Day 26 - June 10, 2010 - Legend Has It...

“Legend remains victorious in spite of history.” ~Sarah Bernhardt

I know what you're thinking. Why in the world would I post a picture of a statue that's peeing? Because he's the symbol of Brussels, that's why! Standing at 2 feet tall and perpetually relieving himself into a fountain, the Mannekin Pis has earned himself quite the reputation amongst the people of Belgium... and the world for that matter.

The more I've heard about the Mannekin Pis, the less I feel like anyone knows about it. There are several legends about why the statue was erected, and many of them are a bit far-fetched. My favorite is about a little boy who sees that a bomb has been lit and, in order to put it out... well, he thinks fast. We'll put it that way. The only fact about the statue that people seem to agree upon is that, a long time ago, there used to be a fountain that looked similar to the Mannekin Pis that served as one of the town's drinking water suppliers.

In short, the role of storytelling in a society is one of power and influence. The truth can be supplanted if everyone believes and retells the legend. Who knows how different history might look if only facts were recorded? It is said that history is born in our brains... I think that perhaps there's a ring of truth to that...