Summary

“The Little Mermaid” (Danish: Den lille havfrue), sometimes translated in English as “The Little Sea Maid“, is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story follows the journey of a young mermaid princess who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a human soul.

The original story has been the subject of multiple analyses by scholars such as Jacob Bøggild and Pernille Heegaard, as well as the folklorist Maria Tatar. These analyses cover various aspects of the story, from interpreting the themes to discussing why Andersen chose to write a tragic story with a happy ending. It has been adapted to various media, including musical theatre, anime, ballet, opera, and film. There is also a statue portraying the mermaid in Copenhagen, Denmark, where the story was written and first published.

Hans Christian Andersen (1836)

You can read the full text here: “The Little Mermaid” [Full Text].

Fairy Tales and Bedtime Stories for Kids

You can view the full video here: “The Little Mermaid” [Full Video].

Text Attributions

• Summary: The Little Mermaid by Wikipedia. Adapted by Octaviano Gutierrez © Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Licence.
• “The Little Mermaid” is free of known copyright restrictions in the United States.