The Real Little Mermaid: Andersen's Sad Ending
In the Disney movie, the mermaid marries the prince and everyone lives happily ever after. But in 1837, when Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen wrote the original story, the little mermaid does not get the prince at all — and she doesn't turn back into a mermaid either. Instead, she dissolves into sea foam. Why would Andersen write an ending like that?
What You'll Learn
- How Andersen's original story differs from the movie version - What the little mermaid actually gives up to become human - Why the ending is sad instead of happy - What morals or lessons folklore endings can teach
The Real Price of Legs
In Andersen's tale, the little mermaid trades her beautiful singing voice to a sea witch for legs — and the witch cuts out her tongue to take it. Worse, every single step on her new legs feels like walking on knives. She never complains, but she suffers constant pain just to be near the prince she loves.
In literature, a tragedy is a story where the main character suffers a sorrowful or disastrous outcome, often despite good intentions or noble sacrifice.
Why She Turns to Sea Foam
The prince marries a different princess, believing she was the one who rescued him from the shipwreck (it was actually the mermaid, but she cannot speak to explain). The mermaid's sisters offer her a knife from the sea witch: if she kills the prince before dawn, she can return to being a mermaid. She refuses to hurt him and instead throws herself into the sea, dissolving into foam.
Not Quite the End
Andersen adds one more twist: because of her selfless choice, the mermaid becomes a spirit of the air, given the chance to earn an eternal soul through 300 years of good deeds. Scholars believe Andersen, a deeply religious man, was writing about sacrifice and earning a soul — not about winning a husband.
When you compare a folktale to its modern movie adaptation, ask: What did the adapters change, and why might they have made that choice for their audience?
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
In Hans Christian Andersen's original 1837 story, what happens to the little mermaid at the end?
What price does the sea witch demand for giving the mermaid human legs?
Rewrite the Ending
Write one paragraph giving Andersen's little mermaid a different ending than either the original tragedy or the Disney version. Keep her personality (selfless, in love with the human world) but invent a new outcome. Explain in 2-3 sentences why you chose that ending.
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