The Little Mermaid: The Classic Danish Fairytale

by Hans Christian Andersen, Rachel Louise Lawrence (Adapted By), M.R. James (Translator)

“More and more, she came to love humans; more and more, she wished she could rise up among them.”

The youngest daughter of the Sea King cannot wait to be old enough to go to the surface and see the world of humans. Her first visit there changes her life forever when she saves a prince from drowning, and comes to love him above all others. For the chance to win his love and gain an immortal soul, the little sea princess is willing to risk everything…

First published in 1837, Hans Christian Andersen’s haunting tale of love is brought to an English readership in this unabridged edition, which has been translated directly from the original Danish into English.

Genres: Classics, Fantasy, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Short Stories, Romance

50 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1836

About the author

Hans Christian Andersen (often referred to in Scandinavia as H.C. Andersen) was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories — called eventyr, or "fairy-tales" — express themes that transcend age and nationality.

Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tonight at 9: The ugly truth behind backroom mermaid deals!



This didn't go down like you might think.
I'd like to blame it on youth but frankly, The Little Mermaid's decision-making skills were just complete shit.
Even for a teenager.



The story opens as our unnamed and underage mermaid goes on a sanctioned trek to see what the human world is like. <--because this is what 15 year old fish-girls do.
She comes across the prince's ship and then proceeds to spy on him for an hour or so before bad weather sinks his boat. At which point, she tows him to shore. Which was quite nice and very helpful of her.
But then, she feels things and just kind of decides she must marry him. Which seems like a bit of shark jumping if I'm being honest.
He might have a girlfriend. Or a scat fetish.
Girl, you don't know!



At the very least you should stalk him for a bit longer before you decide whether or not this is the one. Is this really the guy you want to spend the rest of your nights...creeping into the bedroom of...to watch sleep? Or gently caressing whilst he's lying unconscious?
That sort of commitment shouldn't be entered into lightly.



But this is a fairytale!
So in the absence of anything that remotely resembles common sense, she runs to a sea witch and makes a bargain.
The world's worst bargain.
In exchange for her voice - and not just you can have it back if you win the prince's heart, but in the witch keeps your voice forever and you're mute for a lifetime - our mergirl will trade in her fins for a snazzy set of feet.



BUT EVERY STEP SHE TAKES WILL BE LIKE WALKING ON KNIVES AND GLASS.
Annnnnd that's where 99.9% of everyone else with fins would back slowly out of the cave and go hang out at the MerMall with their friends.
But not her.
She's in it to win it. And part of me respects a set of balls that big, you know?
And yet.
She's lost her voice forever and will be basically crippled for the rest of her life. <--which is now considerably shortened by a few hundred years because mermaids live to 300ish and humans live to what...80?
And all for some guy you've never spoken to?



Wait. There's more!
IF her prince marries anyone but her, she'll turn into foamy sea bubbles.
A LIFETIME OF SILENCE AND PAIN. OR FOAM.
OMG. Where can I sign up for this?!



Needless to say, things don't work out for her.
That she turned into foam at the end was just natural selection at work, my friend. They didn't need that level of stupid making its way back into the gene pool back in Mermaidland.



I really can't overstate how much I love reading these old fairytales.
Now, I can't say for certain what the moral of this particular story is, but I do believe we're definitely looking at a cautionary tale here.
Perhaps it's a warning about jumping into life-changing things without consulting the people who love you?
Or the pitfalls of dating outside of your species?
Or signing contracts without a lawyer present?
We can only guess.

I didn't find it listed, but this was the edition I listened to:
Publisher: AudioGO Ltd
Edition: Unabridged
Anne-Marie Duff - Narrator

[Bionic Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Mermaid, or "Den lille havfrue" is one of the most famous fairy tales by the Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen. It is a tale which has captured the imagination, sparking off numerous adaptations, and a ballet version of it inspired a statue which sits on a rock in the Copenhagan harbour in Langelinie. Even though the statue is quite small, it has itself become a Copenhagen icon and a major tourist attraction.



The tale was first published in 1837, along with "The Emperor's New Clothes". Hans Christian Andersen generally published his fairy tales, or retellings of fairy tales, in small books containing only a small number. This particular pairing was a good one. This sad tale about yearning love and sacrifice, proves a perfect counterweight to the humour of "The Emperor's New Clothes".

At the start, the story focuses on a very young mermaid, who lives in an underwater kingdom with her family. Her father is the mer-King, and she has five older sisters, each of whom had been born one year apart. Their grandmother helps to raise them all.

When each mermaid becomes fifteen, she is allowed to swim to the surface of the sea for the first time, to glimpse the world above, and observe all that happens with the strange land-people. Each of the sisters in turn looks forward to reaching the memorable date. Then when she is old enough, each of them is keen to visit the upper world and to reports back on what she saw and did. The beautiful youngest daughter, quietly and eagerly, awaits her turn. And each time, as another sister returns, the Little Mermaid listens with longing to all they tell of the strange world above.

At last the little mermaid's turn arrives. She swims up to the surface, and sees a human prince on a ship, celebrating his birthday. Without his knowing, the little mermaid falls in love with this handsome prince with his jet-black eyes, from a distance. Like all mer-people, she is excited to see a violent storm approaching. But then she realises that because humans are different from mer-people, the handsome prince is actually in great danger. The little mermaid valiantly rescues him from drowning, and carries him to the safety of land, near a white building. Then she waits in hiding, to make sure he is found. Eventually a group of girls come out from the building and discover him, so the little mermaid returns to her home under the sea.

