La Sirene

Mami Wata
African sailors recognized the iconography of the water deity Mami Wata in this 1880s chromolithograph poster of the performer Maladamatjaute by the Adolph Friedlander Company in Hamburg and carried it worldwide, giving rise to the common image of the deity in Africa and in the African diaspora.
Venerated in	West African Vodun, Haitian Vodou, Folk Catholicism, Odinani, Yoruba religion, Louisiana Voodoo
Feast	June 25
Attributes	Snakes, pearls, gold, diamonds
Patronage	Water, the sea, mermaids, markets, divination, healing, luck, money, music

Mami Wata (Mammy Water) is a water deity venerated in West, Central, and Southern Africa, and in the African diaspora in the Americas. Mami Wata spirits are usually female, but are sometimes male.

The appearance of her hair ranges from straight, curly to kinky black and combed straight back. "Mami Wata" is the Pidgin English version of "Mother of Water," where "Mami" is the Pidgin English spelling of mammy (mother) and "Wata" is the Pidgin English spelling of water. Mami Wata is essentially a mermaid or humanistic water entity.

Mami Wata is often described as a mermaid-like figure, with a woman's upper body (often nude) and the hindquarters of a fish or serpent. In other tales, Mami Wata is fully human in appearance (though never human). The existence and spiritual importance of Mami Wata is deeply rooted in the ancient tradition and mythology of the coastal southeastern Nigerians (Efik, Ibibio and Annang people). Mami Wata often carries expensive baubles such as combs, mirrors, and watches. A large snake (symbol of divination and divinity) frequently accompanies her, wrapping itself around her and laying its head between her breasts. Other times, she may try to pass as completely human, wandering busy markets or patronising bars. She may also manifest in a number of other forms, including as a man. Traders in the 20th century carried similar beliefs with them from Senegal to as far as Zambia. As the Mami Wata traditions continued to re-emerge, native water deities were subsumed into it.

Traditions on both sides of the Atlantic tell of the spirit abducting her followers or random people whilst they are swimming or boating. She brings them to her paradisiacal realm, which may be underwater, in the spirit world, or both. Should she allow them to leave, the travellers usually return in dry clothing and with a new spiritual understanding reflected in their gaze. These returnees often grow wealthier, more attractive, and more easygoing after the encounter.