Merfolk

The word Merfolk is an old english word that translates to "Seafolk" with mer meaning sea. The first Merfolk mythology started in 1000 B,C,E in Mesopotamia and the eastern Mediterranean settlements. There, a goddess jumped into a lake and tried to turn into a fish, but it could not conceal her divine beauty, so she turned into a creature with the upper body of a human, and the lower body of a green, scaly fish. Later on, there were many different depictions in Ireland, Africa, and japan. All of which have certain characteristics in common, such as the upper half of a human and the lower body of a fish tail, and being traders of fine aquatic materials. In d&d, Merfolk having the same characteristics as described before, are also portrayed as aquatic traders, but they have blue skin, purple webbing in between crevasses, large fins and tendrils in place of hair, pointy ears, and small gills lined across the face.