If you're under the age of 18, it may be hard for you to believe what I'm about to tell you: The Little Mermaid is really something quite different than the Disney flick that you've watched a thousand times!
Instead, the Little Mermaid was a fairy tale about a mermaid willing to give up everything to gain the love of a prince that was written in 1836 by one of Denmark's most famous citizens, HC Andersen. Over time, the story became wildly popular in Denmark and was converted into a ballet performed in Copenhagen.
The story was so inspiring to Carl Jacobsen---the head of the Carlsberg brewery---that he commissioned a sculptor named Edvard Eriksen to make a statue as a form of tribute to the Little Mermaid. Eriksen's statue---which has sat at the opening of Copenhagen's harbor since it was finished in 1913---has since become one of Denmark's most famous landmarks.
Tourists come from all over the world to visit the lovely lady and to get their picture made with her---and protesters regularly vandalize her to draw attention to her cause! She's had her head cut off and her arms removed on more than one occasion. She gets paint thrown on her and has even been blown off her rock once!
Want to learn more about this remarkable landmark? Then check out this video:
What are the most famous landmarks in your city or country? Why do you think that they are so important? What is it about landmarks anyway? Why do we care about statues and sculptures? What do they do for the people of a town or a country? Why should we spend our money on such tributes?
Interesting questions, huh?
Leave a comment to share your thinking and join us again soon on Get Lost!
Bam Bam Bigelow
Image retrieved from http://www.cartoondollemporium.com/disney/ariel6.jpg on September 16, 2007.