There is a direct connection between Christopher Columbus and this mermaid sculpture on the north coast of Spain – the Sirena Magdalena. Now famously, Christopher Columbus reported that he saw mermaids, twice. Bartolomé de Las Casas read and summarized Columbus’ log before it was lost to history. His summary for the log entries on January 9, […]
La Sirena de Coruña
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 […]
Fuente de la Sirena in Lleida
The Fuente de la Sirena (Fountain of the Mermaid) in Lleida is found in the centrally located Parc dels Camps Elisis. Like the French Champs-Élysées, Camps Elisis refers to the Elysian Fields or Elysium – the final resting place for the souls of heroes in Greek mythology. This current mermaid statue was placed here in […]
Sirena Inmaculada
This mermaid in the Spanish city of Leganés on the south side of Madrid was commissioned by the Leganés City Council. It was sculpted by Luis Arencibia Betancort, an artist from the Canary Islands, in 2000. Betancourt’s sculptures adorn a number of locations in the Madrid area, where he lived and worked and was well […]
Sirena Mô, Mermaid of Mahon
There is a well known legend of the mermaid of Mahón and a nephew of Hannibal of Carthage. Mahón is a port city on the island of Menorca, not far from Mallorca. Mahón is also known as Maó-Mahón or simply Maó, which in the local pronunciation is shortened to Mó. Originally, in 205 BC, […]
Lake Geneva’s Seahorse Mermaids
On the promenade in Vevey, on the northeast side of Lake Geneva, are three sculptures of nymphs riding seahorses. Although often referred to as mermaids, these are more accurately nymphs or water spirits – one is a child (in the pool) and the other two (in the lake) are adults, one holding a sphere and […]
Diana Fountain in Syracuse, Italy
The Fountain of Diana (Fontana di Diana) is found in the Archimedes Plaza (Piazza Archimede) in Syracuse (Siracusa) on the east coast of Sicily. Diana is the goddess of the hunt, wild animals and wilderness, childbirth and virginity, and was often shown carrying a bow and arrow. She was the daughter of Zeus and twin […]
Beaulieu-sur-Mer Mermaids
After spending a fabulous morning in Monaco and Èze, we just happened to spot this completely unexpected sculpture of a mermaid mother with her child as we were driving home along the coast. Located by the marina in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, the sculpture was created in 1997 by Natasha Jusopov, who also sculpted the Lorelei statue in […]
Szabó Mermaid in Budapest
An unusual mermaid is found in Majus Park on the Hajógyári Island, located in the Danube River as it cuts through the city of Budapest. The statue was reportedly created in 1982 by Szabó Gábor. Like the mermaid in Warsaw, this mermaid holds a shield, possibly an indication of a similar legend of the city […]
Rockefeller Plaza Mermaids
The Rockefeller Center in New York City has an immense amount of art and sculptures. Rockefeller Plaza is just one section of the overall Center, but is rich in art on its own, including the very famous Prometheus sculpture by sculptor Paul Manship, which is probably the best known and most photographed sculpture in New […]
