SINGAPORE: The Mermaid and the Merlions
Your trip to Singapore may not be complete if you have not visited Merlion Park and posed near the statue of the Merlion, a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish.
The Merlion is used as a mascot and as a national personification of Singapore. The fish body represents Singapore's humble origin as a fishing village. The lion head represents Singapore's original name, Singapura, which means "lion city" in Sanskrit. Before the arrival of the British colonisers, however, Singapura was known as Temasek.
The Merlion is a male and, as you can see above, he likes to have his picture taken with a female - a Mermaid (me, he he he!).
Right behind the 8.6-meter-tall Merlion facing the river is a smaller version of the Merlion measuring about two (2) meters tall as shown in the picture above. This is commonly referred to as the "Merlion cub." Yes, there are Merlion statues other than the one along the river bank.
In fact, these two (2) Merlion statues are among the only five (5) Merlions recognized by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). The other one is a 37-meter-tall replica located in Sentosa Island as shown in the picture below where you will also see the Mermaid..... ha ha ha!
The Merlion statue in Sentosa is so huge that it has a Gallery Viewing Deck on its mouth and another viewing gallery on its head.
The other two (2) Merlion statues are:
(1) the 3-meter-tall glazed polymarble (a type of plastic resin) statue at the Tourism Court near Grange Road (TRIVIA: this statue is made in the Philippines); and
(2) the 3-meter-tall polymarble statue in Mount Faber's Faber Point.
Related Articles:
Songs of the Sea
Singapore Flyer
The Merlion is used as a mascot and as a national personification of Singapore. The fish body represents Singapore's humble origin as a fishing village. The lion head represents Singapore's original name, Singapura, which means "lion city" in Sanskrit. Before the arrival of the British colonisers, however, Singapura was known as Temasek.
The Merlion is a male and, as you can see above, he likes to have his picture taken with a female - a Mermaid (me, he he he!).
In fact, these two (2) Merlion statues are among the only five (5) Merlions recognized by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). The other one is a 37-meter-tall replica located in Sentosa Island as shown in the picture below where you will also see the Mermaid..... ha ha ha!
The other two (2) Merlion statues are:
(1) the 3-meter-tall glazed polymarble (a type of plastic resin) statue at the Tourism Court near Grange Road (TRIVIA: this statue is made in the Philippines); and
(2) the 3-meter-tall polymarble statue in Mount Faber's Faber Point.
Related Articles:
Songs of the Sea
Singapore Flyer
