Statue of a Mermaid, which is a symbol of Warsaw. According to a legend, this mermaid used to be a young woman called Sawa, who was changed into a mermaid by a wicked witch, who forced her to live in the Vistula river. Her beloved one, a fisherman called Wars, rescued her, after which they got married and settled on the shores of Vistula. From their names (Wars + Sawa) derives the name of the city “Warszawa” (as its spelled in Polish).