But as time passes, the little mermaid sadly realises that the prince does not even know it was she who had saved his life. She is so quiet and thoughtful that her sisters begin to worry. When she tells them, one of her sisters helps her to find the kingdom where the handsome prince came from, so that she can watch him as he lives his day to day life in the palace. However, it does not really help. The little mermaid becomes even more melancholy after this, and asks her grandmother what would happen to humans if they did not drown. Would they live forever?

Her grandmother explains that humans have only a short lifespan whereas mer-people live for 300 years. But when mermaids die, they turn to sea foam and cease to exist, whereas humans have an immortal soul, which rises up into the sky and lives on in heaven. According to her grandmother, the only way a mermaid can acquire an immortal soul, is if a human man falls in love with her and marries her.

This makes the little mermaid determined to make the prince fall in love with her, but she needs help, so she sneaks away from a party and secretly visits the Sea Witch. She is very frightened, finding her way to the entrance through grasping polyps, and eels. One eel even has a dead mermaid in its clutches. Clearly the Sea Witch lives in a dangerous part of the ocean,

"She had built her house from the bones of shipwrecked men, and here she sat, letting a toad feed out of her mouth, just as some people do with a pet canary ... She pressed [the vile slimy eels] close to her vast spongy chest."

As with all stories of this kind, the hideous Sea Witch agrees that she can help, but demands a terrible price for her special potion. The little mermaid must give up her best talent - her beautiful singing voice. In return, the Sea Witch will give her the potion. The Sea Witch tells the little mermaid that drinking the potion will feel agonising, as if a sword is being passed through her body. But when the little mermaid recovers, she will still be beautiful and have two "pretty legs". She will also be able to dance more gracefully than any human has ever danced before. But every step she takes will feel as if she is walking on sharp knives. The conditions pile on. The Sea Witch warns that once the little mermaid becomes human, she will never be able to return to the sea. If the prince does not fall in love with her, and marries someone else instead, then the little mermaid will die the next day. At dawn on the first day after he does so, the little mermaid will die of a broken heart and dissolve into sea foam upon the waves. And, just to finally seal the bargain, the witch will cut out the little mermaid's tongue as payment. The little mermaid remains undeterred by all these terrible conditions.

After she agrees to the arrangement, the little mermaid swims to the shore, near the prince's palace, and drinks the potion, fainting with the agonising pain. But when she comes to, she sees that she now has a pair of (what to her, look) very strange human legs, instead of her beautiful tail. The handsome prince discovers her, and says that she reminds him of the girl who (he assumes) had saved him - the girl from the white building who happened to be there when he woke up. Of course, the little mermaid has no voice, so cannot tell him the truth.

Although the prince admires the little mermaid enormously and is fascinated by her beauty and grace, he does not fall in love with her. He likes to see her dance, and she dances for him even though her feet bleed and she suffers excruciating pain with every step. The prince is kind to the little mermaid, and has a boy's velvet suit made for her, so that he can take her everywhere with him on horseback. Soon, the prince's parents decide it is time for their son to marry, and encourage him to marry a princess from a neighbouring kingdom. The prince confides in the little mermaid that he is sure he will do no such thing.

But when the prince meets the princess, in true fairytale fashion, she turns out to be the girl from the white building who found him on the beach - and hence the girl he believes saved his life. The prince unknowingly shares his joy in this with the heartbroken little mermaid, who still cannot convey the true story. He declares his love for the princess, and the royal wedding is announced at once. The little mermaid has no choice but to help with all the preparations, and even carry the bride's train up the aisle.

After the wedding, the prince and princess celebrate on a wedding ship, and the little mermaid realises that she has lost everything, and will now die very soon, in a matter of hours. But unbeknownst to her, her sisters have a plan. They swim up to her, looking very different. The sisters have made a bargain with the Sea Witch. She demanded that they cut off all their long, beautiful hair in exchange for a special knife. The Sea Witch has promised that if the little mermaid plunges this knife into the prince's chest and kills him, then when his blood drips on her feet, her legs will turn back into a tail. If the little mermaid does this, and also lets the prince die, she will become a mermaid once more, all her suffering will end, and she will live out her full life in the ocean with her family as before.

The little mermaid watches the prince as he sleeps, but the only word on his lips is the name of his bride. She cannot bear to kill him, and just as dawn breaks, the little mermaid tosses the knife into the sea. She follows it by throwing herself in after it, since she fully expects to turn into sea foam. However, she does not. She feels the warm sun and realises that she still exists, but as an earthbound spirit, a spirit of the air, instead. There are many other daughters of the air around too.

They explain to the little mermaid that because she tried with all her heart to obtain an immortal soul, and because of her supreme selflessness and mercy in not killing the prince, she has become one of them instead of turning into sea foam. Additionally she will be given the chance to earn her own soul by doing good deeds for humans for 300 years. One day she will have earned her immortal soul and will rise up into heaven. And each time she visits the house of a good child, as a spirit of the air that time will be lessened.

So does this story have a happy ending? It certainly is a heart-breaking love story, and one which fulfils many satisfying features of fairy tales. The young mermaid is willing to give up her life in the sea - in fact her entire identity as a mermaid - in order to gain a human soul. The working title of the story was "Daughters of the Air". But the final message is unclear, and has been heavily criticised over the years.

The little mermaid's eventual earning of an immortal soul depends on the behaviour of human children - whether they are good or bad. If they are good then that takes a year off her 300 years, but bad behaviour makes the spirits of the air weep, and a day is added for every tear they shed. This was a later revision by Hans Christian Andersen, as shown below, and it seems even more punitive that the first!



P.L. Travers, in addition to writing the series about "Mary Poppins", was a noted expert on folklore. She wrote,

"This final message is more frightening than any other presented in the tale. The story descends into the Victorian moral tales written for children to scare them ... a year taken off when a child behaves and a tear shed and a day added whenever a child is naughty? Andersen, this is blackmail. And the children know it and say nothing. There's magnanimity for you."

