Dyesebel is a popular mermaid character in the Philippines.

The comic book character was originally

conceived by the Filipino comic book illustrator, Mars Ravelo and drawn by Elpidio Torres. Dyesebel is a
prominent character in Philippine cinema and television.[1] It was first serialized in Pilipino Komiks in
1952-53, and was later adapted into the big screen that same year. The film was produced under
Manuel Vistan Productions, Inc. and released through Premiere Productions. It was directed by the great
Gerardo 'Gerry' De Leon.[2][3]

Dyesebel first appeared in the pages of Pilipino Komiks during the 50's, then in Kampeon Komiks
(Champion Comics) in 1975. The story has been adapted into five films and a spin-off, throughout the
timeline from 1953 to 1996. Among those who took on the role in the big screen are Edna Luna (1953),
Vilma Santos (1973), Alma Moreno (1978), Alice Dixson (1990), and Charlene Gonzales (1996). On the
television, the iconic mermaid is portrayed by Marian Rivera (2008) and Anne Curtis (2014).




Contents
[hide] 1 Fictional character history
2 Adaptations 2.1 Films 2.1.1 Dyesebel (1953)
2.1.2 Dyesebel at Ang Mahiwagang Kabibe (1973)
2.1.3 Sisid, Dyesebel, Sisid (1978)
2.1.4 Dyesebel (1990)
2.1.5 Dyesebel (1996)

2.2 Television series 2.2.1 Mars Ravelo's Dyesebel (2008)
2.2.2 Mars Ravelo's Dyesebel (2014)


3 On-screen actresses and actors 3.1 Official list of actresses who played Dyesebel
3.2 Official list of actors who played Fredo
3.3 Trivia

4 Collected editions
5 See also
6 External links
7 References


Fictional character history[edit]

Dyesebel is unique among the merfolk for she is the only mermaid born of human parents from the
surface world. A mermaid from birth, she is shunned by the superstitious due to her physical form.

The story of Dyesebel begins when an amnesiac mermaid-turned-human named Lucia fell in love with a
human. They got married and had a beautiful baby, but instead of a human baby she delivered a
mermaid. The child is called "Dyesebel" . Although surprised by their daughter's strange form, Lucia and
her husband Tino promise to love their child no matter what. But in no time at all, their neighbors
discovered the couple's secret. When the community is hit with a series of catastrophes, the town
believes that the anomaly is caused by Dyesebel; an accusation that leads to Tino's death. After her
father is killed by an angry, superstitious mob, Dyesebel is taken to the ocean by her mother where she
is sent into exile since her chances for survival are greater there than on land. Unknown to Lucia is that
in the heart of the sea, Dyesebel's adventures and misfortunes will begin. It is within the confines of the
waters that Dyesebel will lead a new life-a journey that would take her to the depths of the sea, as well
as to chaos of the city.[4]

One day the young girl-mermaid got lost in the ocean and found by Banak who adopts her and takes her
to their kingdom where she is welcomed into their community. Years later, a jealous mermaid named
Dyangga makes Dyesebel's life miserable among the denizens of the sea which leads Dyesebel to try
returning to the surface world. She meets a kind, handsome young man named Fredo who falls in love
with her and protects her, but then she is kidnapped by Fredo's jealous former girlfriend's (Betty) new
boyfriend and displayed at the circus. She is subsequently rescued by Fredo and is brought back to the
ocean where she is again told that although Fredo doesn't want to see Dyesebel go, he'd rather let her
go than see her hurt by evil men on the surface world. Dyesebel discovers that she can also be a human
being by visiting Amafura to get a secret necklace which makes her human; but a price must be made,
for her to sacrifice her true possession, in order to gain something special. This time around, Dyesebel
returns with a magic conchshell that transforms her into a full human form and returns to Fredo where
they marry.[5]

Adaptations[edit]

Films[edit]

Dyesebel (1953)[edit]

The first actress to play Dyesebel on the big screen was Edna Luna in a 1953 film made by Gerry de Leon
for Manuel Vistan Production/Premiere Production.

In the Philippines, the lore of Dyesebel began with the story of a girl born to a mermaid-obsessed
Filipino mother. Whilst pregnant, Lucia (Dyesebel's mother) obsessively looked at a collection of
mermaid pictures from a calendar which eventually affected the infant's form when it was born with a
fishtail instead of normal human lower extremities. Tino (Dyesebel's father), angered by his child's
deformity, wanted to abandon the child, only to be hindered by a bolt of lightning during a typhoon. To
avoid the stigma of having a mermaid child, the couple decided to leave their village and relocate where
they can raise Dyesebel in secret, hidden from prying eyes. The mermaid, Dyesebel, eventually met
other mermaids while spending time by the seashore, and through her sea adventures, she comes into
contact with Dyangga, a sea-witch who had the power to transform sea-creatures into humans.
Dyesebel fell in love with Fredo (Jaime de la Rosa), a human. But after her secret of being a mermaid
was exposed, it prompted Betty (Carol Varga), the jealous former girlfriend of Fredo, to kidnap Dyesebel
and place her in a carnival. Dyesebel was later saved by Fredo. Dyangga eventually transformed
Dyesebel into a permanent female human with normal lower extremities.[1][6]

Anak ni Dyesebel (1964)

In 1964, eleven years after, Director Gerardo de Leon directed a sequel to his first Dyesebel. He reunited
the cast of the blockbuster 1953 movie Dyesebel in a sequel based on Mars Ravelo's Anak ni Dyesebel
(Liwayway #4, 1963-1964). The movie introduced Alona (played by Eva Montes who also played Darna in
the 1965 movie Darna at ang Babaing Tuod), the daughter of Dyesebel (Edna Luna) and Fredo (Jaime
dela Rosa).

