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... Nerissa was like a rock star to us... When Aurora turned on the Eastern Pod, Nerissa came to our rescue. She fought alongside us for years... My grandmother was on the Mermaid Council, and she introduced us. Nerissa was awesome. Brave and powerful. And so beautiful.
Weilan on Nerissa's personality and power[src]


Nerissa is a Northern mermaid, and the biological mother of Zac and Mimmi. She has been described as the most powerful and strongest of all mermaids and has mastered spells that no other mermaid in the world has ever been able to accomplish.

Biography[]

She was apparently one of the few mermaids at the time that believed it was possible for mermen and mermaids to live in peace as she is also a descendant from a royal line of merpeople who ruled the seas and ensured peace between mermen and mermaids after ending the previous war between them. At some point, Nerissa had two children, a daughter named Mimmi and a son named Zac. During the time Nerissa cared for her children, Mimmi was an unspecified but very young age, while Zac was a baby. Nerissa loved both of her children dearly. Although the series implies that merman infants are usually sent away to foster families given the history of mermen and mermaids, this was not the case with Nerissa and her son was every bit as precious to her as her daughter was. Being a mermaid with a loving heart, Nerissa loved both of her children equally.

Unfortunately, the Northern Pod found itself under attack by the rebel mermaid, Aurora. Her powers apparently rivaled even Nerissa, because she proved to be a threat to the whole pod and even for her. Realizing she could not keep her children safe, Nerissa was forced to make the most difficult decision of her life and send her children to new homes. After briefly fleeing the Northern Pod, Nerissa headed to Australia where she sent her daughter Mimmi, to live in the Mako Pod. Nerissa then began searching for a home for Zac, realizing that a pod of mermaids would never care for him. She also wanted to be sure that wherever she did send him, it was somewhere close to Mimmi so they would be able to find each other one day. Nerissa finds the answer for Zac's well being when she takes notice of a young couple called the Blakelys on the mainland who longed to be parents and were unable to have their own children, even wishing for it while looking out at sea. Knowing these people would be able to make sure he was safe and happy the way she could not, Nerissa decided to grant their wish and secretly entrust them with her son. Using her powerful magic, Nerissa cast a spell on Zac that prevented him from transforming when he touched water. However, she knew that her son had a special connection with Mako Island and that he would one day learn the truth of his true origins for not even an enchantment from her could change who he really is. After leaving Zac on the beach for the Blakelys to find, Nerissa heavy heartedly returned to the Northern Pod to continue fighting Aurora hoping that one day she would be able to come back for her children.

After apparently driving her away from the Northern Pod, Aurora set her sights on the Eastern Pod. Nerissa followed her to come to their rescue. She also fought alongside the Eastern Pod for years. During this time, a member of the Mermaid Council introduced her granddaughter Weilan to Nerissa. The battle with the Eastern Pod eventually turned against Aurora and she went to go face her. When she went to face Aurora alone, she got cast under a spell that turned her into a Water Dragon that had the ability to take away merpeople's tails and powers with its Cold Dragon fire breath. Having lost all sense of herself, Nerissa was sent to destroy the entire Eastern Pod while she was the dragon. After the Eastern Pod was defeated, she was put in a deep sleep. Nerissa was never seen again and was believed to be dead by her fellow mermaids. Because of this, Mimmi grew up without her feeling that she had abandoned her while Zac spent most of his life completely unaware of his true origins.

Eventually, Zac and Mimmi reunited with one another just as Nerissa had intended. As their bond and love for one another continued to grow, the spell that turned Nerissa into the Dragon started to break and her true self began to resurface. Her dragon form awakened when Zac and Mimmi found each other and the dragon followed Weilan to Mako due to Nerissa's desire to see her children again. However, although the spell was beginning to break, it still had enough hold on Nerissa to make her attack mermaids like it previously did.

