Is H.C. Andersen's mermaid the only one? Syrenka Warszawska

September 02, 2025

Is H.C. Andersen's mermaid the only one? Syrenka Warszawska

The answer is nope.

I heard first about the Little Mermaid as a child through H. C. Andersen's fairy tales.

But my first Little Mermaid sculpture came because of Warsaw, Poland.

Picture was taken by me in 2012.

It is my picture from 2012.

She is not a lovely little something on the stone, like in Copenhagen next to the Kastellet.

The Warsaw Mermaid is a warrior, a beautiful, strong, and powerful creature. She is a protector.

The current coat of arms of Warsaw

"A creature was on Warsaw's coat of arms in 1390. It showed an animal with a bird's legs and a torso covered with dragon scales. The seal of 1459 had feminine characteristics, a bird torso, human hands, a fishtail, and bird legs and claws. The first presentation of a mermaid dates from 1622.

The inspiration for the coat of arms was probably derived from the 2nd-century book Physiologus."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid_of_Warsaw

So Warsaw had a Slavic siren as a protector first time, as a creature with bird legs and dragon skin is a Slavic siren. When you search the topic Siren, especially the Slavic ones. You will find a lot of bird and human combined sirens. The other version of the siren is the mermaid.

The coat of arms of Old Warsaw is located on the cover of the book "Regestrum proventuum et expensorum civitatis antiq [ue] varsaviae" from 1652

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid_of_Warsaw

What does Wikipedia say about the Warsaw Mermaid?

The legend of the Warsaw mermaid:

"There are several legends about the mermaid. The City's literature and tour guides say the mermaid decided to stay after stopping on a riverbank near the Old Town. Fishermen noticed something was creating waves, tangling nets, and releasing their fish. They planned to trap the animal, then heard her singing and fell in love. A rich merchant trapped and imprisoned the mermaid. Hearing her cries, the fishermen rescued her. Ever since, the mermaid, armed with a sword and a shield, has been ready to help protect the city and its residents.[3]

Sometimes this legend is expanded to say the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen is the Warsaw mermaid's[4] sister and they went separate ways from the Baltic Sea.

Another state she helped a prince lost hunting and he founded the city in her honour.[5]"

Who was Konstanty Hegel?

The person who designed the sculpture for the Warsaw Mermaid.

He was born in 1799 and passed away in 1876. He was from Warsaw.

More about him: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstanty_Hegel

When was Syrenka Warszawska / Warsaw Mermaid made or finished?

It was made in Karol Juliusz Minter's workshop. By 7 August 1855, it was placed for the public.

How did it look? Nowadays, it is a replica that you can find in the Oldtown.