Korean Mermaid / 인어(人魚) by ShinyTiger

Turtle-like sea creature with a shell on its back. Although it is mostly spotted by its surreal beauty with the red skin, gold hair and yellow eyes, it also shares lots of similarities with human being.  It cries bitterly when captured by humans and sheds white teardrops - story says the sound of wailing is so mournful that it can strike sadness into people's heart and its teardrops become a marble. 

Mermaid has been mostly captured as a victim as it was the source of precious oil which is known to be far scarcer than whale oil. The odds of encountering the mermaid are hence pretty low these days, but it will bring unexpected, marble-like fortune if you are lucky enough to meet one.

한국의 인어

거북이 등을 가지고 거북이 처럼 헤엄치는 바다에 사는 존재, 앞모습만 보면 사람과 같고 무척 아름답다. 피부는 붉은 빛, 머리칼은 흑발과 금발, 눈동자는 황색이다. 사람에게 잡히면 흰 눈물을 흘리며 처량하게 우는데 그 소리는 구슬퍼 사람의 마음을 애달프게하고, 눈물은 굳어져 구슬이 된다. 기름을 짜면 고래기름보다 좋은 귀한 기름이 되어 기름을 짜기위해 잡혔다. 인어를 만나면 기대치 못했던 구슬 같은 행운이 찾아온다.

Inspired from "Encyclopedia of Korea's Monsters" by Kwak Jaesik