Hans Christian Andersen's mermaid had to give up her ability to speak in order to receive a pair of legs, a symbol of sacrificing one's right of speech for acceptance. The sixteenth-century Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus professed that when a mermaid married a mortal and had a child, she received a soul.

Headdress from Nigeria (Yoruba)

Glass beads. Total Height 95cm.

Only the Oba, or Yoruba ruler, may wear an ade, or ceremonial beaded crown. The images hark back to the Oduduwa, the mythical first king of Ife who supposedly descended from the sky and presented an ade to each of his descendants as a symbol of authority. The birds are a reminder that the Oba is a holy person whose divine countenance must be covered by a veil of beads.