In Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale, the mermaid does not marry the prince. She gives up her voice to live on land, but he marries another woman. When she has a chance to return to the sea by killing him, she refuses. The ending transforms her into one of the daughters of the air and leaves her with a possible spiritual journey ahead.
What happens in Andersen’s original tale?
The youngest of six mermaid sisters is quiet and thoughtful, and longs to see the world above the sea. On her fifteenth birthday, she rises to the surface and sees a ship carrying a prince. A storm sinks it. She rescues him and leaves him on shore, where a young woman from a temple finds him.
Curious about human life, the mermaid asks her grandmother what becomes of people and mermaids. Her grandmother explains that mermaids live for three hundred years before dissolving into sea foam, while humans have immortal souls. She tells the mermaid that marrying a human could give her a share in that spiritual future.
Why does the mermaid give up her voice?
The mermaid wants to live among humans and hopes the prince will love her. Her desire is not only romantic: she is also seeking the immortal soul that, as her grandmother explains, humans possess.
#1 Best Overall
She makes a bargain with the sea witch, who turns her tail into legs in exchange for her voice. The transformation is painful: each step feels like walking on knives. The witch warns that the mermaid will not be able to return to her family. The mermaid accepts these costs, hoping the prince will marry her.
Why doesn’t the prince marry her?
The prince likes the mermaid and keeps her near him, but he does not see her as his future wife. He believes the young woman who found him by the temple was the person who rescued him. When he meets that woman again, he marries her.
The mermaid’s hope of gaining a human life through marriage is therefore not fulfilled. On the wedding night, her sisters bring her a knife from the sea witch. They have traded their hair for it and tell her that if she kills the prince before sunrise, she will regain her tail and return to the sea.
What does the ending mean?
In the story’s final events, the mermaid cannot bring herself to kill the prince. She throws the knife into the water and leaps into the sea. Rather than simply ending as foam, she discovers that she has become one of the daughters of the air.
The daughters explain that good deeds can bring them closer to an immortal soul. The tale thus ends not with the mermaid winning the prince, but with a new, uncertain spiritual path. The Hans Christian Andersen Centre interprets this transformation through religious ideas of death, rebirth, and an intermediate stage in the soul’s journey. In its account, the mermaid may eventually rise toward the kingdom of God; that is an interpretation of the tale’s religious framework, while the final scene itself is her transformation into a daughter of the air.
How is the original different from a simple love story?
Romantic longing matters, but it does not explain the whole tale. The mermaid is drawn to the human world because it offers the possibility of an immortal soul, and the prince seems to offer a way into that world. Her final choice also matters: she does not force him into marriage or take his life to reclaim her old form. The ending joins personal longing with questions of sacrifice, moral choice, and spiritual transformation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which English translation should readers quote?
English translations do not all use the same wording. The H.C. Andersen Information page gives the line, “I will do it,” said the little mermaid, and she became pale as death. The page does not identify the translator, so a quotation should be attributed to the particular edition or translation being used rather than presenting its English wording as Andersen’s own.
For the final transformation, the Hans Christian Andersen Centre quotes Jean Hersholt’s translation: “The little mermaid discovered that she was shaped like them, and that she was gradually rising up out of the foam.” Longer quotations should be checked against the specific translation and edition.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Classic Fairy Tale Books for Children: Create a library that fosters a love for reading with Keepsake Stories Classic Fairy Tale Books for Children book set!
- What’s Included: This kids book bundle features 4 classic fairy tales full of vibrant illustrations, including Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Jack and the Beanstalk.
- Beloved Children’s Books: Enjoy an adventure with the three pigs that will BLOW you away, venture over the river and through the woods with little red riding hood, climb new heights with Jack, and get into some mischief with Goldilocks, and more!
- Enhancing Reading Comprehension Skills: Each of the classic fairy tale books features before-reading activities to help reinforce reading comprehension skills while engaging children along their reading adventure.
- Why Rourke Educational Media: We proudly publish respectful and relevant nonfiction and fiction titles that represent our diverse readers, and are designed to support reading on a level that has no limits!
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
