| The Little Mermaid's Sisters | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Unknown |
|
First Appearance |
Fairy Tales Told for Children (April 7, 1837) |
|
Original Publisher |
C. A. Reitzel |
|
Created by |
Hans Christian Andersen |
Origin[]
From Fairy Tale Parade #7.
The five sisters of the Little Mermaid live in an underwater kingdom with their father (the Sea King or Mer-King), their grandmother, and their youngest sister. Each of the five sisters are born one year apart. When a mermaid turns 15, she is permitted to swim to the surface to watch the world above, and when the sisters become old enough, each of them visits the upper world every year. As each of them returns, the Little Mermaid listens longingly to their various descriptions of the surface and of human beings.
After the prince marries another girl mistaking her for the one who saved his life, the Little Mermaid's heart breaks. She thinks of all that she has given up and of all the pain she has suffered. She despairs, thinking of the death that awaits her, but before dawn, her sisters bring her a knife that the Sea Witch has given them in exchange for their long hair. If the Little Mermaid slays the prince with the knife and lets his blood drip on her feet, she will become a mermaid again, all her suffering will end, and she will live out her full life.
However, the Little Mermaid cannot bring herself to kill the sleeping prince lying with his bride, and she throws herself into the sea as dawn breaks. Her body dissolves into foam, but instead of ceasing to exist, she feels the sun; she has turned into a spirit, a daughter of the air. The other daughters tell her she has become like them because she strove with all her heart to obtain an immortal soul. She will earn her own soul by doing good deeds and she will eventually rise up into the kingdom of God.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen (1837)
- The Mermaid (translated) by Lady DuffâGordon (1846)
- Danish Fairy Legends and Tales (translated) by Caroline Peachey (1846)
- The Ugly Duck, and Other Tales (translated) by Charles Boner (1854)
- The Little Mermaid and Other Stories (translated) by Robert Nisbet Bain (1893)
- Three Tales of Hans Andersen (1910)
- The Garden of Paradise by Edward Sheldon (1914)
- In the play, the Little Mermaid is named Princess Swanhild.
- The Green Book Magazine vol. 13 #2 (1915) (HathiTrust)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Fairy Tale Parade #7