The Legend of the Mermaid

The legend of the mermaid

The Honfleur audio-guided tour has you take the lane of the Little Mermaid, a narrow passage laden with mystery, which has borne this name for more than four centuries.

A lane born of sailors' tales

This narrow passage once connected the Rue Haute to the shore, a shortcut taken by sailors to reach their boats. It bears its name well before Andersen's tale. In Honfleur, as in many ports, sailors told of their encounters with sea creatures: in the seventeenth century, the corsair Jean Doublet described in his memoirs a striking apparition, cod skin, large round eyes, human chest and fish tail. Oral tradition multiplied the variants: a fisherman in love with a stranded mermaid, or songs luring sailors towards the rocks. These tales were born of a simple reality: Honfleur has always been a city of sailors, where the imagination of the sea nourished the evening gatherings.

What there is to see

The lane of the Little Mermaid keeps its aura of mystery, between sailors' tales and maritime legends. A plaque installed in 2017 tells the legend, and one glimpses a little mermaid carved in stone. It is a poetic and unusual stop, which plunges the visitor into the imagination of the seafaring people of Honfleur.

Practical information

The lane of the Little Mermaid is in the centre of Honfleur, connecting the surroundings of the port to the upper streets. It can be walked freely on foot at all hours; a plaque there tells the legend.

Since when has the lane borne this name?

For more than four centuries, well before Andersen's tale, in connection with the tales of the sailors of Honfleur.

What can one see today in the lane?

A plaque installed in 2017 that tells the legend, as well as a little mermaid carved in stone.