Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid

For almost 200 years, Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid has captured the imaginations of readers young and old. The mermaid's story has been told and retold by generations of writers, with each writer putting their own spin on the tale of a mermaid caught between her ocean home and adventures on land. 

Below is a short history of the tale, featuring items from our Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books (located on 4th floor of Lillian H. Smith Branch).

Illustration by Mabel Lucie Attwell from Hans Andersen's Fairy Stories (1901).

Hans Christian Andersen's original story 

First published in 1837, The Little Mermaid was written in Danish and titled Den lille havfrue. The Little Mermaid is a literary fairy tale. The plot is drawn from Hans Christian Andersen's imagination rather than a specific folktale. However, Andersen's writing was influenced by traditional folklore about merfolk and water nymphs. 

Hans Christian Andersen's original Little Mermaid story might surprise readers familiar with Disney's 1989 film adaptation. In Andersen’s story, the mermaid is motivated by her desire for an immortal soul, not a desire for love and life on land.

When the mermaid saves a drowning human prince, she learns that the love of a human might allow her an immortal soul. The mermaid decides to venture onto land, but her legs come at a price. Transformed by a sea witch, she must marry the prince or risk death. When the prince marries another, the mermaid sacrifices herself instead of harming the prince. As a reward for her good deed, the mermaid is given an immortal soul. (source)