Mermaids of the Fontanka

A fun, educational fairy tale that will introduce adults and children to the history of St. Petersburg!

Situation: during a warm-boat excursion, an elderly woman of an intelligent sort climbs aboard and introduces herself as “a mermaid from the Neva.” Of course you won’t believe her. And so does little Liza: when she met such an old woman, at first she decided that she was simply a city madwoman. But where would mermaids come from in St. Petersburg? Rivers and canals here are lined with granite, all day long crowds of people bustle along them, and everywhere there’s noise and commotion. But mermaids, after all, love peace and quiet. And besides, they exist only in fairy tales.

However, after chatting heart to heart with her shipboard neighbor, Liza learned so much… How freely the water maidens of the northern rivers lived before Tsar Peter built the city here. And how fiercely the mermaids fought against this construction. And what, as a result, they came to love with all their hearts about Peter’s creation. They began to proudly call themselves not “water women,” but St. Petersburg mermaids. But most importantly, Liza understood this: no matter how “intelligent” these ladies pretend to be, they cannot fully overcome their mermaid nature. Those are still quite mischievous girls. So if you meet one of them, keep your wits about you!