SINGAPORE: The Mermaid and the Merlions

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.


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Songs of the Sea

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SINGAPORE: Songs of the Sea

SINGAPORE: Songs of the Sea

Princess Ami of the sleeping kingdom under the sea

Who would forget the Songs of the Sea in SINGAPORE?

Oscar the Tigerfish

Songs of the Sea is a multimedia show along the Siloso beach in Sentosa Island in Singapore characterized by a spectacular display of water jets, flame bursts, lasers and pyrotechnics, coupled with a live cast and enchanting music. 

This show replaced the Musical Fountain show which people can watch for free. Ow, who said that the best things in life are free?

With Oscar the Tigerfish mascot

Oscar, one of the main characters in the Songs of the Sea show, is a colorful Pterois miles (known as common lionfish or devil firefish), not really a Tigerfish (which is a completely different specie) like what he is called in the show. 

In Latin, pterois means winged and miles means soldier. Therefore, this fish is a winged soldier.

The picture below shows what a common lionfish really looks like. It has beautiful reddish or brown stripes and fins that spread like wings.

Common Lionfish in Manila Ocean Park

You can see a common lionfish in one of the aquariums in the Oceanarium of the Manila Ocean Park . . .  

Common Lionfish in Ocean Adventure Park

. . . and at Ocean Adventure Park in Subic, Zambales.

The awakened Princess Ami of the sleeping kingdom under the sea

The Songs of the Sea brings to mind the Musical Fountain Show in the Manila Ocean Park. The Musical Fountain Show, however, pales in comparison with the Songs of the Sea in Singapore as the latter has a much bigger budget and, of course, a costlier ticket for the show than the former. But for those who have seen the Songs of the Sea, or at least for me and my brother, the cost of the ticket is worth it.


The 25-minute show runs twice a night: one at 7:40 pm. and the other at 8:40 p.m. Ticket price is S$10 per person. 


Related Articles:

Singapore Flyer

Merlions