Eriksen the little mermaid. Monument to the Little Mermaid. Famous Little Mermaids from Warsaw: legendary defenders of the city

One of the most famous monuments to the heroine of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" is located in the center of Copenhagen and is a symbol of the Danish capital. The bronze statue, weighing 175 kilograms and 125 centimeters high, is installed on a granite pedestal at the Langelinie pier.

The monument was created by Danish sculptor Edward Eriksen by order of a major entrepreneur, owner of the Carlsberg brewing concern and philanthropist Carl Jacobsen.

In 1909, the Royal Danish Theater premiered the ballet “The Little Mermaid” to the music of composer Fini Henriques, staged by choreographer Hans Beck, with prima Ellen Price performing the solo role.

Jacobsen was fascinated by the ballerina's dance and invited her to pose for a sculpture dedicated to the fairy-tale image. However, Price refused to pose nude and his wife, Eline, became the sculptor’s model.

According to one legend, Edward Eriksen used Price’s facial features to create the image of the Little Mermaid, but the sculptor’s descendants claim that the statue completely replicates Eline Eriksen’s appearance.

On September 14, 1912, the Little Mermaid statue was first shown to the public, and on August 23, 1913, it was donated to the city and installed on its permanent pedestal on the embankment.

Every year this attraction is visited by about a million people; 75% of tourists coming to the city strive to see the Little Mermaid first of all.

Sailors from all over the world. And tourists believe that the sculpture brings good luck if you touch it.

The monument attracts not only tourists; it has repeatedly become a victim of vandals. In 1964, the incident occurred for the first time - the monument was beheaded, and the lost bronze head could not be found. For a long time, the police could not find the attacker.

More than 30 years later, the Danish experimental artist Jorgen Nasch admitted to this act in his memoirs. However, his guilt was not reliably proven.

After the scandalous incident, as dusk fell, the monument began to be illuminated by spotlights. At first there was a police post next to the monument, then it was removed.

In 1998, the Little Mermaid's head was again cut off, but it was discovered and the sculpture was quickly restored. In 1990, the statue’s head was almost sawed off again, cutting off almost the entire neck.

In the summer of 1984, unknown hooligans sawed off the statue’s right hand. The criminals themselves came to the police. They turned out to be two young men who committed an act of vandalism while intoxicated.

In September 2003, the Little Mermaid was thrown from the pedestal on which she was installed into the water.

In December 2004, the sculpture was dressed in a burqa and Muslim dress and a sign was attached to it: “Turkey in the EU?” in protest against Turkey's intention to join the European Union. In May 2007, the Little Mermaid wore a hijab.

Vandals tried several times to repaint the statue. In March 2007, hooligans literally painted it pink in front of hundreds of tourists.

In May 2007, unknown people painted the Little Mermaid's head and left hand red.

The authorities in Copenhagen are tired of having to restore the Little Mermaid after the antics of vandals. Proposals were repeatedly made to move the monument a few meters from the shore towards the sea, but they were not implemented.

For more than 95 years, the symbol of Denmark has been the little mermaid, a cute character from the world-famous fairy tale of the same name by the famous Danish storyteller H.-C. Andersen. The Little Mermaid is a small bronze figurine 125 cm tall and weighing 175 kilograms and is located in the port of Copenhagen on a granite pedestal.

The story of this fairy-tale character is known to everyone. A little mermaid, living in her water world, one day, during a shipwreck, saves a handsome prince and falls in love with him, so much so that she can no longer be in her world and live her life. And the little mermaid decides to turn to the witch for help. By giving her her beautiful voice, the little mermaid gains a pair of legs instead of a tail, the opportunity to be with her prince on land for just a few days, and a chance to charm him. However, he falls in love with another and thereby dooms the little mermaid to death. She has a chance to get her life back, but she must kill her lover. But the little mermaid, truly loving the prince, wishes him happiness with his bride and turns into sea foam.

This sad tale of true devotion and pure love was written by Andersen in 1836. 73 years later, a ballet based on “The Little Mermaid” was staged, which was a huge success with thousands of spectators. Among them was the founder of Carlsberg, Carl Jacobsen, a great admirer of art. Both the story and the ballet impressed him so much that he asked Edward Erikson, a Danish sculptor, to create a statue of the little mermaid. They say that the wife of the sculpture, who was then a famous ballerina of the Royal Theater, posed for the sculpture. Subsequently, it was decided to donate the Little Mermaid statue to Copenhagen. And on August 23, 1913, a small bronze Little Mermaid was installed in the capital of Denmark.

After an American journalist told the whole world about this wonderful sculpture, dedicated to such a miraculous transformation of a fairy-tale creature into a sweet mute girl, the monument to the Little Mermaid became a symbol not only of the capital, but of the whole of Denmark, the homeland of the great storyteller. To some extent, the little mermaid also reflects the geographical essence of Denmark, which is an island country and, one might say, is surrounded on all sides by seas and oceans.

