There are several mermaid statues around the world, all depicting different legends.
My aunt had seen one and told me the backstory of that particular statue, way back in my childhood. It was not the Disney’s version of the little mermaid:
According to the legend, the mermaid kept waiting on a stone, in the middle of the ocean but as promised, the guy (her lover) never showed up. So by morning, as the sun rays hit her, they turned her into stone... she knew what would happen to her but she was just so aggrieved that she never went back into the water. She waited for him till the very last moment of her life.
“The little mermaid” was my favourite Disney movie (story) way before I knew this legend and even afterwards. 🤧