Corporate fish tail

The WSJ reports that a medievalist at Yale has debunked the official Starbucks corporate “history” of the origin of their mermaid logo. ’Bucks’ leadership claims to have both “pored” and “poured” over various (undefined) “marine books” before finding inspiration in a 16th-century “old Norse woodcut”.

According to the Yale blogger, the whole idea of 16th-century Norse woodcuts is on the crocky side,and the source was more likely some version of a book called The Dictionary of Symbols, which was originally published in the 15th century, but isn’t marine related.

Here are my thoughts on the matter:

1. Who cares?
2. Is anyone really surprised that any corporation would fetch up a load of old cobbers about any part of their operation?
3. Who cares?

However, I pass it on to you in the interests of intellectual inquiry.