You will find a gorgeous statue of Hafmeyjan – icelandic for mermaid – on a granite block in Reykjavik. It has been moved several times over the years, and has been recast from the original mold when the first cast was damaged.

Icelandic sculptor Nína Sæmundsson created the mermaid sculpture in 1948 in bronze and granite.

Iceland has legends and mythology about the Hafmeyjan – the mermaid – which, as in many other cultures, describe a mermaid who sits on a rock in the sea and attracts sailors with her song – after which they disappear forever into the depths in her embrace.

There are some fabulous photos of the mermaid here, and more information as well. In fact, the lack of photos available of this mermaid was such that I commissioned local photographer and artist Bjarki Bragason to get some really nice images. Getting good images of outdoor sculptures can be tricky – both in terms of weather and lighting, time of day for the right light, and also in terms of just finding the statue in a clean state, where it is not covered in bird droppings. In many cases, just after a good rain is best, also because some statues look even better when wet, as the colors stand out more.

In any case, enjoy these gorgeous photos by Bjarki Bragason!

This incredible sculpture of the mermaid Atlante in Port Canto in the famous French city of Cannes was created by Amaryllis. It was installed on a rock in the water in the year 2000. She is seen by everyone who enters and exits the port, and she is there specifically to remind everyone to stop ocean pollution, senseless hunting and overfishing, and to take care of the seas.

She is a mermaid who temporarily has legs while walking on land (as happens in many mermaid mythologies and stories), but with vestigial fins and scales.

Atlante is also know to locals in Cannes as Amphitrite – the mythological name of the Queen of the Seas. Amphitrite was the wife of Poseidon and the mother of Triton (King of mermen and mermaids).

The statue was created in bronze and is life-size at 5′ 10″. She is located on a rock in the water about 20-30 feet from the pier.

Mermaids with legs

As mentioned, mermaids with legs are part of mermaid stories and mythology. Some examples of this are the story of The Little Mermaid, the story of Undine and the folklore of the Kopakonan. And examples of mermaid sculptures with legs include Finland’s Havis Amanda, Austria’s Undine, the Kopakonan of the Faroe Islands, the Ama mermaids and Pania of the Reef in New Zealand.

Ocean Conservation

Mermaid Atlante is one of many mermaid sculptures (and other ocean inhabitants) created by Amaryllis, all with a message of love for and appreciation of the oceans as the cradle of life, and the importance and urgency of protecting them. These are part of a strong international movement for preservation of our natural resources.

More information

For more information, please proceed to the page dedicated to Atlante – it contains a lot of additional photos and information on this sculpture and its history.

The fairy tale of the mermaid Undine is immortalized in the Undine Fountain and its sculpture of Undine and the other characters in the story. The sculpture was created in 1903 by sculptor Josef Valentin Kassin to commemorate the completion of the city water pipeline system in Baden, Austria.

The statue of Undine is made of Italian Carrara marble, while the base of the fountain and the other characters were made in sandstone. The story of Undine was written by Friedrich de la Motte Fouque in 1811.  It tells the story of Undine who was born as a mermaid, but was exchanged as a child for a human child by a river god.  The dramatic and complex story evolves from there, with a tragic ending, as is often the case in mermaid-loves-human stories.

Mercédès Jellinek

Kassin stated that he modeled the faces of the figures in the fountain from prominent citizens of Baden. In particular, Mercédès Jellinek was his model for the facial features of the Undine statue. Mercédès was a young (aged 14) socialite, after whom the Mercedes automobile brand was named. She was the daughter of Emil Jellinek, who had a major influence on helping the Mercedes-Benz brand become famous.

Mermaids with legs …

Undine is depicted in her human form – with legs instead of a mermaid tail, which makes sense in the context of the fairy tale.  

Mermaids depicted with legs is fairly common – it is often part of mermaid stories, legends or mythology. Some examples of this includes Kopakonen on the Faroe Islands, the Havis Amanda in Helsinki, Pania of the Reef in New Zealand, even The Little Mermaid from the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, as well as the more contemporary mermaids Ama and Atlante by Amaryllis, who are shown to walk on land amongst us to convince mankind to protect the oceans.

More information

Please proceed to the page dedicated to the Undine Fountain – it contains a lot of additional photos and information on this sculpture and its history.

The mermaid sculpture ‘Sirena de Coruña” sits on the edge of Ensenada del Orzán (Bay of Orzán) in the city of A Coruña in northern Spain.

She looks out over the water towards the rest of the city, waving to ships and boats in the bay, and greeting the setting sun each evening.

She was created by Márgara Hernández Smet in 1995. The sculpture is also known as La Sirena del Orzán, and refers to a local legend. The legend has it that a young woman drowned here on Matadero Beach, and then later emerged from the sea as a mermaid to forever remind people of the dangers of the sea.

There is a wide public beach nearby and a walkway from the street level above down to this area where she can be viewed.

The city has several monuments to local heroes who have perished while trying to save others from drowning in the bay.

More photos and information on this sculpture can be seen on the page dedicated to Sirena del Orzán, the La Sirena de Coruna.