Singapore's National Icon-Josiah

Do you think the merlion would make the best national icon for Singapore? 

I think it's suitable as the Merlion give Singaporeans a sense of identity. It reminds us of our humble beginnings progressing to the present metropolis. It represents us Singaporeans and our multi-racial roots. It really tells the story of our nation through the lion head and fish body, it is a unique combination of a mythical creature that all Singaporeans have different interpretations of, it shows our humble beginnings as a fishing village and the legend of Singa how our country was named. We would be recognise by the Merlion and we will be proud of it.

The Merlion has a lion head and a fish body resting on a crest of waves. The lion head symbolises the legend of the rediscovery of Singapura, as recorded in the "Malay Annals". In ancient times, Singapore was known as Temasek, a Javanese word for sea. In the 11th century A.D, Prince Sang Nila Utama of the Sri Vijaya Empire rediscovered the island. When the Prince first landed on Singapore's shores, he sighted a mystical beast which he later learnt was a lion. The Prince then decided to name the island "Singapura" which in Sanskrit means Lion (Singa) City (Pura). The fish tail of the Merlion symbolises the ancient city of Temasek and represents Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village.

The merlion is unique as it was designed as an emblem for the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in 1964. The designer was Mr Fraser Brunner, a member of the souvenir committee and a curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium.The Merlion statue, measuring 8.6 metres high and weighing 70 tonnes, was built by the late Singapore craftsman, Mr Lim Nang Seng. It is made of cement fondue. A smaller Merlion statue, measuring two metres high and weighing three tonnes was also built by Mr Lim. The body is made of cement fondue, the skin from porcelain plates and eyes from small red teacups.

The Merlion is the national personification of Singapore.Due to the influence of overseas Singaporeans, Singapore investors and friends of the country, variations of the Merlion statue can be found in Japan, China and the United States of America.