The mermaid II

This is the mermaid statue in the Rotary Park in Ganges. It is a bronze statue, and it has just been renovated and painted in gold. Before the renovation it was more or less black, dirty and partly damaged. I blipped it here, but due to the ugly surface I made it a silhouette.

Now it is quite glorious!

The name of the mermaid is Nerissa, although some sources say Merissa. However, Nerissa is what they say at the Rotary web site. This name was invented by William Shakespeare and used in his play The Merchant of Venice. The meaning of it is intended to be Daughter of the sea, and it may be derived from the word Nereid, which is ancient Greek for mermaid.

The creator of Nerissa is the artist Tom McPhee.

The statue was commissioned by our Rotary club and completed in 2001.

I don't know for sure, but I imagine that it is a memorial over Saltspringers who lost their lives in war. It is like Nerissa is calling their souls back home over the sea. This impression is reinforced by the ancient navigation instrument she is holding, a so called mariner's astrolabe.