legends of Merlion of Singapore.

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Legends of Merlion- which one among the two main legends of Merlion have you heard?Is there any more such legends , if you know a different legend do mention it in the comment section below.
Merlion is a mythical creature with a lion’s head and a fish’s body. You’ll come across five main statues of Merlion in Singapore.Merlion is considered a symbol of prosperity .
There are two main legends.

Ancient Legend 1: This is believed to have happened in the eighth century. Prince Sang Nila Utama is believed to be the son of the Indian Prince Rajah Culan and a fairy princess who lived in the sea. Sang Nila Utama was proclaimed to be the first king of “Suvarnabhumi” ( Sanskrit word for Malay Peninsula) and was given the title Sri Tri Buana which in Sanskrit means “the Lord of Three Worlds”.It is said that one day Sri Tri Buana decided to leave his old emporium in Pelambang and seek his fortune in Bintan Island ruled by Queen Sadikar Shah(which is an island that is 2hr long ferry ride from Singapore).From top of a hill he saw another island nearby and this he was informed that it was the island Temasek which was a fishing Village.He then decided to go and investigate. Upon arrival he and his men encountered a mythical creature that had a Lion’s head and a Fish’s body. It is said that when it saw them it moved away .Impressed by the mythical creature the King decided that if the land could hail such creatures it could be a good place to settle in and the Malay prince Sang Nila Utama renamed the city of Singapore which was formerly called Temasek (Temasek in Javanese means Sea town) as Singapura where ‘Singa’ means Lion and ‘Pura’ means City.

Ancient Legend 2: According to the locals there is yet another amazing story. It is believed that there was once a huge sea monster which had a Lion’s head and a Fish’s body which lived in ancient Singapore and protected the local inhabitants from danger.

The Creature was said to be so powerful that at the mere sight of enemies the monster’s eyes would turn into red spouts of flames and turn the enemies into ashes. The Merlion is believed to have protected the inhabitants not just from enemies also from huge outbreak of storm. Since then Merlion is considered as a symbol of Singapore and it represents prosperity.
“The folklore of Prince Sang Nila Utama’s discovery of the Island of Temasek and renaming it as Singapura is the more prominently known legend”.
Well, as mentioned earlier when you visit Singapore you’ll come across five main Statues of Merlion ( These are government approved Statues).They are as follows:
1) 8.6m tall porcelain statue at the Merlion Park.
2) 2 metre cube porcelain statue right behind the 8.6m statue.
3) A 3m Polymarble statue at the Tourism Court.
4) Yet another 3m tall Merlion Statue at Mount Faber.
5) The Majestic 37m tall Concrete Merlion at Sentosa Island.
Reference :
Read for more information on the ancient legends of Merlion:
http://meridian103.com/issue-7/history/merlion/
http://remembersingapore.wordpress.com/ang-mo-kio-merlions/
By: Aswathi Ashok.