Iara is a character from the brazilian folklore. She's a beautiful mermaid who lives in the Rio Amazonas.
She have a dark skin, a long black hair and brown eyes. Iara is usually in the rivers singing a irresistible melody. Thus, the men that see her can't resist his desires and they jump into the river. Indians believe so much in Iara's power that they don't pass near the rivers in dusk.
According to the legend, Iara was a warrior indian girl, the best of the tribe, and used to receive a lot of praises from her father, that was a Pajé.
Her brothers had a lot of envy and decided to kill her at night, when she was sleeping. Iara, who had good ears, killed them. Afraid of her father's reaction, she ran away. The Pagé chased and found her. As a punishment, he throwed her in the meeting of the Rio Negro and Solimões. Some fishes took the girl to the surface and turned her into a beautiful mermaid.
This is a remake from my old painting "Iara - Brazilian Folklore"