Episode · Stuff You Should Know · 2026-09-18
Books mentioned on SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: Mermaids: Not a real thing
Mermaids aren't real. That much we know.
Mentioned: Natural History by Pliny the Elder and The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Natural History
Natural History by Pliny the Elder is an encyclopedic ancient Roman text that compiles vast amounts of natural science, geography, and fantastical lore from the classical world.
Discussed“Rome's Pliny the Elder. He, in his natural history, talked about a mermaid-like creature called... The Nereid.”
Where to get it
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The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen is a classic, melancholy fairy tale that explores themes of unrequited love, sacrifice, and mortality in a far darker fashion than modern cinematic adaptations suggest.
Recommended“Hans Christian Andersen wrote it way better than I just recounted it. A lot less ums and likes. Yeah. But it's pretty, it's worth reading.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing The Talmud
“So, it was in various, I mean, hundreds and hundreds of books and texts, including the Talmud, believe it or not.”