One of the earliest mermaid legends appeared in Syria around 1000 BC when the goddess Atargatis dove into a lake to take the form of a fish. As the gods there would not allow her to give up her great beauty, only her bottom half became a fish, and she kept her top half in human form.

What is the real story of mermaids?

No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found.

Mermaids — those half-human, half-fish sirens of the sea — are legendary sea creatures chronicled in maritime cultures since time immemorial. The ancient Greek epic poet Homer wrote of them in The Odyssey.

What's the real story behind The Little Mermaid?

While the original tale was likely influenced by folklore about mermaids and sirens, scholars have speculated that "The Little Mermaid" was also inspired by the author's own life, as some events in the story parallel his experiences with navigating family pressures, discovering his true identity, and pursuing love.

Was the original Little Mermaid a dark story?

The original story behind The Little Mermaid

In Hans Christian Andersen's original story, things don't end so rosily. In fact, the story is tragic throughout, with Ariel's transformation to human causing her constant agonising pain, before her heart is broken when her prince marries someone else.

Why did Disney make Ariel black?

Representation of an African American woman as a love interest and a beautiful being should become natural. This version of The Little Mermaid is great for young people because it allows them to better appreciate diversity and gain a better sense of the world.

The Little Mermaid - animated Original Fairy Tale by Hans Christian Andersen

Who is Ariel's real mother?

Queen Athena is a minor character in Disney's 2008 animated feature film The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. As ruler of Atlantica alongside her husband, King Triton, Athena is the mother of Ariel and her six older sisters.

What is the darkest Disney story?

Although The Hunchback of Notre Dame is already considered Disney's darkest animation for its themes of sin and lust, the original novel by Victor Hugo looms with despair persistently.

What is the horror story behind Little Mermaid?

In the original tale, mermaids have no souls and must earn one by getting a human to fall in love with them, leading to a tragic ending. The sea witch's home in Andersen's story is even more sinister, filled with hybrid creatures and made of human bones, adding to the darkness.

Is Little Mermaid a Grimm story?

“Folk tales” are traditional stories, collected and documented by people such as the Brothers GrimmX in Germany, or by the Norwegian team Asbjørnsen and MoeXX who did similar work in Norway. No. It is an original story for children written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published in 1837.

What happened to Ariel in the original story?

In Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, the title character's story ends much differently. After being given the dagger by her sisters, Ariel is unable to kill Eric and dives into the sea knowing that she will be transformed into sea foam.

What happened to Ariel's mom?

Ariel's Mother Had a Brutal Disney Death

Athena took too long to try and escape (going back for a music box she'd gotten for her husband as a gift), and she ends up crushed between the pirate ship and the rocks of the cove. Ariel's mother is far from the only material figure in Disney Animation to die.

What color was the original Little mermaid?

1. The little mermaid in the book was white. Here is how Hans Christian Andersen described the little mermaid: “They were six lovely girls, but the youngest was the most beautiful of them all.

What was the real story of the Little Mermaid?

In the original tale, the Little Mermaid fell under the spell of a human whom she saves from drowning, but unlike Disney's adaptation, she was not driven to wish for legs out of curiosity for life on earth, or her love for the princes.

Who saw the first mermaid?

In January 1493, Christopher Columbus and his crew were sailing near the Dominican Republic when the famous explorer announced he saw something peculiar in the water.

What was the original meaning of the little mermaid?

As the plot develops, the Little Mermaid sacrifices her comfortable life as a mermaid to transform into a human in an attempt to win the affection of the prince. Ultimately the Little Mermaid is faced with a decision to either murder her beloved or die. Thematically, Andersen's story is one of love and self-sacrifice.

What is the dark theory of The Little Mermaid?

The theory becomes darker with the suggestion that Captain Hook killed Ariel's mother, Athena. In The Little Mermaid II, Ariel has a flashback to her mother's death, when Ariel and her sisters were just children.

What was inappropriate in The Little Mermaid?

The Little Mermaid has some nudity and sexual activity. For example: Ariel is naked after her transformation into a human, though she is mostly covered by her hair and only her legs are shown.

What's the dark story behind Cinderella?

Cinderella's mother dies and then her father marries her evil stepmother, adding her and Cinderella's evil stepsisters to the family. Lucky for Cinderella, her father doesn't die. Instead, he helps embarrass Cinderella along with her stepmother and stepsisters.

What movie almost ruined Disney?

The Black Cauldron (Disney, July 1985)

It had quite a turbulent history and almost killed off Disney animation entirely.

What was the darkest Disney death?

1 Clayton Hung Himself On The Vines

During Clayton's final battle against Tarzan, his shotgun was destroyed in the popular Disney renaissance film. This enraged him, making him pull out a machete before Tarzan moved their fight into a mass of hanging vines.

What is the darkest fairy tale ever?

Why is Ursula not a mermaid?

Betrayed and developing great hate against the human and her father, Ursula decided she no longer wanted to be a mermaid and used her father's trident to transform her fishtail into tentacles, becoming the Sea Witch.

Why do Ariel's sisters look different?

One theory is that each of Ariel's sisters represents different oceans that are home to various cultures and ethnicities. It's pretty problematic to have mermaids who all look the same representing such an expansive underwater world.

Is Ursula and Ariel's dad related?

The Little Mermaid (2023)

In this version, like with the Broadway musical, Ursula is the estranged younger sister of King Triton (played by Javier Bardem), thus making her the paternal aunt to Ariel and her sisters in this film.