On the night of the full moon upon Weilan's arrival the dragon appeared to Mimmi, Ondina, and Evie. Alarmed by its presence, Ondina and Mimmi attacked it with their moon rings but it was completely unfazed. Before it could attack them, a nearby boat distracted allowing them to escape. The dragon would then continue to appear whenever there was a full moon. During the subsequent full moons, the dragon would appear and chase or attack any merperson it encountered. During one of these encounters, Evie falls victim to its power draining fire breath. However, Zac and Mimmi were both spared by the dragon when they found themselves at its mercy due to Nerissa's true self starting to surface somewhere within it. Even while under Aurora's spell, Nerissa does not lose herself enough to harm her own children, which later provides one of the clues Zac and Mimmi need when they discover the truth about the dragon. As the spell continues to gradually break, Nerissa begins appearing to Zac and Mimmi through visions in attempts to reach out to them.

After learning of a Chinese legend where a land person was turned into a dragon and freed by a mermaid wearing a magic bracelet; Zac and Mimmi realize that their mother is under the same kind of spell. After managing to get a hold of the same bracelet, Zac and Mimmi attempt to use it to free her as the Mermaid Council summoned a massive magical storm to destroy the dragon. After a brief moment where both Mimmi and the dragon disappear, Nerissa emerges from the water, finally being completely free from the spell. She and her children then have a joyful reunion. Nerissa then explains why she left Zac and Mimmi and assures them that it was the most difficult thing she had ever done, promising never to leave them again. Nerissa then shares a loving embrace with both of her children, overwhelmed with joy by the fact that at long last, her family is together again.

Personality[]

Rita describes her as an exceptionally kind and Weilan described her as very brave. After finally returning, Nerissa quickly proves to be everything that Rita said she would be. She is shown to love both her children dearly and confirms Rita's belief that she only sent them away to ensure their safety.

Physical Appearance[]

Nerissa is a drop dead gorgeous mermaid of average height and slim figure. She has very long dark brown hair that reaches below her hips, deep blue eyes, olive skin button nose and pouty pink lips. Weilan describes her as exceptionally beautiful. She has a similar face structure with her son Zac, while her daughter, Mimmi inherited her deep blue eyes. In her human form she wore a long red dress with a red shirt with rhinestones over it, golden necklace high heels and had a side braid with accessories around her long hair.

Mermaid Powers[]

... Nerissa was an exceptional and powerful mermaid... I knew of her. Stories of Nerissa's abilities were legend. We all knew who she was. We strove to be like her...
Rita Santos to Mimmi on her mother, Nerissa's legendary abilities[src]


Nerissa possessed all the standard powers and abilities of a mermaid native from the Northern Pod, though she did not disclose the true, terrifying extent of her magical powers. She was said to be very inspiring in fellow mermaids across the seas, and presumably a high-ranking member of the Northern Pod, which was itself infamous for its dangerous reputation due to practicing potent, and very powerful forms of magic.

Nerissa was apparently very powerful, and was said to be among the most powerful mermaids of her time,[1] and her most notable feat of magic was to cast a powerful spell to seal a merperson's true form and all abilities, disguising them as a human all the time as long as they remained under the spell's effects. She cast this spell on her son, Zac when he was just a hatchling, however, the spell was eventually broken years later when he fell into the waters of Mako Island's Moon Pool, restoring his merman self and magical powers.

  • Invisibility: Like all mermen and mermaids, be it had transformed or native from the sea, Nerissa possessed the natural ability to temporarily make herself completely physically invisible and unseen to the naked eye.

