The Mermaid

The Mermaid was the emblem of lust for medieval Christian morality, depictions of sirens are in fact very common on the capitals and inside the Romanesque cathedrals, as a warning against carnal sins. In medieval art, mermaids are often depicted holding a comb and a mirror, one to indicate sexuality (in the gesture of combing long hair, once a powerful tool of seduction), the other to emphasize their vanity.