Melusine is a figure comparable to a mermaid or lamia from European folklore, primarily that of France and Luxembourg. She is described as a woman with serpentine or fish traits below the waist, occasionally featuring wings and/or a pair of tails. According to the most notable tales of Melusine, she was born a normal human girl; however, after conspiring to kill her father in revenge for leaving her mother, she would be cursed to assume her monstrous form every Saturday. Later, she would find a husband and have children; however, when her lover discovers the truth that she is not fully human, he invariably betrays her in some fashion, causing her to permanently take her cursed form and leave him. In some versions, she will return at night to care for her children.
Japanese