  • Moon Spell Control: An essential skill that every merperson has to learn to master properly, as it lets them survive the Full Moon's spell without letting it control them. Nerissa most likely mastered the Moon Spell Control when she was a hatchling, as she did not seem to be bewitched by the Moon Spell when the full moon was still up, and retained her true self.
  • Limited Transformation: As a result of the Legs Spell, Nerissa possessed the ability to grow legs when completely physically dry, along with all the clothing and accessory she was wearing before she returned to her true mermaid self. However, she was unable to remain on a dry land for long periods of time without eventually dehydrating, and ultimately dying as a result of her frailing physical condition, and need to take regular swimming sessions in order to remain physically healthy. Only a drop of water was able to revert her to her true mermaid self, and her human clothing vanished upon transformation. She was also most likely able to utilize her mermaid powers while remaining in her human form, such as the powers of Telekinesis, and Invisibility.
  • Speed-Swimming: The ability to swim at an incredible speed, and as such, her body was encased in bubbles because of the incredible high speed rate. As a mermaid, Nerissa possessed the ability to swim at a super speed, and dive at depths no human being was capable of, completely protected from its cold and water pressure.
  • Enhanced Breath: Merpeople were able to hold their breath without any discomfort for at least fifteen minutes before needing to breathe, and would get unconscious if the time period extended over past those minute. She was also capable of holding her breath for at least fifteen minutes.
  • Enhanced Senses: Merpeople may have slightly enhanced senses suited to life underwater due to living in the sea.
  • Aquatic Adaptation: Depending on where they were born and raised, merpeople may be resistant to certain elements in that area. As a Northern mermaid, Nerissa was most likely resistant and immune to the dangerous type of Snow Rash, and low temperatures, due to swimming in cold, icy waters around Canada, and the Arctic Circle, where the temperatures were very low and intolerant to human organism, completely protected from the cold or hypothermia. She was also most likely able to resist the dangerous infection with a type of Snow Rash.
  • Thermal Resistance: The ability to survive extreme hot or cold temperatures.
  • Endurance: Merpeople were able to swim for days without exhaustion, something which no human had the stamina to do. They were also able to dive at depths no human could withstand.
  • Amphibious: A merperson's respiratory system could extract oxygen from both water and air, allowing them to breathe freely both underwater and on land.
  • Extended Lifespan: While merpeople did age, their lifespan was far longer than that of humans, allowing them to age at a much slower rate than a human lifespan.
  • Immunity to the Northern Pod's Enchantment Song: As a member of the Northern Pod herself, Nerissa was immune to the Northern Siren's mesmerizing voice, and would not be affected by its enchanting tune.

  • Water Dragon's cold breath: While still under Aurora's powerful spell that cursed her into becoming a water dragon, Nerissa was capable of breathing cold, blue flames from her dragon jaws[2], which had dangerous unmetamorphosing effects on a bewitched merperson once burned.[3]
  • Hibernation cycle: As a result of her curse, Nerissa fell into her lunar, hibernation-like cycle between each recurring Full Moon, and only temporarily awakened from her deep slumber under the return of the full moon, or via another source of moonlight. However, she was only able to temporarily awaken from her lunar, hibernation-like cycle, and was cursed to repeat it on a continuous basis,[4] before the spell was eventually broken, and Nerissa was returned to her old, true mermaid self. She could also be briefly summoned by a moon ring's moonlight before falling back to her sleep.[5] As the spell continued to gradually break due to her love for her children making her unable to attack them due to Nerissa's true self resurfacing somewhere deep within her, she gained the ability to communicate with them via visions in order to try and reach out to them.
  • Enhanced durability: As a water dragon, Nerissa was capable of surviving more physical trauma to her physical body, that would otherwise be fatal, including her own cold breath. However, it did not protect her from a powerful enough phenomena, like a powerful lightning strike empowered by the full magic of Mako Island, which was apparently extremely strong, and would have succeeded in killing her, if not for her daughter's timely intervention in breaking Aurora's curse, and returning her to her old, true mermaid self. In her dragon form, she was also immune to the powers of Moon Rings.
  • Enhanced swimming: In her dragon form, Nerissa was also able to swim at accelerated swimming speed rates, similar to her mermaid ability of Speed-Swimming, giving her the velocity needed to chase a desired merperson.
  • Amphibious: A water dragon's respiratory system was able to extract oxygen from both water and air, allowing her to breathe freely both underwater and on land.