However, the monument was clearly not loved by everyone; many ill-wishers appeared who made many attempts to desecrate the statue. What did the already poor mermaid go through - 8 acts of vandalism. In 1984, vandals violated the sculpture by sawing off its hand; since 1998, they cut off its head 3 times and painted parts of its body, and in 2003 they even pushed it into the water. But no matter what happened to her, the little mermaid was always restored according to the cast left by her creator. After all, it has become close not only to the residents of Copenhagen and means a lot not only to Denmark... Millions of tourists come from all over the world to look at this wonderful statue, touch it, take pictures and ask for the fulfillment of their most cherished desire.

The monument to the Little Mermaid, considered a symbol not only of Copenhagen, but also of the whole of Denmark, celebrated its centenary in August 2013. The heroine of Andersen's famous fairy tale appears before the Danes and tourists in the form of an elegant bronze sculpture installed on a granite pedestal in the port of Copenhagen. The history of this monument is as complicated as the fate of the heroine of the same name from the fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen.

In August 2013, the symbolic monument of Copenhagen turned 100 years old. The Little Mermaid is the heroine of the world-famous fairy tale of the same name by the famous Danish storyteller H.-K. Andersen. The Little Mermaid is an elegant bronze figurine 125 cm high and weighing 175 kilograms, it is located in the port of Copenhagen near the Langelinie embankment.

The story of this fairy-tale character is known to everyone

From the fairy tale, we remember that during a shipwreck, a kind little mermaid falls in love with a drowning prince, saves the young man, but after that she can no longer live without him in her water world. Deciding to turn to the powerful sorceress for help, the kind daughter of Poseidon gives her her beautiful voice, and in return she turns the fish’s tail into two slender legs. To stay with the prince, the little mermaid had to charm him in just a couple of days, but in the end the young man falls in love with another. The mermaid could return to her former life in the water element only through the death of her loved one, but she wishes him happiness and prefers to turn into sea foam, doomed to forever strive from the sea to the shore, never reaching land.

From fairy tale to ballet

Andersen wrote this touching story in 1836, and 73 years later the storyline of the fairy tale became the basis for the ballet “The Little Mermaid.” Among the many thousands of spectators of the production was Carl Jacobsen, a connoisseur of art and the son of Jacob Jacobsen, the founder of the large Carlsberg brewery.

The love story of the little mermaid made such a strong impression on the patron that he decided to sponsor the creation of a statue dedicated to her, entrusting the work to the Danish sculptor Edward Erikson.

The ballerina Ellen Price, who performed the role of the little mermaid in the famous performance, posed for the sculptor. Since she did not want to pose naked, the ballerina became a model only for the head of the little mermaid, and Eline Eriksen, who was the sculptor’s wife, posed to create the body of the fairy-tale heroine.

Becoming a symbol of Copenhagen

After its creation, the statue was donated to the capital of Denmark, and in 1913 it was installed on the embankment. A journalist from the United States told the whole world about the unusual sculpture, after which the whole world began to identify the Little Mermaid with Denmark, the homeland of the famous storyteller. This sculpture also reflects the geographical essence of Denmark, which is an island state surrounded on all sides by expanses of water. Many guests of Copenhagen begin their acquaintance with the Danish capital by visiting and photographing next to the Little Mermaid.

Previously, the stone with the Little Mermaid was located close to the embankment, but since 2007, by decision of local authorities, it was moved further into the harbor to prevent tourists from climbing onto it and as an attempt to stop the ongoing acts of vandalism.

It is interesting that during her history, the Little Mermaid once left her traditional place for a long period of time. In 2010, the statue participated in the World Expo in Shanghai. During transportation, the monument was accompanied throughout the entire journey by guards from possible acts of vandalism. The Little Mermaid returned to her homeland three years later, on her centenary in 2013. During the absence of the city symbol, a video installation depicting a statue of the Little Mermaid was installed at the site of the monument.

Many, walking along the Langelinia embankment, not far from the monument to the Little Mermaid, will be surprised to discover her strange likeness, a kind of mutant mermaid, rather not a fairy-tale, but a fantastic creature from the paintings of Salvador Dali. A series of such “genetically modified” sculptures appeared in Copenhagen in 2006. Their author, Bjørn Nørgaard, tried to show people with a simple example how genetic engineering can harm humanity. The sculptural project of about a dozen different sculptures, including a mutant Little Mermaid, is called “Genetically Altered Paradise.”

