"Tales from Afar: Old Stories from New Residents" is a project to share traditional stories which have come from away, created by the St. John’s Local Immigration Partnership and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. This is one of the tales we’ve collected so far.
Iara, the freshwater mermaid of Brazil
As told by Sarah Nivea and Vinicius Tomé
According to the legend, Iara was the best fighter of the tribe and used to receive many compliments from her father who was the Pajé (Chief). Her brothers were jealous and planned to kill her, but Iara heard the plan secretly and killed them first. Frightened of her father’s reaction towards her, she ran away. Her father found her and threw her in the water between the rivers Negro and Solimões. Shortly, several fishes helped the lady and turned her into a beautiful mermaid.
Vinicius is a student at Memorial University, and Sarah manages Terra Nova Mandalas. Both are from Brazil. Image: Gordon Browne, Fairy tales from Hans Andersen.
How can I share a story?
Stories can be submitted in written form, or participants can sit down with a collector and record a spoken version of their story. To share a story, you can:
- Email ich@heritagefoundation.ca
- Call Dale Jarvis at 1-888-739-1892 extension 2, or
- Fill in the online form here: https://goo.gl/forms/QWmJY9haiyItAeop2
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