The Little Mermaid: Hans Christian Andersen wrote a fairy tale about her; Disney produced the movie; and Copenhagen maintains a statue in her honour which continues to be the largest tourist attraction in Denmark and the most photographed statue in the world.
The beloved fairy tale of the Little Mermaid was first published by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837. It is the story of the 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 sea and disappear forever.
Throughout history, the Little Mermaid has provided inspiration to many. When the Danish brewer, Carl Jacobsen, attended a performance of ballet master Hans Beck's "The Little Mermaid" in 1909, he was so thrilled with the performance, particularly by leading prima donna Ellen Price that he ordered a statue to be erected in honour of the story. The Sculptor Edward Eriksen was commissioned to create a statue of the Little Mermaid to sit on a granite stone at Langelinie Pier, wistfully looking for her prince. She was modelled after the head of dancer Ellen Price and the torso of sculptor Edward Eriksen?s wife, Eline, and stands 165 centimetres tall and weights 175 kilograms. The original statue, cast in bronze, was presented to the City of Copenhagen on August 23, 1913 by Carl Jacobsen. In 1998, the Little Mermaid celebrates her 85th birthday.
The Little Mermaid has had a tough life:
September 1, 1961:
Bra & knickers were painted on her and her hair was painted red
April 28, 1963:
The Mermaid was covered in red paint
April 24, 1964:
The Mermaid was decapitated
July 15, 1976:
The Mermaid was covered in paint
July 22, 1984:
The right arm of the Mermaid was cut off
August 5, 1990:
Another attempt was made to decapitate her
January 6, 1998:
The Mermaid was decapitated
September 11, 2003:
The Mermaid was not on her stone in the morning. Later she was found in the water blasted off her stone!