It baffles me. Is it a tragic ending? Is it a happy one? I could accept either, although the events in this tale heavily point towards one rather than the other. What I dislike is the inconclusiveness, and indecision. Hans Christian Andersen's original manuscript shows that he has not deliberately written an ambiguous ending, but had a change of heart - and possibly not a final one.

So four stars. The descriptive passages early in this longish tale are simply beautiful and the entire piece is very affecting.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay. this is actually way less misogynist than i expected?? sooo the 1989 disney adaptation is significantly more toxic than something written by a man in 1836.

most of us know that the little mermaid is a story about yearning and sacrifice, but the subject of the mermaid's yearning is the variable across adaptations. in the disney version she longs for the prince above all else. she also longs to be part of his world, but he is at the heart of her desire.

but in the original that's not the case. she wants the prince, but a large component of her desire is that marrying him is the only way she can acquire a soul of her own. her grandmother explains that humans have souls that grant them eternal life; whereas mermaids, soulless, can only turn to seafoam when they die. the one way for them to enjoy eternal life is to marry a human who is devoted to them and grants them a part of their soul.

so yes, she yearns for the prince. but it isn't quite as simple as giving up your voice for a man. she sacrifices part of herself in the hope of living on after her death.

something else i really like about this story is the presence of the little mermaid's sisters. the fairytale is primarily populated by women, and i love that the sisters also make a sacrifice (of their beautiful hair) in order to provide their youngest sibling with a chance at survival. the image of five mermaids with shaved heads popping out of the ocean in the moonlight and handing over a dagger is perfecto!!

and the ending, while dark, is much more hopeful than i expected. the mermaid dies and turns into seafoam, but then she learns that since the prince didn't grant her a soul, she has the power to create one herself. she will act as a sylph and perform helpful deeds for humans until she's worthy of an undying soul. maybe that's drudge work, but hey! she has agency!! she's coming back to life and getting what she needs without relying on her prince!! and i fucking love it!

also, i adore the the beautiful deep sea imagery and atmospheric ocean vibes. underwater gardens full of dancing flora, pearly palaces, and swimming with colorful fish. so lovely to be under the sea!

[فؤاد · Rating 4 out of 5]

نمی دونم چرا یه روز به ذهنم رسید که: من هیچ وقت قصه های پریان رو نخوندم، نه قصه های برادران گریم رو، نه قصه های هانس کریستین اندرسن رو، قصه هایی که بچه ها توی کودکی شون می خوندن و می خونن. و شروع کردم به خوندن قصه های معروف هانس کریستین اندرسن. می رفتم توی اینترنت (مخصوصاً سایت پروژۀ گوتنبرگ) و متن انگلیسی قصه هاش رو می گرفتم و می خوندم. از بین قصه هاش ملکۀ برفی و قوهای وحشی و خوکچران اون قدر برام قشنگ بودن که دیدم این طور نمی شه، باید مجموعۀ کامل قصه هاش رو بخرم و برای خودم داشته باشم. به همون دلیل که هزار و یک شب رو (با این که از کتابخونه گرفته بودم و خونده بودم) خریدم، به همون دلیل هم خواستم مجموعه قصه های اندرسن رو بخرم: برای این که نسل بعدی بچه های خانواده، مثل من دور از کتاب های جادویی بزرگ نشن. عمو یا دایی ای داشته باشن که کتاب های کودکانه داره و گاهی می ذاره بهشون دست بزنن.
آرزوی نامربوطیه، ولی اون قدر به ذوقم آورد که شروع کردم به گشتن دنبال کتاب.

بعد از مدتی گشتن، فهمیدم که مجموعه قصه هاش در چهار جلد ترجمه شده، اما توی سایت ها جایی نبود که این چهار جلد رو یک جا بفروشن. در نتیجه به یکی از بزرگواران ساکن تهران گفتم، و ایشون منو شرمنده کردن و کتاب رو برام خریدن و پست کردن.

این جلد اول رو توی تعطیلات بهاری خوندم. بیشتر قصه های این جلد رو قبلاً به زبان انگلیسی خونده بودم، در نتیجه کتاب رو توی مدت کوتاهی تموم کردم. قصد دارم کم کم سراغ باقی جلدها هم برم.

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm... I think it´s wrong to compare it with the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, although I didn´t expected Andersen´s version was so... what shall I call it... f*cked up...
The point of view of the Little Mermaid herself was wonderful, she was sweet and good-hearted. But the prince, omg! Why would you love such a person?! I mean: The prince said she should remain with him always, and she received permission to sleep at his door, on a velvet cushion. What is she?! A dog?! And the ending was an anticlimax, but okay, I suppose that´s because I saw the Disney movie.

[♡ Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was für ein wunderschönes Buch! Es ist optisch ein Hingucker, ein wahres Schmuckstück. Aber auch die Geschichte von der kleinen Meerjungfrau ist wunderschön, zugleich aber auch sehr traurig und tragisch, wie es bei Märchen ja oft vorkommt.
Zu Disneys Arielle gibt es große Unterschiede. Mir gefallen aber beide Varianten :)

[Ahmed Ejaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

By now, I should be saying that I am used to reading Anderson's bitter-sweet tales. After all, I have read many of them. BUT HELL NO! I can't say it. The only reason I still read his tales is because his writing style is so vivid and beautiful. I am kind of addicted to his writing in such a way that I must have a dose of it once in a while.
This tale is my favourite as far as description of scenes are concerned. He has a way with imagining awesome scenes.
But for plot, I think almost every tale of his revolves around bitter-ending love story. This tale too has it. I felt nothing new.
One thing I can say here is that for the first time, even though I was sad, I didn't mind this bitter-ending.

