Copenhagen's Most Abused Little Lady
For the next little while I will be sharing with you the top 10 things to see and do in Copenhagen. There may be a few hiccups along the way for breaking news and the like, but I’ll try to stay focused. Feel free to chime in if you have a story about any of the places I mention.
Day 1) Head towards Copenhagen Harbor and visit Denmark’s most abused woman “The Little Mermaid.” The operative word here is “little” as she stands only 165 centimetres tall. Albeit, she weighs 175 kilos but is definitely not overweight! The Little Mermaid is the most popular tourist attraction in Denmark and one of the most photographed statues in the world. She sits comfortably on a rock at Langelinie Pier in Copenhagen. Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Statue of Liberty in New York both have been important symbols for the two cities, so has the Little Mermaid been for Copenhagen. The Little Mermaid is a popular lady. More than one million people visit her every year. There are two ways to see her. Take a boat tour through Christianshavn’s Canal and view her from the water or visit her by land.
The idea for a statue of “The Little Mermaid” came about in 1909 when the founder of Carlsberg, Brewer Carl Jacobsen attended Hans Beck's and Fini Henrique’s ballet “'The Little Mermaid” based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale by the same name. The story itself is about a Little Mermaid who saves the life of a shipwrecked prince and sets off on a perilous quest to win his love. The price she pays is dear. To become human she must give up her lovely voice as well as her mermaid's tail, and if the prince should wed another, she will turn into foam on the waves and disappear forever.......
Deeply touched by the story and performance, Mr. Jacobsen asked sculptor Edvard Eriksen to create a monument of The Little Mermaid sitting on a granite stone, longingly looking towards the shore and the fascinating world of the humans. Edward Eriksen chose to sculpt her at the moment when her fish tail is being transformed into legs. Her head and torso were modelled after sculptor Edvard Eriksen's own wife, Eline.
Like a real mermaid, she is half human and half fish. With naked breasts and fish tail, she is most beautiful when the waves splash against her rock. Maybe she is dreaming about leaving Copenhagen’s Harbour to find her Prince and an immortal soul. Understandably so for a woman who has been kicked around as much as the Little Mermaid has. This little lady has been through hard times in Copenhagen. She’s been assaulted at least nine times. In 1961 bra & knickers were painted on her, and her hair was "dyed" red. She has been decapitated numerous times and her right arm has been cut off. She has been brazenly removed from her stone and pushed into the water. ... but the Little Mermaid is a tough little lady and has survived, so if you're visiting her, gosh darnit give that lady a hug I think she deserves it.
