Hans Christian Andersen’s "The Little Mermaid," a summary Automatic translate

The tale was written in 1837. This book is a classic work by the Danish author about the search for the immortal soul. At the end of the original text, the heroine passes into another life form, bypassing the happy romantic ending typical of such stories. The author meticulously elaborated the mythology of the underwater people, limited to a three-hundred-year existence and deprived of any spiritual continuation after death.

The fairy tale gained worldwide fame thanks to numerous film adaptations. Walt Disney Studios released a popular full-length animated film in 1989. The famous bronze statue of the main character stands in the port of Copenhagen, becoming the recognized official symbol of Denmark.

Life on the seabed

Far out in the deep blue sea, the water is as clear as the purest glass. An underwater people lives there. At the very bottom rises the coral palace of the sea king, with amber lancet windows. The roof of the building is composed entirely of oyster shells, each containing a sparkling pearl. The king has long been widowed. His mother, a clever woman who wears twelve oysters on her tail, manages the palace. This attribute clearly indicates her highest rank in the local social hierarchy.

The sea lord has six daughters, princesses. The youngest is distinguished by her quiet nature, her love for scarlet flowers and a marble statue of a beautiful boy. The statue sank to the ocean floor after a shipwreck. The mermaids lack human legs, their lower bodies ending in a fish tail. The princesses spend their days in the palace. Schools of fish freely swim into the spacious chambers and take food directly from the hands of the young inhabitants.

Near the palace, a vast garden with fiery red and dark blue trees has been laid out. The ground there is strewn with fine bluish sand. The youngest mermaid listens most eagerly to her old grandmother’s stories about people, land animals, and big cities. The grandmother promises her granddaughters access to the surface. Upon reaching fifteen, each sister will be allowed to swim to the ocean’s surface.

Exploring the surface world

The eldest sister turns fifteen. She climbs up and returns with stories of moonlight, city lights, music, and the sound of horse-drawn carriages. A year later, the second sister emerges at sunset. The girl admires the golden sky and a flock of wild swans. The third sister proves to be the bravest. She swims into a wide river, observing green hills, forest estates, and human children bathing.

The fourth princess prefers to remain on the open sea, admiring the passing ships and frolicking dolphins. The fifth sister celebrates her birthday in winter. Climbing to the surface, she sees enormous ice mountains sparkling like diamonds and watches a raging storm. The youngest mermaid eagerly awaits her turn. Finally, her long-awaited fifteenth birthday arrives.

The grandmother ceremoniously places a crown of white lilies and pearls on the young princess. Then the old woman attaches eight oysters to her granddaughter’s tail. Surfacing, the little mermaid sees a three-masted ship. On deck, sailors are celebrating the sixteenth birthday of a young prince with large black eyes. The little mermaid watches, mesmerized, the fireworks and the general merriment. That night, a violent storm begins. The ship falls apart. The prince falls into the cold water.

Saving the Prince

The Little Mermaid finds a drowning youth among the wreckage of a ship. She carefully holds his head above the turbulent water. In the morning, the sea storm completely subsides. The heroine delivers the prince to the mainland. Lemon trees grow on the shore, and a bright temple building rises. The Little Mermaid places the rescued youth on the fine white sand and carefully hides behind the jutting rocks. Soon, a young girl approaches the shore. The stranger calls for help. The prince comes to and smiles joyfully at the people, completely unaware of his true savior.

The saddened heroine returns to her father’s palace. The girl often swims to that shore, but never meets the young man again. Having discovered the exact location of the prince’s residence, the little mermaid begins regularly swimming to his marble balconies at night. The grandmother explains to her granddaughter in detail the basic laws of the universe. Humans live shorter lives than mermaids, but possess an immortal soul. A soul can be acquired under one condition: a human must love the little mermaid more than their own family, give her their heart, and enter into a formal marriage with her.

A Deal with the Sea Witch

Wishing to obtain a human body, a girl goes to a sea witch. The perilous route leads through seething whirlpools, a viscous peat bog, and a thicket of living polyps. The tendrils cling to any floating objects with a death grip. The sea witch lives in a house made of white human bones. The old woman feeds a huge toad from her mouth and allows water snakes to crawl across her chest. The sorceress agrees to help, setting the harshest conditions possible.

The witch promises to brew a potion that will permanently transform the fish’s tail into human legs. The girl will gain a remarkably graceful gait, but every step will cause excruciating pain, comparable to walking on sharp blades. Returning will be impossible, and the heroine will never be able to visit the seabed again. If the prince marries another woman, the little mermaid’s heart will break at dawn. As payment, the witch cuts out the princess’s tongue. Deprived of her voice, the mute girl returns to her father’s castle, mentally bids farewell to her family, and quickly swims to shore.

Life in the palace in human form

At dawn, the former mermaid drinks a scalding, magical potion on the castle’s marble staircase. When she awakens, she sees the prince she saved standing before her. The fishtail has disappeared, giving way to two tiny legs. The young man takes her guest to his chambers. The mermaid steadfastly endures the terrible pain with every step. She walks lightly and very smoothly. The heroine is dressed in expensive silk and muslin. The prince becomes deeply attached to his mute foundling.

Slave girls sing regularly in the palace. The girl responds to their singing with a dance to the sounds of beautiful music. The audience is genuinely amazed by her ethereal grace. The prince orders tailors to sew his girlfriend a man’s suit. Such clothing is needed for their horseback rides together through dense forests and high mountains. At night, the heroine immerses her bleeding feet in the cold seawater. Her sisters periodically swim to the shore with sad songs. The prince sincerely loves the little mermaid like a sweet child. His romantic feelings are completely devoted to the temple servant.

Journey to the Neighboring King

The prince’s parents insistently demand his marriage to the daughter of a neighboring monarch. The prince sets out on a long sea voyage, taking with him a mute companion and confidently promising her to avoid an unwanted marriage to the princess. The ship safely arrives in the elegant capital. Noisy state celebrations begin. Soon, an unexpected detail comes to light. The local princess had long been raised in a remote monastery. Upon seeing her, the prince instantly recognizes the girl from the shore. The young man is overjoyed and tenderly embraces his lawful bride.

Denouement and rebirth

Late in the evening, the newlyweds set sail on a royal vessel. A beautiful tent of purple and gold has been erected on the main deck. The sailors are joyfully merry. Multicolored lanterns are lit everywhere. The Little Mermaid dances with unbearable physical pain and a mortal longing in her chest. The girl is clearly aware of the imminent arrival of her final night. The crew gradually falls asleep. The heroine stands alone at the rail, anxiously awaiting the fatal dawn.

Her sisters suddenly emerge from the dark water, their heads shaved. The relatives gave their beautiful hair to the sorceress, receiving in exchange a magically sharp knife. The sisters command the little mermaid to kill the sleeping prince strictly before sunrise. If the young man’s hot blood splashes on the little mermaid’s feet, they will immediately turn into fishtails, and the girl will be able to return home. The heroine quietly opens the purple curtain of the tent and gazes intently at the sleeping prince.

The Little Mermaid tenderly kisses him on the forehead, decisively throws the knife into the waves, and plunges into the sea herself. Submerged, the girl resignedly awaits physical annihilation, but death miraculously retreats. Rising above the sea with the pink morning clouds, the heroine notices translucent creatures who explain the new reality in detail. The girl has become a daughter of the air and, for her sincere self-sacrifice, has received the rare opportunity to attain an immortal soul. By successfully optimizing the climate and bringing healing to people for three hundred years, she will fully earn the right to enter the world beyond the clouds. The Little Mermaid gently ascends into the clouds with her new aerial companions.