The Little Mermaid (statue)

The Little Mermaid is a bronze statue that sits atop a large rock at Langelinie Pier in Copenhagen, Denmark. First displayed in 1913, the statue commemorates the famous fairy tale by the same name. It is one of the most famous statues in the world and Denmark’s most famous tourist attraction. Although the statue is beloved by most Danes and others around the world, it has been the object of numerous serious acts of vandalism over the past century.

Background

The statue is based on The Little Mermaid fairytale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875). It tells the story of the youngest daughter of the king of the sea who falls in love with a human prince. She is a mermaid, with the head and torso of a human and the lower body and tail of a fish.

Many people are familiar with the version of the story as portrayed in a Disney movie, in which the young mermaid gives up her voice and all chance of living in the water again, but marries the prince and lives happily ever after. However, in Andersen’s original version, the little mermaid rescues the prince and risks everything to be with him, understanding that if she is unsuccessful in winning his love, her life will end. She will be turned into sea foam and disappear. Andersen’s tale has a sad ending; the prince falls in love with the woman he thinks saved him instead of the little mermaid. When he does not marry the mermaid, she turns into sea foam. According to the tale, she can only regain life and her soul after three hundred years, though the opportunity for a reprieve exists and is based on how many happy children she sees while floating through the air.

First published in 1837, Andersen’s fairy tale is based on the many folk tales told about mermaids, selkies—mythical beings who can transform from seals to human women—and other mythical sea creatures. After its first publication, The Little Mermaid was adapted into various illustrated print forms as well as artistic performances. One of these was a ballet.

In 1909, Danish brewer and philanthropist Carl Jacobsen saw a presentation of The Little Mermaid ballet choreographed by Hans Beck to music composed by Fini Henriques. The lead role was danced by ballerina Ellen Price. Jacobsen, who is also known as the founder of Carlsberg Beer, was so moved by the ballet he wanted to commission a statue of the mermaid featuring Price’s image. He hired Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen to complete the task. However, Price refused to pose nude for Eriksen. As a result, the sculpture captures Price’s face and the body of the artist’s wife, Eline Eriksen.

Overview

The Little Mermaid is sculpted of bronze and sits on a large granite boulder along the Langelinie Pier. She is about 4 feet (1.25 meters) tall. The statue depicts a nude mermaid sitting on the rock staring at the sea with what most describe as a wistful expression. It is generally said to represent the little mermaid reflecting on her choice and remembering her life in the sea while she waits out the three centuries until her soul and life are restored.

The statue was unveiled on August 23, 1913. Since its installation, the statue has been a popular landmark in Denmark. It is visited by tens of thousands annually and can be seen from both land and water. It is one of the most photographed statues in the world, and many visitors climb onto the boulder with the little mermaid to have their picture taken. As a result of this popularity, the statue has become a symbol for the city of Copenhagen and, in many cases, for all of Denmark.

The statue on display is not the original, however. That statue is in the possession of the Eriksen family. It is sometimes loaned out for special displays and stood in for the statue on the pier while the public work was part of a special exhibition in Shanghai, China, in 2010. The fact that it is a copy does not diminish the value or popularity of the one on public display because it is the version unveiled in 1913. The statue was celebrated with a city-wide celebration on the one hundredth anniversary of its unveiling on August 23, 2013.

Some parts of the statue on display at Langelinie Pier are not original, however. The statue has been vandalized multiple times, and the damage has at times been severe. In 1964, the statue’s head was cut off, presumably by political dissidents. Despite an intense investigation and several confessions, the perpetrators were not caught and the original head was never found. A replacement head was grafted on to the statue instead.

In 1984, two drunken men sawed off a section of the statue’s arm. They returned it a few days later and admitted what they had done. The arm was repaired. In 1990, someone attempted to remove the head but was unsuccessful. The resulting gash to the statue’s neck was repaired. In 1998, vandals once again removed the head. This time, the alleged perpetrators were radical feminists who wanted to make a statement against the way men viewed women. The head was found outside a Danish television station’s facility and reattached.

In 2003, the statue was blown off the boulder, presumably by people protesting Denmark’s involvement in the war in Iraq. The statue was retrieved from the sea and returned to its usual place.

In the early part of the twenty-first century, the statue was the target of some less damaging attention. Protestors added a burqa in protest when Turkey applied to join the European Union in 2004. On International Women’s Day in 2006, a sex toy was found in the mermaid’s hand. In 2007, the statue was dressed in Muslim-style clothing and a head scarf for unknown reasons.

The statute was vandalized with paint twice in 2017. In May, the mermaid was covered with red paint. The ground nearby was painted with a message protesting Denmark’s allowance of the killing of pilot whales near Faroe Island in Danish waters. On June 14, 2017, the statue was coated with blue and white paint. The message left was thought to refer to Somali hospitalized in a Danish psychiatric clinic.

Bibliography

“Danes Mark Centenary of Little Mermaid Statue.” BBC News, 23 Aug. 2013, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-23821626. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

Jenkins, Aric. “Someone Drenched Denmark’s Iconic Little Mermaid Statue in Red Paint.” Time, 30 May 2017, time.com/4797917/little-mermaid-statue-paint-vandalism-copenhagen-denmark/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

“The Little Mermaid.” Copenhagen.com, www.copenhagen.com/view/the-little-mermaid. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

“The Little Mermaid.” Hans Christian Andersen Center, andersen.sdu.dk/moocfiles/littlemermaid.pdf. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

“The Little Mermaid.” Visit Copenhagen, www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/little-mermaid-gdk586951. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

“The Little Mermaid Copenhagen Facts and Original Story.” Denmark.net, www.denmark.net/little-mermaid-copenhagen/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

Ness, Marie. “Pain, Humanity, and Ascension: Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid.” Tor.com, 3 Dec. 2015, www.tor.com/2015/12/03/pain-humanity-and-ascension-hans-christian-andersens-the-little-mermaid/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

Seferou, Aliki. “Why is Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid a Target for Vandals?” Culture Trip, 19 June 2017, theculturetrip.com/europe/denmark/articles/why-is-copenhagens-little-mermaid-a-target-for-vandals/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.