The Merlion (Malay: Singa-Laut) is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot of Singapore.
Its name combines "mer" meaning the sea and "lion".
The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese.
The lion head represents Singapore's original name — Singapura — meaning "lion city" or "kota singa".
The merlion— a mythical creature with the body of a fish and the head of a lion— occurs in a number of different artistic traditions.
Lions with fishtails can be found on Indian murals at Ajanta and Mathura, and on Etruscan coins of the Hellenistic period.
Merlions, or ‘heraldic sea- lions’, are an established element of Western heraldry, and have been used on the coat of arms of the cities of Portsmouth and Great Yarmouth in the United Kingdom; the City of Manila; and the East India Company.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlion
