The Scandia restaurant in the Yokohama harbor just outside Tokyo very appropriately installed a replica of Denmark’s Little Mermaid statue outside their restaurant.
The statue is inset into a section of the wall on the corner of the building.
More info at the official page for this sculpture.
Mermaids have been a part of folklore for centuries in many countries around the world. While children are often enthralled by tales of mermaids and the sea, there are many adults who continue to be fascinated by them and enjoy decorating their homes and lives with mermaid memorabilia.
From out of the many cheap, tacky ideas, there are some wonderful, artistic, practical and even quirky gifts for mermaid lovers out there. Here are a few, to save you scrolling through hundreds of web pages.
Jewelry presents an opportunity to choose a sensational gift for mermaid lovers. Jewelry designers use a wide variety of materials and stones providing different textures to create stunning pieces.
You can choose from a range of earrings, necklaces, pendants, rings, pins and medallions. You can go to you jeweler if you want a custom and unique piece for a friend or loved one. Meanwhile, to inspire you, Etsy and Buzzfeed have presented some outstanding ideas.
There are some beautifully crafted lamps on the market, often designed for the mermaid’s tail to light up. Craftsmen use stained or painted glass and even coral for elaborate, and sometimes very intricate, tail designs.
Many mermaid lamps are ornamental, providing a wonderful accent or focal point for a room. Yet they also provide illumination. Here’s some inspiration.
If you really want to spoil someone, you cannot go wrong with a mermaid sculpture or ornament. Smaller ornaments for the home can be made of cast iron, bronze, ceramic or stone and can be hung on a wall or be free standing.
Larger sculptures are available for outdoors. They can be made of stone or cast aluminum, which doesn’t rust. Surprise your friend with a mermaid sculpture to add a touch of class to their swimming pool area.
Once again, Etsy provides inspiration beyond the norm. Or check out some of these beauties.
Other great outdoor gifts include mermaid weather vanes and birdbaths.
There are hundreds of gift ideas for home accessories that can really complete the look for your mermaid loving friends. People can outfit their entire homes with mermaid accessories right down to the smallest details. Some mermaid gift ideas in this area might include:
A bathroom seems one of the most obvious places for a mermaid in the home. You won’t be disappointed, because there is a good variety of accessories to choose from. Think towels, towel rails, small sculptures, soap dishes, cabinet handles, toilet flush handles, even cabinet knobs. Houzz provides some wonderful examples.
You could always play it safe with a gift for your mermaid loving friend by buying a print to brighten up any space. The range is vast and full of color and interesting details. Fine Art America is a good place to start, as is art.com.
We have merely touched the surface of gifts available for a mermaid lover. You can’t go wrong with choosing a unique piece of artwork. But by all means contact a mermaid enthusiast for more information on mermaid culture, folklore, artwork, statues and sculptures.
Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to Mermaids of Earth and a clickable link back to this page.
The Chamorro culture of Guam has an old folk tale about Sirena of Guam. The legend is preserved also with a statue in Sirena Park. map
The statue commemorates the local Chamorro legend of the young girl Sirena who loved to swim in the river so much that she at times would swim instead of doing her chores. One day while swimming instead of gathering coconut shells Sirena’s grandmother became impatient and blurted out the curse “If Sirena loves to swim so much, she should be a fish”. Overhearing this, Sirena’s godmother quickly amended the curse by adding “Leave the part of her that belongs to me as human”.
Sirena transformed into a mermaid as a result of this modified curse. Her grandmother instantly regretted her curse and tried to take it back, but was unable to do so, and Sirena said farewell and swam out to sea so as not to be caught by fishermen.
See more data and photos at the full page for this statue.
Mermaids have held a special place of both mystery and enchantment in people’s minds for centuries and that continues to this day. Mermaids and their famed beauty have long been the subject of literature, artwork, fairytale and fantasy. They represent the unexplored mysteries of the oceans and also our desires as humans to transform and transport ourselves.
All over the world, events are held to honor and enjoy mermaids. Some merely bear the name, like mermaid swimming events. Others offer opportunities for enthusiasts to indulge in mermaid artwork, history, culture, crafts, curios, souvenirs and activities.
Here are some awe-inspiring mermaid events forenthusiasts and devotees to look forward to in 2017.
March is the month of mermaids at Ventura Harbor Village in the stunning seaside town of Ventura, California, only a two-hour drive from downtown Los Angeles.The annual March Mermaid Madness offers classes, artwork, crafts, sales, fashion, activities, food and a parade. The entire harbor transforms to delight the senses of every mermaid lover lucky enough to attend.
Coney Island in New York state is world renowned for its unique fun and attractions. Throw 35 years’ worth of mermaid fun into the mix and you’re sure to experience something super memorable. 2017’s Mermaid Parade is on June 17th. There will be activities ranging from family enjoyment through to some partial nudity events. People dress up in handmade costumes, there’s an annual Merman King and Mermaid Queen, and you’ll see outstanding representations of mermaids in all forms. This is a big summer-starting cultural event supported by the City of New York.
