The Little Mermaid

A few months ago, The Little Mermaid got adapted into a live action starred by Halle Bailey. Previously, this story had an animated movie which was considered a classic and was released in 1989.

However, more than a hundred years earlier, the Little Mermaid was first published. This is a fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen and was first published in 1837 as part of Andersen’s first collection of fairy tales titled “Eventyr, fortalte for Børn” (Fairy Tales, Told for Children).

Andersen is also not the original author of the little mermaid narrative, as it is inspired by various folk legends and myths. Hans Christian Andersen’s version of “The Little Mermaid” is notably different from the more familiar Disney adaptation. Andersen’s tale has a more melancholic and bittersweet tone, diverging from the happy ending commonly associated with Disney fairy tales. 

In Andersen’s version, the Little Mermaid does not get to marry the prince. Instead, he marries another woman, and the mermaid faces the devastating consequence of dissolving into sea foam.