Like a mermaid, it's only Warsaw.

In Europe, only two are important - Poland and Copenhagen. The problem is that, that the latter has already happened, literally and figuratively, lose your head. On the other hand, the Mermaid of the capital is proudly placed on a plinth and has been successfully playing the role of the foreground since at least the fourteenth century., Warsaw symbol.

Celebrity with a fish tail

Warsaw - apart from that, that it is the administrative capital of Poland, a city that is exceptionally beautiful and full of attractions - it also has some less glorious features. One of them is the celebrity intensity, which in Warsaw can be found in almost every club, the pub, cafes or in the vicinity of more fashionable squares. Young, often beautiful, but often also not very gifted celebrities are known for this, that there are, that they are ubiquitous. They have one thing in common - they want to become stars: undisputed, recognizable and admired. From takimi, with whom both "locals" and tourists would like to take a photo of themselves.

Celebrities strive for fame with all their strength - they get into scandals, they pop up everywhere, where the flashes flash, try to attract attention with controversial behavior or notorious shaving. You might think, that they are modeled on the really greatest, the capital's star - also the ubiquitous one, having at least a few scandals involving its participation and (what's a lot to hide) only half dressed.

Warsaw legend

The Mermaid is a legend in the capital. Literally and figuratively. According to the known, an ancient parable - this half-woman, the half-fish came to the Baltic Sea long ago from the Atlantic. She was accompanied by her sister - just as beautiful, same tailed. Dreamlike, the fantastic Sirens came to Copenhagen first. One of them liked the local one very much, rocky coast. So she decided to crouch down on the boulders and pursue a professional career, Danish symbol.

The second Mermaid appreciated the comfort of a comfortable sitting - she did not like lounging on hard stones. Instead of getting warm in the Copenhagen Straits, the more demanding sister decided to continue her journey and chose the azimuth for the port of Gdańsk. She liked Polish waters so much, that she decided to get to know them better, going for a small reconnaissance along the Vistula River.

The Mermaid ended her long journey at the foot of today's Old Town. Warsaw welcomed her with a pleasant welcome, sandy shore and picturesque meadows. Half-woman-half-fish decided to stay in the future capital permanently and - by the way - to slightly disturb the lives of local fishermen. Her dancing and dancing tangled the nets set by anglers, who quickly discovered, that the meager catches are a byproduct of the Mermaid's madness. However, they did not get angry with her for too long - the fantastic apparition charmed them with its singing and from then on lived with the fishermen in a peaceful symbiosis, occasionally treating their ears with phenomenal recitals.

A mermaid's singing was once heard by a merchant passing by. The clever trader attempted to make a quick balance sheet. Its result was unambiguous - the Mermaid living in the wild is only a local attraction, and a captured Mermaid can be a bull's-eye. A merchant, dreaming of riches, decided to capture the Mermaid by trickery, lock her in a shed, pacify and show at fairs, drawing considerable profits from the organization of such shows.

Cut off from the water, the Mermaid suffered torment and wept bitterly. The farmhand heard her wailing, son of a local fisherman. A handsome young man - together with his friends - released a fairy-tale half-woman-half-fish and gave her to the Vistula waves.

The mermaid was so touched by the heroic attitude of the town's inhabitants, that she chose to stay in it forever, defend Warsaw with all his might, and repel the attacks of potential invaders with a shield and a sword.

The evolution of the capital's heraldry

The parable of the Mermaid's arrival in Warsaw sounds unbelievable to say the least. However, the inhabitants of the hillfort on the Vistula River became so attached to this fantastic legend, that the image of the half-woman-half-fish decided to place it in the center of the coat of arms. More precisely - they put a half-woman-half figure there… exactly!

It is not known since when "Mermaid" serves as the official symbol of today's capital. It is certain, however, that her image appeared in the coat of arms as early as in 1390 year. Only that, that the then "Mermaid" did not resemble a subtle nymph, but a slightly macabre variation on the griffin - a mythical character with a dragon body and bird claws. The 15th-century seal shows a certain evolution of the Warsaw symbol, who takes the form of a woman with the body of a bird, human hands and a fish tail. Only in the 17th year, "Mermaid" becomes a full-fledged mermaid - half woman, half fish.

It was this version of the heraldic figure that turned out to be the final version. Warsaw - as far as the eye can see - is teeming with Mermaids, what are the most used by guides organizing cruising routes following the most fishy path among women for tourists (or the most feminine of the fish) the legends of the capital. The Mermaid in the Old Town, Mermaid on the viaduct. Stanisław Markiewicz or - perhaps the most famous - Mermaid in Powiśle - each version of the Warsaw symbol is worthy of attention. And to this day, each of the Warsaw Mermaids proudly guards the city against potential invaders and - by the way - enjoys fame greater than the rest of the capital's celebrities.