The drowning of Hans Christian Andersen
An ‘undertaker’ attaches a 10-foot statue of Hans Christian Andersen to a crane at the start of a ceremonial ‘drowning’ of the sculpture by artist Jens Galschiot last Sunday.
The statue, which has stood in Odense town square for the past five years, is taken through the streets on its way to be submerged in the harbour followed by crowds of ‘mourners’.
Hans Christian Andersen is lowered towards the water.
Gradually, the statue is immersed to the point where only his head remains visible.
Galschiot pays his respects to the sunken author and pledges to resurrect him next year, in the hope of turning the ceremony into an annual event.
The statue of Hans Christian Andersen stares out to sea, just as one of his most famous creations, the Little Mermaid, did frequently, pining for her prince.
Along the coast, in Copenhagen harbour, the Little Mermaid looks back at Andersen.
The top six pictures come courtesy of Jens Galschiot. More about the story of his statue can be found here. The last picture is from Tuan Hoang Nguyen via Flickr.