Dyesebel at Ang Mahiwagang Kabibe (1973)[edit]

The 1973 Dyesebel film ("Dyesebel at Ang Mahiwagang Kabibe") was directed by Emmanuel H. Borlaza,
and was closer to Mars Ravelo's heroine mermaid. The character inhabits an undersea kingdom of
mermaids, cast out from the land of humans due to the belief that mermaids are the cause of
misfortune. Dyesebel became attracted to a male human being and swore to find any means to be
transformed into normal human, in order to be with the man that her heart desired.[1][7]

In this film, Vilma Santos played the role of Dyesebel making her the first actress to play both Darna
(four times) and Dyesebel, both classic Mars Ravelo creations. Romeo Miranda played the role Fredo,
her human lover. Perhaps this is the best one that depicts the mermaid riding on a giant seahorse,
fighting against a giant Octopus, being helped by electric eels to fight the behemoth, mermaids galore,
and Dyesebel's "Magic Conch-shell" that turns her into a human.

Sisid, Dyesebel, Sisid (1978)[edit]

In 1978's "Sisid, Dyesebel, Sisid" made by Sampaguita Pictures, Dyesebel (Alma Moreno) was a mermaid
born to a rich couple. The husband claimed his wife had an affair with a merman. Still loving and
accepting, they moved to their beach house where Dyesebel was kept in a wheelchair covered with a
blanket to hide her tail. It was only her parents and her nanny who knew her identity as a mermaid. As
she grew up into a lady mermaid (still on shore) the family hires Fredo (renamed David, played by Matt
Ranillo III) and his dad as their gardener. Fredo and Dyesebel fell in love with each other.

After Dyesebel revealed herself to Fredo, they decided to get married (with Dyesebel wearing a wedding
gown in a fish tail). Shortly after they got married, Dyesebel's parents died in a plane crash. Then,
Dyesebel discovered that Fredo is a womanizer. In full despair, she heard the ocean calling her after a
very long time, and she joined the mermaid kingdom. Trying to be happy, she admitted that she still
missed Fredo, and asked Banak (Nova Villa) how to be become human. She led her to Dyangga (Bella
Flores), a human octopus. With the help of Maro (Matt Ranillo III in a dual role) a merman friend who
killed Dyangga, she got the magical pearl on her head that gave her two legs. She became a human for
an hour or so, only to break up with Fredo and decided to be a mermaid forever, and lived in the ocean
where she was deprived from since birth.

Dyesebel (1990)[edit]

Perhaps the most memorable Dyesebel film to date, this version is common that makes Dyesebel of
what it is now. It was the first Dyesebel to swim underwater, to shot real underwater scenes, to use the
"orange-colored" fish tail (which is commonly used now), to show the combination of Dyesebel's life
underwater water and on land, and to tell a realistic story line on love and relationships.

A couple found a wounded and stranded pregnant mermaid on shore, who died after giving birth. Being
childless, the couple adopted the mermaid's daughter and named her Dyesebel, From Dyesebel's
childhood through her teenage years, she and her family moved from place to place to get away from
angry mob. The teen Dyesebel (Carmina Villaroel) starts to ask questions why she's a mermaid and
shows signs of wanting to become a human. It was at this time that they decide to let Dyesebel go into
the sea with the other mermaids (not shown on screen) where she has the chance to encounter with
Edward (Robert Ortega) as a teen. Fast forwarding to the present day where Dyesebel is now a lady
(Alice Dixson). She then sees Edward (Richard Gomez) again as an adult, then searches Banak, a sea
witch this time, to help her acquire human legs through a magic shell. However, it was only temporary.
The shell has to be within her reach for a day or else she'll have her tail back.

She finds shelter by Marina (Malou de Guzman) and Iday (Judy Ann Santos) who later on discovers her
identity but still remain true to her. She also found Edward's wallet washed from the shore. Still having
Edward's wallet that was misplaced on the water Dyesebel and her friends look for Edward and
becomes a famous model by a friend of Edward's. Dyesebel and Edward finally meet and become lovers.
However, Malou (Edward's girlfriend, played by Nadia Montenegro) tries to break their relationship. At
the same time, Dyesebel has a hard time keeping her identity a secret to Edward. Until she finally admits
it to him, and shows him her true self, where they broke up for sometime. Edward realizes he cannot
live without her, they are about to become closer and Malou accidentally finds out, and exposed
Dyesebel's mermaid identity in Edward's birthday celebration. The media and the government took
interest on her, as a display on the country's underwater museum. Edward rescued her, and Malou
discovered Dyesebel's magic shell, steals it and breaks it. However, it only turned Dyesebel into a human
permanently, and Malou into a mermaid permanently.

Dyesebel (1996)[edit]

In the Dyesebel 1996 film version, Charlene Gonzales played Dyesebel with Matthew Mendoza as Fredo.
It was directed by Emmanuel H. Borlaza who also directed the 1973 Dyesebel film starring Vilma Santos.

Dyesebel (Charlene Gonzales) is unique among the merfolk for she is the only mermaid born of human
parents from the surface world. A mermaid from birth, she is shunned by the superstitious due to her
physical form. After her father is killed by an angry, superstitious mob, Dyesebel is taken to the ocean by
her mother where she is sent into exile since her chances for survival are greater there than on land. The
young girl-mermaid is found by Banak (Gloria Diaz) who adopts her and takes her to their kingdom
where she is welcomed into their community. Years later, a jealous mermaid named Dyangga (Maritoni
Fernandez) makes Dyesebel's life miserable among the denizens of the sea