10 Magical Mermaid Statues Around the World

Perhaps the most famous mermaid statue is The Little Mermaid in Denmark’s canal happy capital city. Known as a major tourist attraction, this piece, Den Lille Havfrue in Danish, is a national symbol of the Scandi country and was inspired by the mermaid from native son Hans Christen Andersen’s fairy tale. Initially installed in 1913, the statue was a present from brewer Carl Jacobsen, the man behind Carlsberg, who was moved to commission The Little Mermaid after seeing the ballet version of the tale at the Royal Danish Theatre. Danish artist Edvard Eriksen sculpted the statue using his wife, Eline Eriksen, as the model.

This piece is so popular that it has even inspired other statues in Denmark, like the surrealist interpretation, The Genetically Modified Little Mermaid, created by artist Bjørn Nørgaard and found in the same harbor. Additionally, north of Copenhagen, in the town of Elsinore, He is a male statue influenced by the mermaid. He was crafted with polished steel by artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset and designed to reflect its surroundings; according to some, the statue will occasionally wink at passersby.

A modern magenta statue of Melusina adorns Luxembourg City, situated on the riverbank of the Alzette. It represents the tale of Luxembourg’s founder, Count Siegfried, falling in love with and then marrying a mermaid named Melusina/Melusine. Local artist Serge Ecker 3D printed the popping pink piece called Melusine. It’s made from glazed concrete!

Designed to increase tourism to the island of Kallsoy, this almost 9-foot statue of a seal woman comes from one of the Faroe’s most successful sculptors, Hans Pauli Olsen. It was forged from bronze and stainless steel, weighs almost 1,000 pounds, and was installed in ​​Mikladalur Harbor in 2014. The piece honors the Scand folklore surrounding selkies or women who live like seals in the sea but can turn into humans on land.

The Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia is home to another beautiful mermaid statue, but this one lies hidden under the water’s surface. There isn’t a famous mermaid legend specific to this area, but it is a famed recreation spot known for its incredible diving. In fact, local divers came up with the idea to put a mermaid in the water for scuba divers to enjoy. And thus, The Emerald Princess was born. She was created by a diver and sculptor named Simon Morris, was made from bronze, weighs 575 pounds, and is about nine feet tall. Travelers can find this piece 60 feet below the surface in Saltery Bay Provincial Park, where the cove has since been renamed Mermaid Cove. There’s even a sister statue in the Cayman Islands, also for scuba divers to behold.

Norway, specifically Drøbak in the Oslo Fjord, ups the ante with a bronze statue featuring three mermaids. A local businesswoman named Ingeborg Lane commissioned the piece and donated it to the marina for the whole town to enjoy. Reidar Finsrud, a well-known and versatile Norwegian artist, crafted this fun and energetic sculpture.

The Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune) is a famous attraction in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Crafted of marble and bronze, this piece was meant to symbolize the papacy’s power since the Pope ruled the world like Neptune ruled the seas. It was built between 1563 and 1566 by Giambologna, aka Jean de Boulogne, a Flemish sculptor, and based on the design by Sicilian artist Tommaso Laureti. Besides the four lactating mermaids, four angels can also be found in the fountain, representing the Nile, the Amazon, the Danube, and the Ganges rivers. Fun fact: this fountain actually inspired the Maserati trident logo and has come to symbolize the brand and the city of Bologna itself.

In Skagway, part of Alaska’s Inside Passage, there’s a mermaid statue on the waterfront. According to Mrs Jaime Bricker, the tourism director of the Municipality of Skagway, “This lovely mermaid was gifted to Kim Mathews from her mother when she opened the Stowaway restaurant back in the early 1990s. Although the Stowaway is now closed, this beautiful statue still sits in the same space outside of the Smokehouse.” Not much is known about the statue’s background other than that she originated in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

According to local legend, when Portuguese sailors arrived in Rio, they made their way to Guanabara Bay, where some claimed to have seen mermaids. Modern historians think they saw dolphins since the area is ripe with them. Regardless of who is correct, there’s still a beautiful mermaid sculpture on Sugarloaf Mountain. Known as Guanabara Mitológica or Mermaid Statue, the piece is said to represent the Bay. Specifically, the skirt/lower body symbolizes the waves of the sea, the curved waist is the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, the breasts are the mountains, the hair represents the Tijuca (the forest), and the silhouette is the gracefulness of the carioca woman. Italian-Brazilian artist Remo Bernucci created the mermaid in the 1960s.

This little bronze mermaid has become a symbol of Užupis near Vilnius, Lithuania. Like the better-known Freetown Christiana in Denmark, the enclave is a tiny, artsy, self-declared republic. The name means “place beyond the river,” in this case referring to the Vilnia River, often called Vilnelė. Local lore states that you’ll never want to leave if you stare into the eyes of the Užupis Mermaid as you cross the bridge into Užupis. Sculptor Romas Vilčiauskas created the mermaid in 2002.

This mainly bronze fountain/statue has become a bit of an icon for the city of Helsinki and is situated in a prime spot between Esplanade Park and Market Square. Sculptor Ville Vallgren called it Merenneito (Mermaid) and was inspired by the theme of Helsinki rising from the sea. Beyond the central statue, the fountain includes four sea lions and water-spouting fish amid the swaying seaweed at Havis Amanda’s feet. It’s roughly 16 feet tall and stands on pink granite from Vehmaa. Though controversial at its 1908 unveiling, Havis Amanda is now a centerpiece for “Vappu,” or May Day celebrations in the city.