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The Little Mermaid

389 statements
76 feature instances
65 referencing feature instances

The Little Mermaid	type	TVTItem
The Little Mermaid	label	The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid	page	TheLittleMermaid
The Little Mermaid	comment	Published in 1837, "The Little Mermaid" ("Den lille havfrue" in the original Danish) is a classic Fairy Tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, about a mermaid who seeks to become human.Merfolk live for centuries but have no afterlife. One of them, a princess, is deeply curious about the world above but isn't permitted to go to the surface until she turns fifteen. She is the youngest of her sisters, and when each of them comes of age, they return with stories about the wonderful sights to be seen up there. When it's finally her turn, she sees a prince celebrating his sixteenth birthday on a ship, and she saves him from drowning when his ship capsizes. She leaves him unconscious on the shore, near a temple where he can be found, but she has already fallen in love with him.No longer content with life below the waves, the mermaid makes a deal with the Sea Witch to become human. The cost is steep: the Sea Witch can grant her legs and inhuman grace, but every step will feel like she is walking on knives. The mermaid must also give her tongue as payment. And her humanity is only conditional: if she can make the prince fall in love with her and marry her, she can gain a share in his soul and be truly human, but if he marries someone else, she will die at the next sunrise.The prince she loves finds her and takes her in. She becomes his pet companion, accompanying him on many of his outings and dancing beautifully for him despite the excruciating pain in her feet. But he does not truly love her: he has lost his heart to a temple maiden who (as he believes) once saved him from drowning.Then he is betrothed and sent unwillingly off on a ship to meet his intended bride. Lo and behold, she is the temple maiden! The prince is overjoyed, but the mermaid silently mourns. They are married immediately and begin their honeymoon on the return voyage, with the mermaid thinking of nothing but her impending death. But just before dawn, her sisters appear to her with a dearly-bought Last-Second Chance — if she kills the prince with the enchanted knife they have brought her, she can become a mermaid again and live out her centuries under the sea. The little mermaid considers it, but she is unable to murder the man she still loves. She throws the knife away and jumps overboard, dissolving into sea foam.Unexpectedly, the mermaid finds herself rising from the water in the company of the Daughters of the Air, benevolent spirits who, after 300 years of good deeds, will earn a soul and ascend to Heaven. Whenever they see good and obedient children, their service is shortened, but disobedient ones will make it longer.The story has been adapted several times, from ballets, to musicals, to a Soviet short and, of course, a Disney animated musical. The film changed the Bittersweet Ending to a Happily Ever After, and several adaptations have followed suit.It can be read online here.
The Little Mermaid	fetched	2024-03-13T23:31:11Z
The Little Mermaid	parsed	2024-03-13T23:31:11Z
The Little Mermaid	processingComment	Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
The Little Mermaid	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Little Mermaid / int_149f7447	type	Rescue Romance
The Little Mermaid / int_149f7447	comment	Rescue Romance: Tragically in the case of the mermaid; the prince she rescues doesn't love her and instead falls for the girl he thinks was his rescuer.
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The Little Mermaid / int_14fbe67f	type	Godiva Hair
The Little Mermaid / int_14fbe67f	comment	Godiva Hair: When she wakes up on shore, the little mermaid is naked, so she wraps her long hair around herself.
The Little Mermaid / int_14fbe67f	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_1ebbdddb	type	Power at a Price
The Little Mermaid / int_1ebbdddb	comment	Power at a Price: The Sea Witch will not do magic for anyone without a sacrifice. And even then, the spells come with painful side effects.
The Little Mermaid / int_1ebbdddb	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_1ebbdddb
The Little Mermaid / int_1f6983f7	type	Ambiguous Situation
The Little Mermaid / int_1f6983f7	comment	Ambiguous Situation: The Sea Witch's appearance is never fully described, leaving it unclear whether she's supposed to have a mermaid tail, legs or what. Several adaptations give her the lower body of a different sea creature from the standard mermaid fish.
The Little Mermaid / int_1f6983f7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_1f6983f7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_1f6983f7
The Little Mermaid / int_1fc8335e	type	Deal with the Devil
The Little Mermaid / int_1fc8335e	comment	Deal with the Devil: For the mere chance to gain a soul, the mermaid gives up her centuries-long lifespan and her voice. She gains human legs with extraordinary grace but feels like she's walking on knives, making her feet bleed every time she dances. If she marries the prince, she'll gain a soul, but if he marries someone else, she'll die permanently. However, the sea witch is open from the start about the consequences, and later helps her sisters when they want to save her.