  • Her Moon Ring: After graduating from the Mermaid School, and being initiated as a full-fledged member of the ancient Northern Pod, Nerissa received her own Moon Ring as part of her initiation, and was most likely able to master all of its spells, and channel her magic with perfection via its use.

  • Weaknesses[]

    Under Aurora's spell, Nerissa had all the typical weaknesses of a water dragon. When Mimmi broke the spell with the Jiao Long Bracelet, Nerissa regained all the typical weaknesses of a natural-born Northern mermaid.

    Behind the Scenes[]

    She was portrayed by actress Tasneem Roc.

    Name[]

    • Nerissa is an old Greek name related to Nereid that means "sea nymph".

    Trivia[]

    • Nerissa was the only known mermaid capable of casting a spell that would seal away one's powers.
    • The Blakely couple mentioned that it was like their wish for a child was granted when they found Zac on the beach left by Nerissa. This might be a reference to a pop culture where mermaids were known to grant wishes for sailors and mortals alike.
    • Nerissa was a direct descendant of the merman who built the Merman Chamber.
      • She would once be part of the royal family line, if it had not died out.
    • Despite being from the Northern Pod, she has an Australian accent.
    • Nerissa would not hurt Mimmi or Zac when she was still under the curse, as her love for her children weakened the spell that forced water dragons to target and destroy all merpeople.
    • Being a Northern mermaid, she may have resistance to low temperatures since she swims in the cold, icy waters around Canada and possibly the Arctic Circle.
    • In "Reunion" in Season 2, she's described by Mimmi having the deepest blue eyes, however, after her first appearance, she's shown having brown eyes, like her son.
      • It's likely this got reconed or Mimmi misremembered the eye color.
    • The Water Dragon was thought to have killed Nerissa, but it turned out she was still alive.
      • It was revealed that Nerissa was the Water Dragon and Aurora cast a spell that turned her into the Water Dragon. Mimmi used the Jiao Long Bracelet to break the spell and set Nerissa free.

    Appearances[]

    Mako: Island of Secrets: Season 1
    "Outcasts" "Getting Legs" "Meeting Rita" "Lyla Alone" "Blizzard" "Dolphin Tale" "Zac's Pool Party" "Zac's Return To Mako" "The Siren" "Zac Returns To Mako" "I Don't Believe in Mermaids" "Close Call" "Betrayal"

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    "Battlelines" "Sirena's Secret" "Truce" "Moon Ring 2" "The Trident Job" "Where's The On Button" "Nowhere To Hide" "Aquata Returns" "Evie Times Two" "Zac's Choice" "Trust" "Betrayed" "Decision Time"

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    Mako: Island of Secrets: Season 2
    "The Seventh Cycle" "Sticky Situation" "Discovery" "A New Tail" "Bad For Business" "Stormy Seas" "Awakening" "Land School" "Stowaway" "Keeping The Secret" "Only As Young As You Feel" "Supersized" "Reunion"

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    Mentioned

    "A New Man" "Careful What You Wish For" "First Date" "The Merman Code" "The Siren" "Surprise!" "The Job" "New Orders" "The Last Dance" "Stay or Go" "The Truth About Evie" "The Trident Stone" "The Chosen One"

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    Mako: Island of Secrets: Season 3
    "A Visit From The East" "Seeing Is Believing" "Recipe For Success" "Mopping Up" "The Puzzle Box" "New Beginnings" "Turning The Tide" "The Way of the Dragon" "Reversal of Fortune" "Wishful Thinking" "Lost And Found" "Trust Issues" "Letting Go" "Age Before Beauty" "The Legend of Jiao Long" "Homecoming"

    Dragon Form

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    Dragon Form

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    Appears

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    Gallery[]

    Main article: Nerissa/Gallery


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