The legs come at a higher cost than just her voice, though. In Andersen’s version, the sea witch cuts out the mermaid’s tongue (a gory detail that Disney understandably left out) and gives her a pair of legs in exchange. After saving a handsome prince from drowning, she sacrifices her voice to a sea witch, in order to be with her beloved on dry land. The original tale follows a similar storyline to many of the adaptations we know and love today: a young mermaid longs to leave the gloomy depths of the ocean and join the humans above the waves. Reitzel on 7 th April 1837, in the first collection of Fairy Tales Told for Children. The charming, original story of The Little Mermaid was published in Copenhagen by C.A. Despite this, he went on to study at the University of Copenhagen, then proceeded to travel, writing his famous travelogues as he went.Īndersen was a writer of many forms: novels, plays and poetry, but his fairy tales are well-known and loved by people across the world. Andersen described these years as the most unhappy times in his life he was bullied by the other students, abused by his schoolmaster and may have struggled with dyslexia. Collin persuaded King Frederik VI to help fund Andersen’s education, thus giving him a real chance at becoming a successful writer. At seventeen when he met James Collin, the director of the Royal Danish Theatre, he found luck. Leaving Odense aged fourteen, Andersen tried to make it as a singer, a ballet dancer and a manual labourer. He was an apprentice weaver, then worked in a tailor’s and a tobacco factory. His father was ill and passed away when Andersen was only eleven, forcing his mother to send him away to earn money. He had a difficult start in life, being born to poor parents and growing up in a one-bedroom home. Andersen was a Danish author, born in Odense, Denmark on the 2 nd of April 1805.
Hans Christian Andersen wrote the fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, in 1836. You might wonder who would ever want to leave a magical, underwater palace, but one young mermaid wants nothing more than to live in the light of day, and be requited with her handsome prince…įar out in the ocean the water is as blue as the petals of the most beautiful corn-flower, and as clear as the purest glass … dwell the Sea King and his subjects.
The tale of The Little Mermaid is a treasured favourite for many people worldwide, but how well do you know the original story and its darker ending? Imagine plunging into the depths of the sea and uncovering an enchanting kingdom, ruled by mermaids. The Little Mermaid – A History of the Tale Origins of Fairy Tales from Around the World.
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