Poitiers

At the top of the tower of "Het Toreken," you see a mermaid shimmering. This is the mermaid Melusine, the mascot of the tanners, as she was their symbol of courage.
A long time ago, there was a count named Raimon in the Poitiers region. The man was an avid hunter, but not a very strong map reader. During one of his hunting trips, he hopelessly got lost. Completely disoriented, the count sat down exhausted by a spring. He had barely been comfortable for two minutes when a stunningly beautiful damsel named Melusine appeared. As their eyes met, sparks flew, and it was love at first sight. Raimon decided not to waste any time. What if he couldn't find his way home and was trapped in the woods forever? He might as well make the best of it. He immediately proposed to the damsel. She was open to the idea but set one strange condition. She would be at her husband's disposal six days a week, but she reserved Saturdays for herself. Raimon would never see his Melusine on those days... The infatuated count initially accepted this little detail with great affection, but before long, his true nature surfaced. He couldn't contain his curiosity and broke his promise. On a fine Saturday, he entered his wife's chamber and discovered that the lovely pair of legs she possessed had transformed into a long fish tail. His beautiful damsel was a mermaid who took on her true form on the sixth day of the week. Melusine saw that her husband was troubled by this and, in her shock, jumped out of the window and disappeared into the air. She would never return but would embark on a new career as the guardian angel of the noble family and the tanners of Ghent.

Vizit