7 January, 2018

[Ivana - Diary of Difference · Rating 3 out of 5]

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I grew up with Disney movies and my favourite one was the one with the mermaid that has long red hair, and I loved her love story, and also enjoyed watching the rest of the movie series that followed years later.

And while loving Ariel for so long, I have never actually read the original story. So a few weeks ago, I decided to cherish it properly, as a true childhood love deserves to be cherished.

And I was left with my jaw dropped and my mouth open, unable to sleep. I can’t say this book crushed my childhood love, but it definitely shook me quite hard.

If you are expecting to read about the little mermaid, and her adventures in the water, and how she would give anything to see how people live on Earth, and fall in love with a prince – you will get all that. In fact – the book description is far better compared to the movie. Incomparable, actually. The book glows with bright colourful descriptions of the world under the sea, and it is so vividly enchantingly explained.

But if you are expecting to read about the adorable love story of Ariel and the prince, and their happily ever after – that is not happening. Because things go wrong. Horribly wrong. With a crushing, terrible end, that will torture you in your dreams.

It wasn’t my intention to make this review so dark. The story is still wonderful, and full of life. However, there is no happy ending, and that, for me, was crucial to not enjoy it.

And I am not usually upset with unhappy endings. It happens so often. But this one was so brutal and cruel, that it felt so disturbing. Maybe, because it is my favorite childhood movie. Maybe, because I knew this to be a happy story. Maybe, because I didn’t expect this at all.

Hans Christian Andersen is an amazing writer. I have read many of his stories, and enjoyed them greatly. I honestly don’t know what was going on in his life when he was writing this, but wow. Just wow.

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[Olivia-Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am going to have to stop telling people The Little Mermaid is my favourite fairytale and start telling them it's one of my favourite stories.

I really do like the tale. I like the danger to it, the sadness, the abandonment of family and life, the loss, the pain and the darkness. So much longing in this story, longing for what you don't have, and then what you abandoned to get what you do have... it's a cycle. I find it really meaningful and raw and I love when magical tales can make you feel that way.

But at the same time, the actual fairytale itself is a bit... boring. It takes a long time to get to the point, and then the ending comes pretty quickly. And then there is a quick hash at tidying up everything in the last page so it's more of a bittersweet ending than anything else. I kind of wish that it went all the way with the ending pathway it seemed to be on. I also feel like the pacing was off. And the story was just a bit boring throughout... the way it was told was not as captivating as it could've been. It was atmospheric, but it wasn't absorbing like I wanted it to be.

Hmm, mixed feelings.

[Jonnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hah. This is going to be like the ragequit of book reviews.

*calm deep breaths* *inhale* *exhale* *googling pictures of fluffy kittens*

WHAT THE FUCK HANS? WHAT THE FUCK! No no no no no. NO.





I need to bleach this version from my SOUL. Hans, I'M TAWKING TO YOU. Rise up out of your 140 year old grave right now AND FIX THIS SHIT. I'm hunting down the original, and setting it on fire. Or at the very least writing Sebastian into your story. YOU CAN'T HAVE THE LITTLE MERMAID WITHOUT THE SASSY JAMAICAN CRAB OK.

I can't even fathom how this is classed as a fairy tale. This wasn't meant for children, right? I mean, this is downright DEPRESSING. I mean, I need some chocolately snacks and counselling to get through this crap. I need a large milkshake and some cheesy fries, STAT.



Rage partially subsided, I can now safely inform readers of this messy messy tragic tragic review that the next sentences will contain spoilers. So many spoilers they'll sting your eyes. In this lovely (and original, yuck) story of The Little Mermaid, she does trade her voice to the sea witch in exchange for legs, yes. However, our good pal Hans also sees to it that the sea witch actually cuts out her tongue, meaning she will never speak or sing again. She gets her legs though. But wait, what's this? Every time she takes a step it's as if she's walking on blades? OH HOW SWEET. AT LEAST SHE GETS HER LEGS THOUGH!

But what about the Prince? OH that prince. The one who calls her dumb all the time, and constantly compares her to some other girl who he *thought* saved his life, when it was actually her all along. The one who drops her as soon as he sees someone who he *thinks* resembles his "rescuer". That DICK. He's an entitled prat with a punchable face and a punchable personality. Shoulda let the bitch drown.

Let's see, what else? OH my favourite quotes! What's a book (good or bad) without my favourite quotes, RIGHT!? (Guys, I'm getting hysterical)

The prince said she should remain with him always, and she received permission to sleep at his door, on a velvet cushion.

HOW KIND. Only the best for The Little Mermaid, amiright? I mean, it's velvet. (I have such a poisonous tone to my voice right now)

"If I were forced to choose a bride, I would rather choose you, my dumb foundling."

*grumble*

Her tender feet felt as if cut with sharp knives, but she cared not for it; a sharper pang had pierced through her heart.

Imma take this moment to throw some shade at The Little Mermaid herself. Because Hans inadvertently made me. So you willingly leave your grandmother, father and sisters, whom you love, to try and win the affections of some dude you saved one time. Not only do you agree to cut your tongue out, you also subject yourself to a life of misery because every time you take a fucking step, you're basically stepping on knives. Your feet bleed all over the place, and you just go "oh well. The Prince is a babe so la dee da." You lady, are DUMB.





Internet memes are speaking to me now.

Let's just stick to the Disney version. The one where Prince Eric is a babe aaaaand they live happilyeverafter THE END.



