Monument to the Little Mermaid: when fairy tales come to life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

The tender and sad tale of the Little Mermaid, who lost her voice for the love of a handsome prince, is undoubtedly known to everyone. However, not many people know that a monument was erected to the heroine of this story. Moreover, the monument to the Little Mermaid exists not only in Copenhagen, the capital of the birthplace of the great storyteller. Only here are other sea beauties that inspired the sculptors, have nothing to do with the legend glorified by Andersen. Who are they - the mysterious Mermaids, immortalized in stone and metal, where do they live and why did they get such an honor?

The Little Mermaid Monument in Denmark: a fabulous symbol of the country

Everyone who has ever been to the port of Copenhagen on the Langelinje embankment had the opportunity to admire with their own eyes the main character of one of Andersen's most famous fairy tales. The bronze beauty Mermaid sadly sits on a bas alt boulder protruding from the water itself. Clutching a sprig of algae in her hands, she looks thoughtfully into the distance, longing for her unrequited love.

The monument to the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" is considered a symbol of Copenhagen and the entire Danish kingdom. The Danes solemnly celebrate his anniversaries, arranging festivities on the embankment and decorating the sculpture with wreaths of flowers. Numerous tourists love to be photographed against the backdrop of the Little Mermaid - the beauty is always in the spotlight. Unfortunately, vandals do not bypass it either: the monument was repeatedly doused with paint, sawed off from it separate parts and even dressed in Muslim clothes. However, every time the Little Mermaid is lovingly restored and restored to its proper form.

The Story of the Danish Mermaid

The Little Mermaid Monument in Denmark was erected in 1913, seventy-six years after the fairy tale was written. The bronze daughter of the sea king was made by master Edward Eriksen, and Karl Jacobsen, the son of the founder of the famous Danish brewery Carlsberg, became the customer for this unusual sculpture. According to legend, Jacobsen was passionately in love with the prima ballerina of the Royal Danish Ballet, the beautiful Juliet Price, but she did not return his feelings. He ordered a monument to the Little Mermaid for Eriksen, setting the condition that Juliet would become a model for him. However, the ballerina flatly refused to pose, and then the sculptor, without thinking twice, sculpted the Little Mermaid, looking at his own wife. After receiving the completed order, Carl Jacobsen presented a beautiful statue to his hometown.

Since then, the sad sea princess has been sitting thoughtfully on a stone a meter from the capital's embankment,defenseless and touching in its quivering beauty.

Monument to the Little Mermaid in Crimea: the legend of the stolen beauty

On the southern coast of Crimea, in the water, at the very embankment of the small village of Miskhor, among the waves of the sea, a mermaid with a baby in her arms froze, leaning on a stone. This sculptural composition embodies one of the ancient Crimean legends - about the beautiful Tatar girl Arza, who, on the eve of her wedding, was kidnapped and taken to Istanbul by the insidious robber Ali Baba. In Turkey, the beauty got into the harem of the Sultan himself. She was cherished and cherished, but she withered before our eyes, yearning for her beloved, left in her distant native land. Even the birth of a son did not save Arza from mental anguish. Having seized the moment, she, together with the baby, rushed from the tower into the cold waters of the Bosphorus … That same evening, on the Miskhor coast, people noticed a mermaid who got out of the water. She had a small child in her arms. The sad Mermaid looked for a long time at the village where Arzy once lived, sat by her favorite fountain, and then just as quietly swam back into the sea. Since then, once a year, on the day when a beautiful Tatar woman was kidnapped, a Mermaid with a baby appears on the shore, and Arza's favorite fountain begins to flow more strongly.

How did the Mermaid appear in Miskhor?

Resting in the Crimea at the beginning of the last century, Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson heard a sad Tatar legend. She inspired the master so much that he created and installed two sculptural compositions at his own expense: the girl Arza carved in stone and the robber Ali Babanear the legendary fountain mentioned in the legend, as well as the monument to the Little Mermaid in the sea on the Miskhor embankment.

Famous Little Mermaids from Warsaw: the legendary defenders of the city

Poland is another country where the monument to the Little Mermaid has become a symbol of the capital and is even depicted on its coat of arms. In fact, there are three sculptural groups in Warsaw depicting sea beauties. The most famous Mermaid with sword and shield stands in the Old City in the middle of the famous Market. The second monument can be found at the Świętokrzyżskie bridge across the Vistula. The third one is located on the viaduct on Karova Street.

According to legend, once a mermaid, floating from the sea past the Old City, got out of the water, wanting to rest. She liked this place so much that she decided to stay. The fishermen living nearby were at first unhappy that someone was constantly confusing their nets and releasing fish into the wild, but when they heard the mermaid's singing, they changed their anger to mercy and did not disturb her. And when a rich merchant who was walking in these places accidentally saw the mermaid, treacherously kidnapped her and imprisoned her in a wooden shed, the son of one of the fishermen with his friends helped her free herself and escape. In gratitude, the mermaid gave the fishermen her word that she would always stand up for them when they needed it. Since then, the monument to the Little Mermaid in Warsaw has been regularly guarding the city and its inhabitants.

Israeli mermaid from Kiryat Yam: in search of sensation

In the suburbs of the Israeli city of Haifa, Kiryat Yam, a monument to the Little Mermaid was also erected not so long ago. sea beauty,chastely covering her nakedness, reclines in a huge shell on a pedestal in the very center of the promenade part of the embankment.

This sculpture appeared in Kiryat Yam in connection with rumors, which are growing every day: allegedly real mermaids were repeatedly seen in the sea near the city coast…

In search of a sensation, journalists constantly visit the town, but so far no one has been able to confirm the rumors - however, as well as to refute. So the mysterious look of the Mermaid from Kiryat Yam once again draws the attention of tourists to the mystery, one way or another connected with this town.