The Merlion is a legendary icon visited by travellers to Singapore. A mythical creature with a lion’s head and the body of a fish, it serves as a guardian of prosperity and personifies the country’s history as an important seaport. The lion head depicts the folklore of Prince Sang Nila Utama’s discovery of lion (singa) and city (pura), while the fish tail symbolises the fishing village of Temasek, also known as sea town in Javanese.