*starts humming under the sea*

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hauntingly beautiful story paired with achingly gorgeous illustrations! I'm sorry to say that this is the first time I've read the "actual" story of the Little Mermaid, previously acquainted only with very general retellings and the Disney movie version (which is delightful in its way). This version purports to be closest to Andersen's original as it makes only slight adaptations from the mid-19th century translation by Mary Howitt, a correspondent and friend of Andersen who introduced his work to the English reading public. It is deeper, sadder, and more stirring than the happy-ever-after versions--indeed, this little mermaid not only seeks the love of the prince but the immortality that will be hers if she obtains it (otherwise, mermaids turn to seafoam after their three hundred year life!) Wow!!! Santore's illustrations are so beautiful! I snapped up this edition based on the cover art and am not disappointed by the rest of the illustrations!!! Some of the full-page spreads are so enchanting!

I'm not sure I'd recommend this version to most children. The complex plot point of immortality aside (which some parents may or may not wish to delve into!), the story is extremely wordy and long (I even put off reading it since I could read about seven regular picture books in time it took me to read this!) and some pages have only basic margin illustrations and the rest is all text. Also, parents should note that the mermaids in this version have none of the Disney G-rated seashells covering their breasts--usually there is a wisp of hair over the center area, but it could still be viewed by some as too risque for children. Also, some of the parts with the sea-witch might be a little too creepy for sensitive youngsters.

These parental cautions aside, I highly recommend this story to adults or older children seeking the "real" story of the Little Mermaid accompanied by artwork you will not soon forget!

NOTE TO SELF: Search for Chihiro Iwasaki illustrated edition.

[دعاء ممدوح · Rating 5 out of 5]

واحدة من أفضل القصص التي قدمتها سلسلة الأطفال الرائعة؛ المكتبة الخضراء، والتي شكلت خيالنا ووجداننا في مرحلة الطفولة

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to revisit these fairytales. Really liked the artwork as well.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Andersen's version of the tale, at the bottom of the sea, five mermaid princesses lived with their father. While they all pined to go to the surface to explore, none of this was permitted until their fifteenth birthdays. One by one, the mermaids ascended on their fifteenth birthdays to explore the outside world, returning with wonderful tales. The youngest is the most excited of all, making her way to the surface, only to help a prince who falls into the sea during a storm. From that day forward, she vows to find him again and love him like no other. However, to do so would require her to turn in her fish tail for human legs and cause her eternal agony. She is prepared to do this and takes on a few more horrors in order to be a woman. After making the transformation, the former mermaid is unable to convince the prince to marry her, thereby ruining her chances to live happily ever after. There are other horrors, which seem to appear in the original version of children's fairytales. Noe was shocked that the story did not follow the Disney version, though it is interesting to see his reaction to the actual outcome. He liked the story, but admitted that it was sad. I still ask myself what Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and others who wrote these stories thought when penning such morbid themes into their work.

[Carlos De Eguiluz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desamor y tragedia, de eso está repleto este relato, lo opuesto a esa encantadora versión con la que crecí.

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...él a quien amo más que a mi padre y a mi madre; él, sobre quien se derraman mis pensamientos y en cuya mano quiero poner la felicidad de toda mi vida. Lo arriesgaré todo para conseguirlo, a él y su alma inmortal..."

Un gran cuento definitivamente, Andersen nos presenta la historia de la menor de cinco sirenas hermanas princesas del mar. Cuando llega a la edad suficiente para poder descubrir la superficie del mar y poder ver el mundo de los seres humanos su vida sufrirá un gran y terrible cambio.
Aparte de presentarnos pasajes fantásticos, teorías interesantes y personajes propios de un mundo muy bien construido, el autor nos describe un verdadero dramón con todas sus letras. La sirenita es inocente pero también bastante pasional, tímida pero muy valiente, su gran objetivo es poder ganar un alma humana, lo cual es un constructo bastante religioso pero interesante en el cuento, debe ser amada por un ser humano y ser eternamente fiel para recién poder gozar de la posibilidad de tener alma y aunque viva 200 años menos de lo que hubiese vivido de ser sirena tendrá la gran promesa de la vida eterna, osea la vida cristiana. El relato tiene mucho de melancolía, emoción e ilusión. Me gustó bastante esta versión original de la historia.

[Britany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow-- I knew this would be drastically different the the flame colored heroine of Disney's creation, but I don't know that I was prepared for this. For most of the book (almost 3/4) the story remains mostly the same. A young daughter of a widowed merman and her grandmother are raising her and her multitude of sister mermaids. On her 16th birthday, she spies a prince on a ship and then rescues his life from the sea. She also makes a trade with the sea witch, but the terms of the deal are much more gruesome than I would have imagined and the ending simply left me aghast.

Really glad that I finally can say that I've read the original.

[꧁ ༺Minne༻ ꧂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Mermaid I grew up with was a sweet and cheerful red head who I could sing along and be happy with, be happy for. She was one of Disney's greatest mutation projects, a character most kids born after the year 1989 would be most familiar with - that was the year of the adaptation of the originally dark and doleful tale of the youngest mer-daughter of the royal underwater empire into something much more luminous and chipper. Don't get me wrong, I loved and lived the Disney concept as a little girl, and God bless Ariel's happy soul, I really loved that kid.