"Everything will be fine in Denmark as long as the Little Mermaid is safe"

The Little Mermaid has become no less a famous symbol for Copenhagen than the Tower of London or the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Having become the hallmark of the Danish capital, the sculpture of the Little Mermaid has repeatedly attracted the attention of vandals. The monument to the fairy-tale heroine has survived many troubles during its existence; few monuments to famous politicians and famous military leaders have survived as many.

In 1984, vandals sawed off the Little Mermaid’s hand, in 1964, 1990 and 1998 they cut off the head, repeatedly doused and painted parts of the body, and on September 11, 2003, someone blew up the monument, overturning the statue into the sea. Apart from these high-profile acts, there were also smaller ones: as a sign of protest about Turkey’s accession to the EU, unknown people dressed the Little Mermaid in a burqa; on International Women’s Day in 2006, a dildo was glued to her hand and the sculpture itself was doused with paint; in 2007, the Little Mermaid was “dressed up” again ", this time in Muslim dress.

But each time the monument was restored and then installed in its original place to the delight of tourists and the reassurance of city residents. Every Dane is already convinced that everything will be fine in the country as long as the Little Mermaid cast in bronze sits on her stone safe and sound!

Monument to the Little Mermaid in the port of Copenhagen is a marble statue of the hero from the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.

The Little Mermaid in Danish sounds like Den Lille Havfrue, which literally means “sea lady” or “sea maiden” - a mythological character, a girl with a fish tail instead of legs, living in the sea. The term “little mermaid” is erroneous and arose when translating the fairy tale into Russian, since the heroine of the fairy tale has nothing to do with mermaids living in rivers and related to Slavic mythology.

The Little Mermaid Monument is a 1.25 meter high marble statue of a girl sitting on a stone. The weight of the monument is about 175 kilograms. This monument is one of the most famous landmarks in Copenhagen and throughout Denmark.

History of creation

The monument to the Little Mermaid was commissioned by the son of the founder and owner of the Carlsberg brewery, Carl Jacobsen, who was impressed by the ballet based on the fairy tale by G.H. Andersen at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen.

The prototype for the Little Mermaid sculpture was supposed to be the ballerina Ellen Price, but she refused to pose in the nude, and the sculptor used her image only to create the head, and the model for the Little Mermaid figure was the sculptor’s wife, Eline Eriksen.

There are many interesting facts associated with this famous monument:

• there are several copies of the monument in the world, in particular they are in Saratov;
• The copyright on the monument has not expired, so the heirs of Edward Eriksen, who died in 1959, require payment for the use of its copies and images;
• The Little Mermaid was repeatedly the object of vandalism, but was constantly restored: she was poured with paint, bras were painted on, and in 2006 a dildo was attached to the hand of the statue;
• in 2004, the statue was wrapped in a burqa to protest Turkey's entry into the European Union;
• On May 20, 2007, the Little Mermaid was dressed in a Muslim dress and hijab;
• in 2010, the statue was exhibited in the Danish pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai;
• in 2013, the Little Mermaid celebrated her 100th birthday: a grand celebration was organized with fireworks and a water show, where 100 “live” mermaids took part, dancing in the water behind the sculpture.

The fact is that in 1909, the premiere of the ballet “The Little Mermaid”, written by the Danish composer Fini Henriques based on Andersen’s fairy tale, took place on the stage of the Royal Danish Theater. The main role was performed by the leading ballerina of the troupe, Ellen Price.

Jacobsen was fascinated by the beautiful dancer and ordered a statue of the Little Mermaid from Eriksen, stipulating that Ellen Price be the model for it. But the ballerina did not want to pose naked, and the sculptor’s wife, Eline Eriksen, became the model for the image of the Little Mermaid.

There is a version that to create the image of the Little Mermaid, the sculptor still used the facial features of Ellen Price, although his descendants claim that both the face and the figure of the statue completely repeat the appearance of Eline Eriksen. However, all this has long ceased to matter. The main thing is that Eriksen managed to create an image of eternal femininity, embodied in the fragile and touching heroine of Andersen’s fairy tale.

The bronze statue, weighing 175 kg and 125 cm high, was donated to Copenhagen. They decided to install it on a granite pedestal at the Langelini pier. Since then, it has become an unofficial symbol of the Danish capital. The beautiful and sad Little Mermaid sits on a stone with a sprig of seaweed in her hands and yearns for her lost lover.

The Little Mermaid is a victim of vandals

City authorities are tired of constantly restoring the statue. Proposals were made many times to move the monument a few meters from the shore, but they were never brought to life.

And yet the Little Mermaid still sits on her pedestal. Every year the monument is visited by about a million tourists, for whom the Little Mermaid is the main attraction of Copenhagen. Many of them believe that the statue brings good luck and try to touch it. As for the residents of Denmark themselves, they are absolutely sure: as long as the beautiful mermaid meets them at the port, peace and tranquility will reign in the country.