The Little Mermaid is a literary fairy tale. The plot is drawn from Hans Christian Andersen's imagination rather than a specific folktale. However, Andersen's writing was influenced by traditional folklore about merfolk and water nymphs.

What is the real story of 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.

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.

What is the original story of the mermaid?

The original story, written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837, differs from the Disney version in many ways. For example, in the original story, the mermaid does not have a name, and she does not have a happy ending. She sacrifices herself for the prince, but she dissolves into sea foam instead of becoming a spirit.

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.

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

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 original plot of The Little Mermaid?

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen is a fairytale about a mermaid who falls in love with a human. The plot of Andersen's fairytale is set in motion when the Little Mermaid visits the surface of the sea to observe life on land; this is a privilege afforded to mermaids once a year after the age of 15.

What legend is The Little Mermaid based on?

The Disney film is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, which is inspired by an earlier novella. Even that novella, 'Undine' is thought to have been inspired by the French legend of the mermaid, Melusine. Traditionally these stories would have been told orally, being passed on and changing with each telling.

What is the original mermaid myth?

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 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.

What is the sad story of Little Mermaid?

A tragic love story

The Little Mermaid tells the sad story of a young mermaid who saves a prince from drowning at sea during a storm. She falls madly in love with him and wants to trade the ocean for dry land. To find her prince, she gives up her voice in exchange for a pair of legs.

What is the hidden meaning behind The Little Mermaid?

The subversive themes of 'The Little Mermaid'

She yearns for another world, apart from her own, where she can be free from the limits of her rigid culture and conservative family. Her body is under the water, but her heart and mind are on land with people. She leads a double life.

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 is the moral behind The Little Mermaid?

Overall, The Little Mermaid's emphasis on sacrificial love speaks to a larger psychological theme about the importance of putting the needs of others before our own.

What is the real story of The Little Mermaid?

The original story, published in 1837 follows a 14-year-old mythical creature on her quest to find true love. The mermaid abandons her life in the sea in search of a Prince - a plot line that was kept in the Disney adaptation.

How did the original Little Mermaid end?

Devastated, the mermaid chooses to sacrifice herself instead. She jumps into the sea, and by the morning, she's nothing more than sea foam. Still, after her death, the mermaid meets mysterious airborne beings that tell her that her selflessness means she has a chance to attain an immortal soul.

Was the original Little Mermaid black?

For the animated movie, Disney made the little mermaid white, made her hair red, and gave her a name, Ariel.

Why did Disney change The Little Mermaid story?

Disney rewrites this to allow Ariel and Eric to marry and live a happy life together, making it into a love story and providing a much more satisfying and child-appropriate ending than the tragedy of the fairytale.

What color was the original Little mermaid?

Yes, in the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, he describes the mermaid as having a “white skin.”

Where is the original Little mermaid story based?

In Denmark, there is a little mermaid statue that is meant to represent the heritage of the story. Since Hans Christian Andersen was Danish, it is widely theorized that the fairy tale was set around Denmark.

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.

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.

Was Ariel's mom crushed?

Most of the mermaids and mermen escape safely, but Attina, the oldest princess, gets her tail stuck between two rocks. Athena is able to free her, but she is crushed to death by the ship while trying to save the music box, and the ship sinks after hitting the rocks. Athena's death leaves Triton completely devastated.