Agnete and the Merman Statue

A submerged tale beneath Højbro Bridge

Concealed just below the surface of the Slotsholm Canal, beside busy Højbro Bridge in central Copenhagen, the bronze sculpture group "Agnete and the Merman" reveals itself only to those who take the time to peer into the water. At first you may see just a hint of a face or an outstretched arm, then gradually the whole tragic tableau appears: a merman and his seven sons, stranded on the canal bed and reaching upwards in eternal longing.Placed here in 1992, the work is striking precisely because it sits in such a visible yet easily overlooked location. Around it swirl canal boats, commuters and cyclists, while the figures below remain silent and unmoving, like a private drama playing out beneath everyday city life.

Folklore of Agnete and her forsaken family

The sculpture is rooted in a traditional Danish ballad about Agnete, a young woman who leaves the land to marry a merman and live with him beneath the sea. Over time she bears him seven sons and settles into an underwater life far removed from her village origins. One day, hearing church bells from the shore, she is drawn back to visit the world she left behind. Once on land, Agnete chooses not to return to her husband and children, leaving them to wait for her in vain.Bonnén’s figures capture the moment after her abandonment. The merman stands with arms uplifted, his expression poised between hope and despair, while the sons show different shades of grief: a face buried in hands, a body twisted upward, fingers straining toward the surface they cannot cross. The missing figure of Agnete herself is what makes the group so poignant; her absence is the sculpture’s central presence.

Suste Bonnén’s underwater composition

Danish sculptor, photographer and author Suste Bonnén chose bronze and an underwater setting to underline the feeling of separation in the story. The figures stand on a submerged platform, their greenish patina blending with reeds, algae and the shifting reflections from the canal. Ripples can distort their shapes, so the scene appears to flicker and move, as if the family were still alive beneath the water.At low, calm water the details are surprisingly clear: muscular torsos, expressive hands, and the individual postures of each child. When the surface is choppy, the group becomes ghostlike, emerging and vanishing as boats pass. At night, underwater lighting casts them in blue or golden tones, turning the canal into an impromptu stage set.

Between grand monuments and hidden art

Just a glance away rise the imposing facades of Christiansborg Palace and historic houses lining the canal, yet "Agnete and the Merman" feels intimate and almost secret. There are no grand plinths or wide viewing terraces here; instead you lean over the railings of Højbro or stand by the canal edge, sharing the same water level as the figures below.Because the sculpture sits slightly off typical sightlines, it often registers as a personal discovery. You may find yourself pointing it out to others on the bridge, tracing the shapes underwater and recounting the legend. It offers a quiet counterpoint to the more famous mermaid on Copenhagen’s waterfront, expanding the city’s world of sea-born myths beyond a single image.

Experiencing the mood of the canal

The best way to appreciate the work is to linger and watch how the canal changes the scene. On bright mornings the water can be almost transparent, turning the figures into a clear, three-dimensional frieze. In overcast weather they appear darker and more melancholy, while at dusk the reflections of streetlamps, bicycles and passing boats mingle with the underwater lights.Even if you know the legend, the installation invites multiple readings: a story about migration between worlds, a meditation on promises broken, or simply a reminder that the city holds layers of history and narrative beneath its polished surface. For a brief moment on the bridge, Copenhagen’s mythic past and its everyday present overlap in the depths below your feet.