Mermaids are beloved the world over. After all, they travel the oceans. On the other side of the pond, Brighton in England will host its fifth annualMarch of the Mermaids. The British are superb at combining both pageantry and quirkiness in a way that makes everyone feel so welcome. This mermaid event draws deliriously happy crowds. Best of all, it’s for a good cause, raising awareness and funds for ocean conservation. The best place for keeping your finger on the pulse is its Facebook page here.
This one’s a real whale of an event. Come September 2017, cowboys will have to move over as San Marcos in the Lone Star State gets invaded by a tsunami of all things mermaid. The San Marcos Mermaid Society reveres the mermaid as the guardian of its river and people. With a ball, a parade, concerts, games and food, this event is sure to have something for all walks – I mean swims – of merfolk.
If you can’t make these other mermaid events, Florida’s tiny town of Weeki Wachi (it has 12 permanent inhabitants!) has a big theme park attraction all year round. Come see beautiful mermaids swimming around its crystal clear waters for three shows daily. Plus there are so many other attractions for the whole family. A great mermaid vacation beckons!
I hope to see you at these wonderful and fun mermaid events this year! If you can’t be at them, there is always the American Museum of Natural History in NYC, open all year with its magnificent mermaid displays and information.
Eastport, the eastern-most city in the United States, received its bronze mermaid sculpture yesterday. map
The mermaid was created by local artist Richard Klyver, and has been 5 years in the making.
In a ceremony attended by several hundred townspeople and visitors, speeches were given by the head of the city council, by artist Richard Klyver and by yours truly, after which the mermaid statue was unveiled, lots of photos were taken and the mermaid assumed her duties.
Here is a press coverage video of a preview a day before the unveiling:
http://wabi.tv/2015/07/31/mermaid-sculpture-to-be-unveiled-on-eastport-waterfront/
The Bangor Daily News ran this article on the upcoming unveiling of a new mermaid statue in Eastport Maine.
https://bangordailynews.com/2015/07/22/news/down-east/mermaid-to-adorn-eastport-harbor-walk/
It’s exciting to see a new bronze mermaid statue being custom made for this historic town.
The Animal Planet programs on mermaids have certainly achieved one objective – that of creating news and discussion.
It has not all been nice – there has been plenty of criticism about the fact that the programs, which contain a lot of fiction, are presented as fact, with an almost invisible tiny disclaimer stating that some of the content is fictional.
But maybe that was the point – to make sufficiently many people actually believe that it was factual to create the uproar that has been seen. The uproar creates news in itself, and with that some of the other issues get discussed as well, including the US Navy sonar testing which is believed to have killed millions of animals, notably whales and dolphins.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brenda-peterson/can-stories-save-our-ocea_b_3404114.html
http://www.businessinsider.com-charlie-foley-created-animal-planets-mermaids-2013-6
http://guardianlv.com/2013/06/evolution-of-man-from-mermaids/
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/473757-20130603-mermaid-video-new-evidence-2013-animal-planet.htm
http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2013-05-31-early-dnt-berman-mermaid-documentary.cnn
It was announced today that a 6 meter (20′) bronze mermaid statue was installed on the Porto Bello Business and Cultural Centre in Limassol, on the south side of Cyprus.
The Centre overlooks the harbor, and the mermaid statue was installed on the roof, where it can be seen from the harbor and from all sides.
Details at Porto Bello Mermaid of Limassol.
The beautiful and charming City of Tarpon Springs on the west coast of Florida now has its fabulous 6′ 4″ bronze mermaid statue, the Ama Tarpon Springs.
She was installed March 31st, and unveiled on April 1st, in time to be admired by all those attending Tarpon Springs’ Annual Fine Arts Festival this weekend.
The official welcome and dedication ceremony will be on April 9th 2014 at 5:30pm, in Craig Park, where visitors will have a chance to meet Amaryllis, the French sculptor. City officials and the Tarpon Springs Public Art Committee will attend of course. You are invited.
Not your usual mermaid, the Ama statue has both legs and a tail. She has legs while on land, with her scales and tail carried with her over her shoulder for when she returns to her own element. Her message – the reason she is here – is ocean conservation, and the hope that we will help protect all marine life and the seas that are the cradle of life on our planet.
She fits in perfectly with the Tarpon Springs’ strong tradition of cultural arts and its strong Greek heritage – mermaids originated in Greek mythology after all. The city is also a haven for manatees, the graceful creatures historically associated with mermaid sightings, and the Ama sculpture includes a small manatee at the base. Lastly, the sculpture includes a vase sponge as a tribute to the city’s tradition of sponge diving.
The statue is part of the Amaryllis Art for Charity project sponsored by German company Koh-i-Noor, which aims to eventually place 100 similar Ama statues across the world in locations of great beauty near water. Ama Tarpon Springs is the 17th statue in the series, and the first on America’s East Coast.
The name Ama comes from the Japanese word Ama, referring to traditional pearl divers in Japan.
More information on our Ama Tarpon Springs page.