The Little Mermaid in Hans' original is quiet and pensive, reserved in an alienating manner, and unnamed. She's always and only ever addressed as that - The Little Mermaid, for she was the youngest of the six royal mer-daughters. By all accounts, she was the most beautiful, most graceful, most introverted, and the most musically talented(no one's voice could ever compare to hers). I felt no warmth from her character at all. The story starts out quite ordinarily, as any fairytale would. The narration wasn't whimsical, it lacked the power of mesmerism and wonder but it was strangely and soothingly beautiful, engaging just for the simple fact of being so. Firstly we're introduced to the underwater world, to the 6 royal mer-daughters and their grandmother. We later learn of the mer-tradition, a rite of passage and the great enduring adventure of a mer-child: At the age of 15, they are granted a long awaited permission to rise to the surface of the water and see the world above, they could feed their curiosities, watch and wonder at humans and the human ways that were so different from theirs.

For 5 of the royal sisters, it was an adventure, a transitory exhilaration. But for The Little Mermaid - who had to wait the longest for her turn while enduring an hungry fascination only fed fat by the stories her sisters brought back - it was something much more. A calling. And when finally her day arrived, with the flower wreath of blessing from her grandmother, she set out to see her glass world (And here I could feel how impatiently joyous she was; Finally!). During her time above, she happens upon a ship, saves a prince and falls in love with him. He becomes the apotheosis of her dream to be a part of something greater than her. A world so different and uncharted, puzzling. She becomes even more obsessed, more determined to be a part of that world. And one day when her grandmother tells her about the fates of human souls, and the contrasting bleak nothingness of sea foam which awaits all mer-people after they die, she decides to stop wanting, she decides to have it and she pays a heavy price for it.

"Then your tail will divide and shrink until it becomes what the people on earth call a pair of shapely legs. But it will hurt; it will feel as if a sharp sword slashed through you. Everyone who sees you will say that you are the most graceful human being they have ever laid eyes on, for you will keep your gliding movement and no dancer will be able to tread as lightly as you. But every step you take will feel as if you were treading upon knife blades so sharp that blood must flow. I am willing to help you, but are you willing to suffer all this?"

"Yes," the little mermaid said in a trembling voice, as she thought of the Prince and of gaining a human soul.”

❎ A FAIRYTALE THAT'S MORE THAN JUST A FAIRYTALE

"If human beings are not drowned,” asked the little mermaid, “can they live forever? do they never die as we do here in the sea?”

“Yes,” replied the old lady, “they must also die, and their term of life is even shorter than ours. We sometimes live to three hundred years, but when we cease to exist here we only become the foam on the surface of the water, and we have not even a grave down here of those we love. We have not immortal souls, we shall never live again; but, like the green sea-weed, when once it has been cut off, we can never flourish more. Human beings, on the contrary, have a soul which lives forever, lives after the body has been turned to dust. It rises up through the clear, pure air beyond the glittering stars. As we rise out of the water, and behold all the land of the earth, so do they rise to unknown and glorious regions which we shall never see.”

“Why have not we an immortal soul?” asked the little mermaid mournfully; “I would give gladly all the hundreds of years that I have to live, to be a human being only for one day, and to have the hope of knowing the happiness of that glorious world above the stars.”

⏩ It's that time again. The time when we have to differentiate between want and need. Did The Little Mermaid want or did she need? Because want is flippant, careless, too common and unserious. But with need her actions would be justifiable. Acceptable. It would be easier to feel pity.

⏩ I don't think it's crazy to want to belong, to feel like you could belong to something great, but I don't think it's okay to be selfish about it. And this was how The Little Mermaid began wrongly. It was honestly really sad to read. The extreme choices she made... I would like to say mindlessly, but it would be incorrect to say so, because even though the word would fall right into place, mindless isn't the word to use for - what I would from here on out refer to as - a need great enough to beget such extremeness. But reading her choices wasn't the most saddening part, it was following on helplessly as all her sacrifices and efforts came to naught. After The Little Mermaid becomes human, the Prince finds her and takes custody of her. Yes, custody, not care, because he only loved her as one would love a child. He made several references to the girl who saved him but he never realized she was right there under his very nose. And I swear I found this silly, did they not read and write during that time? But of course, this question was only a consequence of reading such a book in the time of my life when my mind favors logic above all else. So what do you do? Squelch it and read on.

⏩ Through Hans' tale, you find out that the witch who granted The Little Mermaid her wish was just a tool, a passive character in the flow of events. This really intrigued me because in the Disney version, the witch named Ursula was a very antagonistic villain. She became evil so Ariel could shine and be blameless. Hans showed us the reality of life and how choices work. Letting The Little Mermaid take responsibility for her actions. You do the deed, you pay the price and bear the responsibility. It's all you, it can be that linear and there's no villain sometimes, sometimes you become the villain, your very own antagonist.

⏩ Hans captured the beauty of life - and afterlife, the mystery of it's meaningfulness and meaninglessness. The Little Mermaid saw the human world through a glass window. She idolized that world. She wanted to have a soul, to bask in quality and damn quantity, for what is a hundred years if you have not love, hope, passion, happiness and equals in opposite to show for it? Is it wrong to aspire to greater, to look at life as beyond the horizon and not through myopic eyes? And if mundane contentment will not do, how much are you willing to give up to achieve such glorious living? How much is okay to give up?

And this leads me to this old, lost word: Sacrifice. Leave your father, your sisters and the world you know, for a boy you don't know but place all your hopes on. Leave never to return again. Make him fall in love with you completely and marry him or you will die. Give up your voice, your tongue, and hurt every time you walk. All this for the unknown. Stupid isn't it? Nowadays no one makes such potentially destructive investments without guarantees. And to what end was it all? More sacrifice . Sacrifice is the thematic centre of this story. The Little Mermaid's final act of sacrifice was striking. She was offered one final chance to save herself after the Prince married a Princess from another land. Your life or the life of the one who failed you? The dream that failed you. It's one thing to take away from this tale. In spite of her pain, regardless of it, of her failures and losses, she made her last choice.

And she was rewarded for it.

