Knjigice
Learn-about book · Classic fairy tales
The Little Mermaid
Andersen's tale of the mermaid who longed for the world above the waves
Also in: Mala morska deklica (Slovenian) · Malá morská víla (Slovak)
Deep, deep at the bottom of the sea stands the palace of the Sea King. Its walls are coral, its windows amber, and its roof is made of shells that open and close. There lived the Sea King with his wise old mother and his six daughters — the mermaids. The youngest was the quietest and loveliest of all, and her silver hair shimmered like moonlight on water.
1
Grandmother told them about the world above the sea: about ships and cities, about birds that sing and flowers that smell sweet. "When you turn fifteen," she said, "you may rise to the surface." One by one the sisters swam up and came back full of stories. The little mermaid waited and waited — she longed to see that world more than anyone.
2
At last her evening came. She rose through the dark water, light as a bubble, and lifted her head above the waves. Close by stood a great ship, strung all over with little lights. On deck they were singing and dancing — it was the young prince's birthday. The little mermaid could not take her eyes off him: he was the most beautiful human she had ever seen.
3
But then a storm rose. The waves grew high as mountains, the ship groaned and broke apart. The prince vanished into the dark water. "He must not drown!" thought the little mermaid. She swam among the wreckage, wrapped her arms around him, and held his head above the water all night long, until the storm died down and morning brightened the sky.
4
In the morning she carried him to the shore and laid him gently on the soft sand below a white temple. She hid behind the rocks and waited. Soon a young girl came, found him, and called for help. The prince opened his eyes and smiled at her — he thought that she had saved him. And the little mermaid slipped quietly, sadly, back into the sea.
5
From that day on, the little mermaid was quiet and thoughtful. "Grandmother," she asked, "do humans live forever?" — "No," said Grandmother. "But humans have a soul that lives on, up there among the stars. We turn into sea-foam one day." The girl gazed a long time through the amber window. "I wish I were human," she whispered. "I wish I had a soul — and him."
6
So she bravely swam where no one liked to go: to the sea witch. The way led through cold whirlpools and dark depths, all the way to a strange garden where sea anemones grew instead of flowers, slowly waving their arms. In the middle of the garden sat the witch with her long eel-like tail. "I know what you have come for," she said. "A foolish wish — but I can grant it."
7
"I will brew you a potion," said the witch. "Your tail will turn into two legs, but every step will hurt as if you were treading on sharp knives. And the price? Your voice — the loveliest voice in the sea. And remember: if the prince marries another, at the first morning after you will turn into sea-foam." The little mermaid thought of the prince and of a soul. "So be it," she said softly.
8
She swam to the marble steps below the prince's palace and drank the potion. It hurt like a sword-stroke, and the world went dark. When she opened her eyes, the prince stood before her. Instead of a tail she had two white legs! "Who are you? Where have you come from?" he asked. But she could not answer — her voice had stayed with the witch. She could only look at him with her deep blue eyes.
9
The prince took her to the palace, and she was dearer to him than anyone. "My little foundling," he called her. She danced for him, light as foam on a wave, though every step burned like a knife. In the evenings she would sit on the steps by the sea and cool her feet in the water. Sometimes her sisters rose from the waves and waved to her sadly from afar.
10
Then the prince had to visit the princess of a neighbouring land. "I cannot marry her," he had told the little mermaid, "for I love you, who are so like the girl from the shore." But when he saw the princess, he cried out: "It is you! You saved me from the sea!" And the little mermaid's heart ached, for the wedding was set for that very week.
11
On the wedding ship that night she danced more beautifully than ever, though she knew what morning would bring. Then her sisters rose from the waves — without their long hair. "We gave it to the witch!" they called. "Take this knife: if you take the prince's life with it before dawn, you will be a mermaid again and come home to us!" But the little mermaid looked at the sleeping prince, who was so happy — and threw the knife far into the waves. "No," she said in her heart. "Let it be me."
12
At the first ray of sun the little mermaid let herself sink into the sea, and her body dissolved into bright foam. But she did not vanish! She felt herself rising from the water, light and warm as a sunbeam. Around her floated transparent beings made of pure light. "We are the daughters of the air," they sang. "Your heart was so good that now you will fly with us — toward the sun, toward an everlasting soul." And the little mermaid smiled, waved to the ship, and flew up into the light.
13The End
