MERMAID - the symbol and armoury of Warsaw, Polish capital. It is featured in Warsaw's coat of arms since the mid of 14th century.
The sculpture was located at this place in September 1939, where survived untouched to the end of War, thus becoming a symbol of the invincible city.
The figure depicts half-woman, half-fish, with a shield and sword held over her head.

The Legend of Warsaw Mermaid:
Once upon a time there were two mermaid sisters, who swam to the shore of the Baltic Sea from their home deep in the sea. They were very beautiful. One day they both decided to come ashore. The first sister headed up to the Danish straits, and so she sits at the entrance to the port of Copenhagen to this very day. The other sister swam first to the port of Gdansk, from where she decided to swim the river Vistula. She came out of the water onto the sandy bank to rest on the foot of what is today Warsaw's Old Town. She loved that place so much, that she decided to stay.
The fishermen living in this area noticed, that during their fishing someone was churning the waves of the Vistula River, tangling the nets and releasing the fish. But the mermaid enchanted them with her beautiful singing, and they did not harm her.
One day a wealthy merchant saw the mermaid and heard her lovely song. He quickly calculated how much money he could make displaying her at market fairs, so he captured her and imprisoned in a wooden shed without any water. Her cries for help were so loud that soon a young fisherman's son heard her, and with the help of friends he set her free at night. Grateful that the townspeople had defended her, the mermaid promised to help them in time of danger. This is why the Warsaw Mermaid is armed: she bears a sword and a shield to defend the city.