In the Bay of Obama (inside Wasaka Bay in the Sea of Japan) you will find Mermaid Beach on the edge of the city of Obama.

Two mermaid statues are found here, commemorating both national and local legends.

They were installed in April 1976 as part of an upgrade and renovation of this area. The inscription states:

Mermaid Statue: The mermaid legend has long been told in Obama because sirens (dugongs/manatees) from the south sea came here often, following the Kuroshio Current from the south to Wakasa Bay here on the edge of the Sea of Japan. In the legend of Yao Bikuni (or Yao-hime), the woman retained her youth and lived to be 800 years old. The statue was built in this peaceful and beautiful town with the hope of being a utopia of relaxation and longevity. The Kūinji Temple is 400 meters south of here and at the foot of the mountains is a sacred cave where Yao Bikuni was said to live, keeping the legend alive in this area. – Obama City

The Yao Bikuni legend exists in several parts of Japan, and tells of a young girl afraid of growing old.

She eats a small bite of mermaid flesh and as a result lives for 800 years with endless youth and beauty.

She suffers however from the losses of lovers she outlives, and guilt at having eaten mermaid flesh.

When one day she meets a mermaid again she begs forgiveness and is allowed to grow old and eventually die like the rest of us.

See more photos and details at the Obama Mermaids page.

The Buen Retiro Park in the center of Madrid is one of the largest parks in Madrid and belonged to the Spanish Monarchy from about 1505 until the late 19th century when it became a public park.  map

The Great Pond was created in the 1630s along with much of the park layout.

This Monument to King Alfonso XII was designed by architect José Grases Riera in 1902 and was completed and inaugurated on June 6, 1922.

In the center is the bronze equestrian statue of King Alfonso XII, then three statues representing Peace, Freedom and Progress. Below them at the top of the steps are four stone lions, and at the bottom of the steps on the water’s edge are four bronze mermaids.

Mermaid at Monumento a Alfonso XII. Photo by Luis Garcia.

Retiro Park Conch mermaid. Photo © by Philip Jepsen.

Retiro Park Lobster mermaid. Photo © by Philip Jepsen.

Retiro Park Fish mermaid. Photo © by Philip Jepsen.

See all the details on the Retiro Park Mermaids page.

The coat of arms for the town of Ustka has a crowned mermaid holding a salmon in her hand.

This statue of the mermaid was created in bronze by Jerzy Michał Rosa and unveiled in 2010 on a marble pedestal on the pier in the harbor, positioned to greet ships as they come in. map

The mermaid is clearly part of the town’s history. Ustka is a summer tourist bathing town and the mermaid statue was part of renovations designed to attract even more visitors.

The legend is of a mermaid of pure heart named Bryzga Rosowa who took pity on a blind widow in Ustka whose son had not returned from sea. Every day the mermaid brought the widow salmon, until one day her vision returned and she was able to see her son finally returning home on an arriving ship.

A live video feed shows the mermaid and visitors at www.syrenka.ustka.pl

See the full page for this mermaid statue here.

The famous Maria Theresa Square in Vienna is home to four fountains, of which one include a mermaid.

The fountains are each at the center of one of the four rectangular garden areas that define the square.

This fountain depicts a Triton portrayed as an elderly man (with feet) on a conch shell being offered a strand of pearls by a twin-tailed mermaid. Created in Carrara marble by Austrian sculptor Anton Schmidgruber, it was unveiled in 1894.

All four fountains are referred to as Triton and Naiad fountains. In this fountain the female figure is the naiad (mermaid), whereas in the other three fountains the male figures are tritons (mermen with tails) and the female figures have human feet.

More details on the page for these fountains.

Selkies are a variation on the mermaid concept in Scottish, Irish, Icelandic and Faroese folklore. They live in the sea as seals, but can once a year shed their seal hide to become human on land. If their seal skin is hidden or stolen, they are unable to return to the sea.

This 9 ft bronze and stainless steel statue of Kópakonan (The Seal Wife) was created by Hans Pauli Olsen and was installed in the Mikladalur Harbor on Kalsoy, one of the Faroe Islands, on August 1st, 2014.  It commemorates a famous legend on the Faroe Islands about a beautiful Selkie trapped by a fisherman who hides her seal skin while she is on land one night. Trapped, she becomes his wife and they have 2 children. One day however, he goes fishing and she finds her seal skin hidden in a chest in their home. She escapes back to her Selkie family after ensuring the children are cared for until the fisherman’s return.

She leaves behind a message to not follow her and to not harm her Selkie family. The fishermen however ignore the warning and end up killing her Selkie husband and children.

In revenge she curses the men of the island to die in frequent accidents until as many have perished as can link arms around the whole island.

Selkie stories are traditionally romantic tragedies, with the Selkie in most stories returning to the sea after several years as a Seal Wife to a human, leaving behind the husband and children.