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The Little Mermaid / int_270c1778	type	Blood Magic
The Little Mermaid / int_270c1778	comment	Blood Magic: The Sea Witch uses her own blood in the potion that turns the mermaid into a human. Later, the human mermaid is told that blood from the prince's heart, sprinkled on her legs, will restore her tail.
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The Little Mermaid / int_275773bd	type	Curse Escape Clause
The Little Mermaid / int_275773bd	comment	Curse Escape Clause: The mermaid's older sisters buy her a knife which will undo the human transformation and let the little mermaid return to the sea — if she kills the prince on his wedding night.
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The Little Mermaid / int_2a015a74	type	Beauty Equals Goodness
The Little Mermaid / int_2a015a74	comment	Beauty Equals Goodness: The "truth and purity" of the prince's chosen bride are evident in her beautiful blue eyes.
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The Little Mermaid / int_2edf787f	type	Significant Birth Date
The Little Mermaid / int_2edf787f	comment	Significant Birth Date: The fifteenth birthday of the little mermaid, is also the sixteenth of her prince, and were it not so, he wouldn't have anyone to save him from drowning.
The Little Mermaid / int_2edf787f	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_33175dd1	type	Fashion Hurts
The Little Mermaid / int_33175dd1	comment	Fashion Hurts: The little mermaid has oysters attached to her tail by her grandmother to show her great rank. They hurt, but her grandmother tells her that "pride must suffer pain."
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The Little Mermaid / int_34e89418	type	A Birthday, Not a Break
The Little Mermaid / int_34e89418	comment	A Birthday, Not a Break: The prince nearly drowns on his sixteenth birthday, but he is rescued by the titular mermaid... on her fifteenth birthday.
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The Little Mermaid / int_37d94ed9	type	Agony of the Feet
The Little Mermaid / int_37d94ed9	comment	Agony of the Feet: The Little Mermaid feels like she is walking on knives while she is human. Severe exertion actually makes them bleed, but no one notices.
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The Little Mermaid / int_3ed23024	type	Surprisingly Realistic Outcome
The Little Mermaid / int_3ed23024	comment	Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The prince is destined for an Arranged Marriage with the princess from another kingdom. Even if he had loved the mermaid — or hadn't been happy with his new bride — he never really had the option to marry for love.
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The Little Mermaid / int_3f7a958b	type	Secret Test of Character
The Little Mermaid / int_3f7a958b	comment	Secret Test of Character: It's implied that the only reason the Little Mermaid does not dissolve into sea foam at the end is that she refused to kill the prince. Killing him would have cost her a chance at an immortal soul forever.
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The Little Mermaid / int_40cc0c7e	type	Bittersweet Ending
The Little Mermaid / int_40cc0c7e	comment	Bittersweet Ending: The mermaid is given a Last-Second Chance to kill the prince and return to the sea. She chooses death instead. However, the sacrifice earns her a provisional afterlife as a sort of ministering spirit, and when her time is done, she will gain an immortal soul and go to heaven.
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The Little Mermaid / int_4221e01a	type	Elemental Embodiment
The Little Mermaid / int_4221e01a	comment	Elemental Embodiment: The mermaids are water elemental embodiments while the Daughters of the Air are air embodiments.
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The Little Mermaid / int_424d15ad	type	Love Hurts
The Little Mermaid / int_424d15ad	comment	Love Hurts: The mermaid is heartbroken to learn that the prince is going to marry the princess of a neighbouring kingdom, whom he believes is the one who rescued him from drowning. He did not know that the mermaid, who is in love with him, was his true rescuer.
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The Little Mermaid / int_453aa230	type	Selling One's Own Hair
The Little Mermaid / int_453aa230	comment	Selling One's Own Hair: After the mermaid's sisters learn of her awful deal in which she is doomed to die after the prince is married, they make their own deal with the Sea Witch: having their long, beautiful hair shorn off by the sea witch as payment for an enchanted dagger that will free the Little Mermaid from the curse if she kills the prince. In Hans Christian Andersen's time, long, flowing hair made a woman beautiful — short hair was socially unacceptable and utterly taboo. Thus this it meant sacrificing all of their earthly beauty and femininity. At least their hair can grow back, however, while the Little Mermaid can never regain her voice, because her tongue was cut out.
