Is there a forklore behind the Merlion ?

Question

I can understand the lion head but what's with the fish tale ? Did this creature "exist" to inspire the creator?

Sorry I mean folklore or legends.

Answer 1

LOL. Trust me, it's just an icon to lure you unsuspecting tourists to our country.

The merlion (Simplified Chinese: 鱼尾狮) is a statue with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Its name comes from a portmanteau of mermaid and lion. The merlion was designed by Fraser Brunner for the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964 and was used as its logo up to 1997. The Merlion continues to be its trademark symbol. It also appears frequently in STB-approved souvenirs. The original Merlion statue stands at the opening of the Singapore River while a taller replica can be found on Sentosa Island.

According to the Singapore Tourism Board's publicity, the lion head and fish body of the creature recalls the story of the legendary Sang Nila Utama, who saw a lion while hunting on an island, en route to Malacca. The island eventually became the sea port of Temasek, a precursor to Singapore.

Answer 2

No, as far as I can tell, it exists to inspire people to visit Singapore. It was created Fraser Brunner of the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964. Apparently it's inspired the by a legend about someone called Sang Nila Utama, who saw a lion whilst out exploring some islands, the legends say it was just a lion though, there's nothing about it having a fish's tale.

Answer 3

No there's no such thing as a live merlion, it originates in Singapore, and there are a few illegal copies around the world built by patriotic Singaporeans marking their business premises. There's no legend to it, it has become an "unofficial" Singapore icon, just like the Eiffel tower , the Big Ben ,or the Pyramid, when you mention these three landmarks to anyone they know where you're referring to, since Singapore is just 41 years, very young compared to those countries mentioned we need an icon so that you know us when merlion is mentioned.

Answer 4

I don't know about any folklore, but interestingly enough there IS a fish whose head, in profile, does bear a distinct resemblance to a lion's head. It's called, because of another resemblance, the drumhead fish.

FYI, there IS a fish called the lionfish. It's dangerously poisonous, but it bears no resemblance whatsoever to a lion.

Answer 5

The Mer-lion is probably a heraldic creation,rather than folklore.Seals and Sea Lions are referred to as sea dogs in heraldry,although otters may be more "dog-like" .The appearance of the Mer-lion is likely a result of the creation of the British Navy as their force of Empire,the lion being the traditional symbol of the Empire.These are allegorical figures.

Answer 6

well, the forklore speaks of the utensile required to def-eat the merlion. There is forklore behind anything edible.

Answer 7

merlon is folklore