Merlion Statue, Singapore – History, Facts and Information

The Merlion is the mythical beast of Singapore with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. This imaginary creature is used as a symbol of Singapore. The 8.6-meter-tall half-lion, half-fish sculpture was placed at the mouth of the Singapore River, then the statue was installed in its new home in Merlion Park. The Singapore Merlion is made from cement fondue, its eyes from little red teacups, its skin from porcelain plates, and it weighs around 40 tons. The Merlion logo had been designed by a member of the Remembrance Committee and also curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, Fraser Brunner.

In ancient times, Singapore was known as Temasek (meaning “city of the sea” in Javanese). A prince of Palembang discovered the island and saw a strange looking beast which he believed to be a lion. He decided to stay on the island with his men and named it ‘Singapura’, which means Lion City (Singa means lion in Malay, Pura means city in Sanskrit). However, recent studies indicate that lions have never lived there, the creature seen by Sang Nila Utama (the prince of Java) was a white fox or the Malayan tiger. The Merlion’s fishtail is said to represent Singapore’s early beginnings as a fishing village.

Merlion attracts more than a million visitors each year who make the trip to Merlion Park. Today, there are five official Merlion statues in Singapore. You can find them on Sentosa Island, Merlion Park, Mount Faber, and the Singapore Tourism Board headquarters on Orchard Spring Lane.

On February 28, 2009, the Merlion at Merlion Park was struck by lightning around 4:25 p.m. on Saturday. This incident occurred because the Merlion itself lacked lightning protection. About 30 people ran to a nearby restaurant for safety as other onlookers continued to snap photos of the 38-year-old tourist icon. Repairs to the statue dragged on until the end of March, although the Merlion himself spouted water again on March 18, 2009.