The Legend of Sirena was told to me by my Grandmother.
According to local legend, a beautiful Indian maiden named Sirena wished to marry an Indian brave who didn’t return her feelings. Sitting by the river looking at her reflections, she expressed her wish. A magical catfish overheard her, and promised to help her win the warrior if she would agree to become a mermaid on each full moon for a year, swimming with the catfish in the river. Additionally, while in the shape of a mermaid during each full moon that year, if human eyes ever saw her in the moonlight, she would then have to remain a mermaid forever (which the catfish secretly hoped would happen).
Sirena agreed and soon married the Indian brave. On each full moon Sirena dove into the river as a mermaid and swam the night with the catfish. On the last full moon of the year, Sirena caught a fishhook on her fin while swimming, and climbed onto a ledge near a bubbling spring to remove it.
While working to unhook it from her fin, her husband saw her. As their eyes met, the catfish pulled her back into the river, to remain a mermaid forever. The spring keeps flowing, watered by her tears.
Sirena the Mermaid was placed in Salado Creek in 1986 at the time of the sesquicentennial of Texas and became the first public sculpture of Salado. It remains a tourist destination in central Texas. In 2017 a photo of Sirena was published in the book titled Mermaids of Earth, Mermaids Statues from all across our planet by Philip Jepsen. mermaidsofearth.com