⏩ One little grievance of mine.

If a man should fall so much in love with you that you were dearer to him than his mother and father… and he let a priest take his right hand and put it in yours, while he promised to be eternally true to you, then his soul would flow into your body and you would be able to partake of human happiness. He can give you a soul and yet keep his own

HOW ABSURD

I don't know why I found this idea absolutely appalling. But the thought of sharing my soul with anyone - even if it wouldn't mean fracturing it or living a half-life, even if I would still get to keep and own it - is an absolute and squeamish NO NO for me. They never mentioned it, but I imagine there will be consequences of such an aberrancy.

So I guess you could say this was a bumpy ride. I'm happy I could read and appreciate this, personally, but no I will not read this to my little girl(when the time comes) because I don't want her thinking it's okay to cut your tongue and sell your voice to the local witch for the love of a boy who would rub your handicap in your face by calling you dumb - and it doesn't matter if he meant to be romantic about it because who amongst us knows how to associate the word dumb with romance? - and tells you you could sleep at his door, as if it's one mighty privilege. If you can't do it to your dog then don't do it to a human being(No, I didn't mean it the other way around). This story was really nice and faithful to the rules of fairytale land in the beginning...and then it turned sour, then ugly, then nasty, then morbid, then horrific, depressing and cathartic... in the end I got the significance of the story. Now it's time to be thoughtful and gauge if the hassle was worth it.


4/5 stars for the affect.

[Jimena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Todos estamos familiarizados con esa entrañable sirena de las profundidades del mar que, motivada por la curiosidad y el anhelo del amor, renuncia al mundo que conoce, su cola y su voz para marcharse a tierra en búsqueda del príncipe amado. Por supuesto, la versión que existe en la mayoría de nuestras mentes es una dulcificada y tierna versión difundida por Disney que deja a un lado algunos de los detalles más escabrosos del relato original.

La sirenita de Hans Christian Andersen nos propone una historia que, aunque imaginativa y audaz, es también decididamente perversa con su protagonista y la ingenuidad de ésta. El autor propone una búsqueda del amor y la inmortalidad del alma a costa de hondos y crueles sacrificios que, lejos de tener un final feliz, se decanta por la tragedia tras una breve pero contundente narración de renuncias, ilusiones resquebrajadas y dolor físico.

Una lectura envolvente, oscura y despiadadamente buena que siembra incontables reflexiones pese a su brevedad.

[Nilo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se dice (y yo fervientemente lo creo) que esta historia fue concebida como una confesión de amor de Hans Christian Andersen hacia Edvard Collin a quien además de enviarle el manuscrito dedicó una carta luego de enterarse que se comprometía con una mujer. En ella Andersen escribió: “I languish for you as for a pretty Calabrian wench... my sentiments for you are those of a woman. The feminity of my nature and our friendship must remain a mystery.” Palabras que subliman lo hermosamente trágico de esta historia:

“This was the last evening that she should breathe the same air with him or gaze on the starry sky and the deep sea. An eternal night, without a thought or a dream, awaited her. She had no soul, and now could never win one.”

Pasará el tiempo y con él, una y miles adaptaciones y ninguna alcanzará la misma poética, puesto que la original es un fragmento del alma del autor.

[Cristina Di Matteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

LA SIRENETTA di Hans Christian Andersen e Benjamin Lacombe (official Page). Una nuovissima versione della fiaba di Andersen scritta nel 1832 ma sempre attualissima arricchita dalla meravigliose tavole di Lacombe e da scritti inediti dello stesso autore, all'epoca cancellati e mai pubblicati. Da 12 anni ❤ https://ilmondodichri.com/la-sirenetta/
#lasirenetta #rizzoli #benjaminlacombe

[Nalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

“But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more.”

I actually re-read this, i've read this once i was a kid. Basically, i grew up with Hans Christian Andersen's book and The Little Mermaid is always be my favorite. If you know the little mermaid from Disney then think the ending was happy ending and they live happily ever after, you can't found it here. The little mermaid that i know was sad story. This is about the sacrifice that Little Mermaid made for her love. She left her beautiful life and her family for the man that actually never know what's her feeling or what she has done to him. He never know that he can live because The Little Mermaid save his life. For him, The Little Mermaid will do anything. She give up her voice to be a human who can live with her love. Not only that, she must win the prince's heart otherwise she would turn into the foam of the sea.
So, you won't found the happily ever after between the Little Mermaid with the Prince, because the Prince didn't love the Little Mermaid, and when the Little Mermaid have a choice between her life and Prince's life in other to get her old live, still the Little Mermaid choose to save her prince and sacrifice herself.
So she die and become the foam of the sea...

[ESRAA MOHAMED · Rating 3 out of 5]

عروس البحر التي ضحت بأهلها وحياتها المستقرة في سبيل حب ابن آدم ولكنها لن تستطيع إجبارها علي حبها فيكون الاختيار بين حياتها أو حياته، وعلي الرغم من صعوبة الاختيار ولكنها أخذت جانب الخير وقررت تحمل نتائج اختياراتها ولهذا جازاها القدر حسن اختيارها وأصبحت تمتلك نفس خالدة ..

استمتعوا ...
دمتم قراء ... ❤❤❤

[Chelsey with a y · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Disney version of The Little Mermaid is so much better. It’s a happy ending!! The original story, which is this, doesn’t end how I expected. It was so sad. I did enjoy the rest though.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this story will always remind me of my childhood, so of course this is a five star story

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is horrifying and tragic and I really loved it

[Simona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3/5



Întotdeauna am fost atrasă de desenele animate, iar cele clasice, care m-au însoțit de-a lungul copilăriei, sunt printre preferatele mele. Unul dintre acestea este cel cu Mica sirenă, despre care sunt sigură că mai toată lumea a auzit. Nu știam povestea originală, și devenisem curioasă dacă aceasta se aseamănă sau nu cu desenele în care o regăsim pe Ariel.

