Name: Adaro

Area of Origin: Solomon Islands, Melanesia, Oceania

Found in the mythology of the Solomon Islands, the Adaro are malevolent merman-like sea spirits. The sea-devils are said to arise from the wickedness of an individual’s sprit, which is believed to be divided into two parts. The good half of the spirit is referred to as the Aunga, which dies along with the individual’s earthly body. The evil half (Adaro) remains on Earth as a ghost. An Adaro is described as a man-like being with gills behind his ears, a pair of tail fins instead of feet, a horn like a shark’s dorsal fin, and a sword or saw-fish-like spear protruding from its head. Believed to travel in waterspouts and across rainbows, the Adaro are said to attack and kill fishermen by firing flying fish at them. Evidence of these creatures in Melanesian mythology exist in the form of dolls and sculptures carved from wood, an example of which is found in the British Museum in London.