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| picture: Sofia Berendt |
Long ago Warsaw was a small village on the Vistula River,
where mainly fishermen lived. Every day they sailed on the river to fish,
because only this way they could earn for a living.
One day, when they were in the middle of the river, they
heard a beautiful female voice that sang such delightful songs that it was
impossible to resist. Fishermen had no idea who could sing so beautifully.
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| picture: Hanna Kmita |
It turned out that it was a beautiful mermaid, or
half-woman, half-fish, who came in these directions from the depths of the
Baltic Sea. Some say that she was the sister of the Little Mermaid, known from
the fairy tale of Hans Christian Andersen.
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| picture: Hanna Kmita |
At first, all fishermen liked the mermaid, above all for
singing so beautifully. Over time, she began to disturb some because she saved
small fishes. More and more often, fishermen had nothing to eat because when
they returned home their nets were empty.
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| picture: Hanna Kmita |
One of the fishermen came up with the idea to catch a
mermaid and sell it to a rich merchant for a very high price. Others did not
want to agree, but when hunger looked into their eyes, they began to think
together how to do it.
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| picture: Igor Pawlik |
They sailed out at night. In deep silence and darkness,
waves could be heard breaking on the banks. The mermaid did not suspect
anything and swam happily, here and there, laughing quietly so as not to wake
anyone.
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| picture: Igor Pawlik |
When she got tired, she sat down on a large stone to rest.
Then the fishermen saw the mermaid and cast their nets.
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| picture: Hanna Kmita |
They pulled the frightened creature ashore, and from there
to one of the huts in the village, where she was supposed to stay until a
merchant came for her. They told the youngest fisherman to watch her, and they
went to sleep, because in the morning a day full of hard work was waiting for
them again.
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| picture: Igor Pawlik |
The imprisoned mermaid was very sad. She was still crying
and singing such terribly sad songs. The young fisherman was heartbroken with
regret. He couldn't stand it any longer and decided to release the mermaid back
into the river.
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| picture: Sofia Berendt |
As soon as they were in the water, the mermaid slipped from
the young fisherman and fled into the depths as soon as possible.
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| picture: Hanna Kmita |
The fishermen chased after her, but this time the mermaid
could not be caught.
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| picture: Igor Pawlik |
However, the mermaid was grateful to the young fisherman for
not letting her be captured forever, which is why she promised that from now on
she would defend the people of Warsaw.
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| picture: Sofia Berendt |
Many centuries have passed. Warsaw from a small village
turned into a big city and became the capital of Poland. Polish kings lived
there, and today the Polish president and government.
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| picture: Igor Pawlik |
To this day, the golden-haired Warsaw Mermaid with a sword
and shield stands on the banks of the Vistula ready to defend Warsaw from every
danger. The mermaid figure is today the coat of arms of the Polish capital and
one of the most important symbols of Warsaw.
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| picture: Hanna Kmita |
If you'll ever be in Warsaw, find a mermaid statue. There
are several of them - one on the Old Town Square, the other on the historic
bridge at Karowa Street. But the most famous stands proudly right on the banks
of the Vistula.