Mi-au plăcut cum arată cărțile ilustrate pentru copii de la Editura Univers Enciclopedic, iar printre ele am regăsit o adaptare a poveștii lui Hans Christian Andersen. Primul lucru care m-a atras la această lectură au fost ilustrațiile frumoase realizate de Quentin Greban. Acest ilustrator îmi era familiar întrucât l-am întâlnit recent în cartea cu Peter Pan, unde am dat peste numeroase alte desene faine.



Am pornit cu entuziasm lectura acestei cărți, știind că autorul m-a surprins plăcut atunci când am avut ocazia să fac cunoștință cu a lui Crăiasa-Zăpezii. De această dată nu am asistat la întreaga poveste a micii sirene, adaptarea textului fiind realizată de Muriel Molhant. Nu știu dacă traducerea în română, sau restrângerea textului (nu știu mărimea originală a poveștii) mi-au dat o senzație că ceva lipsește, dar, cu toate acestea, am terminat cartea cu drag.

Surprinderea mi-a apărut la finalul poveștii, când am asistat la destinul tragic al sirenei care s-a sacrificat în numele iubirii. Elementele pe care le-am regăsit în carte îmi erau atât de familiare, dar atât de străine în același timp. Mă așteptam la un final fericit, așa cum îmi era indus din desenele animate, însă nu am avut parte chiar de ce îmi doream.



Mi-a părut rău pentru mica sirenă, și i-am simțit tristețea. Fiind ținută mulți ani departe de lumea de deasupra apei, ea este plină de inocență și capătă curiozitate pentru ceea ce se află de cealaltă parte. Pe parcurs, dă dovadă și de o putere interioară demnă de invidiat, nu mulți fiind cei care ar prefera să se sacrifice de dragul celor iubiți.



Ideea poveștii mi-a plăcut mult, însă adaptarea cam sărăcăcioasă pentru gustul meu nu m-a făcut să mă apropii îndeajuns de mult de lectură. Am fost mai mult absorbită de ilustrații, textul fiind pe planul secundar. Am terminat cartea repede de tot, și simt că ar fi potrivită mai mult pentru cei mici, povestea originală fiind probabil recomandată pentru noi, cei mai "mari" de vârstă. :)



Citate:

"- De ce nu pot să trăiesc și eu printre oameni? întrebă mâhnită mica sirenă. Aș da bucuroasă sutele de ani pe care le am de trăit dacă aș putea fi făptură omenească măcar pentru o zi!" (p.12)

"Soarele ieși din mare și razele sale căzură blânde și calde pe spuma rece a valurilor, dar mica sirenă nu simțea nimic care să aducă a moarte. Vedea soarele luminos, pânzele albe ale corabiei, iar deasupra ei pluteau sute de ființe străvezii minunate. Zâmbind, li se alătura acestora și urcă pe un nor trandafiriu, care plutea în văzduh..." (p.27)

[Marilù · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sconvolgente.
La vera storia della sirenetta, contro ogni ottimismo della Disney.
Una storia di amore e un sacrificio immenso, inconcepibile. Un vero dramma.
Sono senza parole.

*Update*: a mente fredda, devo aggiungere che la prosa antiquata (cambi nei tempi verbali narrativi, salti temporali in mezza frase, generalismi e ripetizioni eccetera) non è stata particolarmente piacevole da leggere, ma l'originalità e il fortissimo messaggio morale di Andersen non possono essere messi in discussione.
Un'altra, piccola riflessione, è che oltre al grande sacrificio per amore che è stato compiuto, la sirenetta avrebbe potuto "accontentarsi" della sua vita da principessa, evitare di innamorarsi di uno sconosciuto e restarsene dov'era, con buona pace dei 300 anni di vita in fondo al mar.
Paradossalmente, la fiaba può essere letta (cioè, io la leggo) anche così: l'amore impossibile è un lusso per viziati, è un vizio che ti f*tte! Stay safe.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful new edition of a well-known story by Hans Christian Anderson! The illustrations are beautiful. The cover art is gorgeous. And the story is the one I remember from childhood. Just a wonderful reading experience. I'm going to buy a copy for my granddaughter. :)

This book includes the story of The Little Mermaid and also The True-Hearted Tin Soldier. There are lovely illustrations throughout. This book is gorgeous and definitely giftable quality.

These stories would be great bedtime reading for kids, or a shelf staple for book/fairy tale lovers.

I will definitely be looking for more books illustrated by Helen Crawford-White. The art is just beautiful! Great reading and visual experience!

I have a pretty stressful job. I read a lot of children's books as a brain palate cleanser. It really does bring thoughts and feelings down to a calmer spot just to relax with a cup of tea and a sweet, innocent story. This book gave me a wonderful evening of relaxation after a busy, stressful day. :)

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Pushkin Children's Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[&#x1f987;Iliana&#x1f940; Mi biblioteca espectral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ninguna adaptación podría transmitir la belleza del verdadero cuento de La Sirenita.
Y lo digo yo, como buena chica Disney que soy desde que tengo uso de razón.
No es un cuento para niños.

Con tan poca extensión, el autor nos transmite la sublime hermosura de lo que es dejarlo todo por algo que perseguimos incansablemente, y acabar perdiéndolo por ello.

Entre la tristeza y la magnificencia del océano, Andersen logra plasmar de la mejor manera, el que es para mí, uno de los mejores cuentos de hadas de todos los tiempos.