Burma Shave

[Koen G]

I like to keep multiple tracks open for this figure. No matter how popular Melusine would have been in any European region, a figure like Jonah would have been at least as well-known. Given the fact that we can see the figure's human legs and the similarity to Jonah iconography, I cannot eliminate the possibility that the figure is based on a Jonah archetype. Or any other story where someone is swallowed by a whale. I also don't want to exclude the possibility that the VM plays both the fish and mermaid card at the same time.