________________________ who

wished to become one.

4. Mermaids are said to be known as enchanted beings who claim lives, and for them to stop, a

man needs to give (box) ______________________________ of gifts.

5. All the (city) _______________________ near Sulu believe that until now the young woman who
became a mermaid is still looking for her husband.
 C. Re – write the statement below observing the correct capitalization of proper or common
noun. Write your answer in the space below.

1. sulu is the province of mindandao, where interesting tales of mermaids come from

____________________________________________________________________________________________

2. mermaids are said to be Nymphs who are very Beautiful

____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. mermaids are also believed to be the reason why some Fishermen are missing

____________________________________________________________________________________________

4. In Sulu, they believe that it was the young Woman who lost her husband.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

5. but in other places, Mermaids are said to be very friendly

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Write M if the underlined word is a mass noun and C if it is a count noun. Write your answer in
the space provided.