Family members say uncle saw 'mermaid' near Miller's Ferry in Wilcox County, Alabama

Last week in this space, I wrote about the fabled “River Mama,” a water creature that supposedly plays tricks on fishermen and boaters. Most tales about River Mama say that she has the upper body of a woman, but her lower half looks like a fish or a snake. Many stories say that she often appears with a large snake draped over her shoulders, and that she sometimes causes mischief for loggers and hunters near the river.

Not long after last week’s newspaper hit the streets, I began to hear from readers who had some interesting things to say about the River Mama tale. One reader said that years ago her mother told her that one of her uncles swore that he once saw a mermaid in the Alabama River. Relatives didn’t remember exactly where this took place, but they presumed that it took place near Miller’s Ferry. This uncle died many years ago, but now his relatives are left wondering if he may have seen River Mama.

Relatives said that as best they could remember, the uncle went fishing and came home with his story of having seen a mermaid. This uncle never consumed alcoholic beverages, so relatives doubt that he was “under the influence” when he saw a supposed mermaid. If this sober fisherman saw something out of the ordinary at Miller’s Ferry, maybe other fishermen have as well.

Another reader reached out to me, saying that he wondered if the River Mama story was a variation of the Native American myth about the “Tie-Snake.” According to this reader, the Tie-Snake was a huge horned serpent that lurked in rivers and would drown swimmers. I’d never heard of a Tie-Snake before, so I made a mental note to investigate this further.

I went on to check a wide variety of sources and learned that a number of Southeastern Indian tribes believed that Tie-Snakes were mythological water spirits, sort of like River Mama. These mythological creatures were about the same size and shape of ordinary snakes, but were incredibly strong and were highly venomous. Creek Indians greatly feared the Tie-Snake for its ability to catch a person, drag them underwater and drown them.

Other sources say that these Tie-Snakes dwelled on land and could travel quickly by biting their own tails and rolling like a hoop or wheel. I’d heard of these “Hoop Snakes” before because sightings of these unusual snakes are still reported from time to time. Old stories say that these snakes will roll into the shape of a wheel and roll after you, and that the only way to escape from one is to hide behind a tree. Other sources say that you can escape a hoop snake by jumping over a fence because the snake will have to slow to uncurl to go through the fence.

In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone in the reading audience who has seen anything unusual on the Alabama River, whether it be River Mama, a mermaid, a Tie-Snake or anything else. More times than not, there’s a nugget of truth to many of these old stories, and no doubt if one person has seen something out of the ordinary, others have as well. Who knows, maybe even a few readers have encountered the dreaded Hoop Snake and have lived to tell the tale.