Once upon a time there was a mermaid who lived in the depths of the sea with her father, King Triton, and her sisters. Mermaids were advised against visiting the surface until they turned 15, when they could finally pay a visit to the earthly kingdom.
The little mermaid lived anxiously, waiting for the moment when she would meet human beings. So, he collected objects that had fallen from boats and lived imagining what it would be like on dry land.
As soon as she turned 15, the young girl goes to the surface and becomes enchanted by watching a prince who was on a ship. She sees the moment when a storm breaks out, putting the crew in danger and knocking the prince into the sea.
With great agility, the mermaid hurries to save him, taking him to the beach. When the young man wakes up, he sees and hears the mermaid singing a sweet melody. But she soon enters the sea and returns to her kingdom.
The little mermaid falls in love with the prince and decides to do her best to live on dry land and marry him. So, look for the sea witch and ask for help. The witch warns her, saying that it might not be a good idea. But, due to the little mermaid’s insistence, they make a deal.
The mermaid could leave her tail and live in the earthly world as long as she lost her voice. She would also have the mission to marry the prince. If he married another girl, the little mermaid would disappear, being turned into sea foam.Deal made, the young woman gained legs and returned to the surface in search of her lover.The next morning, the prince was walking on the beach and saw the mermaid lying unconscious in the sand. He rescued her and took her to the castle.The two developed an affection, but the prince was engaged to a princess from the neighboring kingdom.With no other alternative, the little mermaid attends her lover’s wedding to another girl and laments her fate.Her sisters, however, emerge from the waters and say that they asked the sea witch for help, who granted them a dagger. They give the dagger to the little mermaid and say that she should kill the prince, only then can she have her tail again and return to her home kingdom.But the little mermaid doesn’t have the courage to harm the prince. She walks towards the sea and disappears into the waves, turning into foam. Her father, Triton, intervenes, also transforming her into a protective spirit of true love.The story told here follows the narrative of the original tale, published in the mid-19th century by Hans Andersen. In this version the mermaid does not have a name and there is no romantic and “happy” ending, but there is a lot of symbolic richness and important teachings.In 1989, Disney released a film about the story with many adaptations, softening the events and bringing an ending in which the mermaid and the prince end up together.In this first version we can reflect on the sacrifices that people (especially women) are willing to make in the name of love, changing themselves and leaving aside part of who they are to try to fit into an ideal.The sea witch can be seen as a side in our own psyche that does everything to get what we want, even if it harms us, but at the same time “knows” (or intuits) that perhaps that is not the best path. .In the end, the little mermaid is unable to integrate into the earthly world, as she left her marine soul aside. Therefore, this is a story that can serve as a warning to remind us of the importance of maintaining our origins, values and essence, regardless of the circumstances.