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The Little Mermaid / int_4a0f839d	type	Cessation of Existence
The Little Mermaid / int_4a0f839d	comment	Cessation of Existence: Mermaids live much longer than humans, but don't have an afterlife, and dissolve into sea foam when they die. The mermaid wants to escape this fate by gaining an immortal soul and going to heaven.
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The Little Mermaid / int_4b32995a	type	Friend-or-Idol Decision
The Little Mermaid / int_4b32995a	comment	Friend-or-Idol Decision: The mermaid has the choice to kill the prince and save herself, or spare his life at the cost of her own. She chooses the latter.
The Little Mermaid / int_4b32995a	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_4d1423b9	type	Become a Real Boy
The Little Mermaid / int_4d1423b9	comment	Become a Real Boy: Mermaids live for three hundred years and then dissolve into sea foam, having no afterlife of any kind. The protagonist's fascination with humanity comes directly from her desire for immortality, though in many adaptations this is completely ignored in favor of emphasizing the love story.
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The Little Mermaid / int_566f3ddd	type	Nature Spirit
The Little Mermaid / int_566f3ddd	comment	Nature Spirit: The merfolk are water spirits while the Daughters of the Air are air spirits.
The Little Mermaid / int_566f3ddd	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_575fd5e2	type	Dark Is Not Evil
The Little Mermaid / int_575fd5e2	comment	Dark Is Not Evil: Unlike the villainous Ursula from the Disney movie, the sea witch is a neutral character with no ulterior motives. She tells the little mermaid exactly what the cost will be, and she even lets the mermaid's sisters buy her a means of escape.
The Little Mermaid / int_575fd5e2	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_60547993	type	I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
The Little Mermaid / int_60547993	comment	I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: The mermaid chooses to spare the prince and accepts that he's happy with another woman.
The Little Mermaid / int_60547993	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_629fa757	type	Perfectly Arranged Marriage
The Little Mermaid / int_629fa757	comment	Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Although the Little Mermaid accidentally helps that along, the prince and the girl from the temple fall in love when it turns out she's a princess from a neighboring kingdom.
The Little Mermaid / int_629fa757	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_6439de78	type	Heroic Sacrifice
The Little Mermaid / int_6439de78	comment	Heroic Sacrifice The mermaid is given the chance to kill the prince so she can live, but she rejects it and dies instead. Selling One's Own Hair would have been understood as a great sacrifice by the original readers.
The Little Mermaid / int_6439de78	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_66755d29	type	Author Avatar
The Little Mermaid / int_66755d29	comment	Author Avatar: The story was written around when a man Andersen loved romantically was getting married. There are claims that at the time, Andersen was writing desperate letters that he didn't dare send, saying "I want to tell my love, but I cannot speak." Sound familiar?
The Little Mermaid / int_66755d29	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_6774150c	type	If I Can't Have Youâ€¦
The Little Mermaid / int_6774150c	comment	If I Can't Have Youâ€¦: Invoked by the mermaid's sisters and the sea witch. They give her a dagger to use to kill the prince on his wedding night, and then let the blood drip on her legs so she will become a mermaid once more. Ultimately defied by the little mermaid herself, who chooses to die rather than kill him.
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The Little Mermaid / int_6d332aea	type	Driven to Suicide
The Little Mermaid / int_6d332aea	comment	Driven to Suicide: The mermaid chooses death over killing the prince and reverting to mermaid form.
The Little Mermaid / int_6d332aea	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_717ca6cf	type	Species-Specific Afterlife
The Little Mermaid / int_717ca6cf	comment	Species-Specific Afterlife: Unlike humans, mermaids cease to exist when they die. The titular mermaid is horrified by this. At least half of her motivation to win and marry the prince comes from her desire for eternal life, which she is told she can gain by marrying a human.
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The Little Mermaid / int_757bbdb8	type	Massive Numbered Siblings
The Little Mermaid / int_757bbdb8	comment	Massive Numbered Siblings: The Little Mermaid is the youngest of six mermaid siblings.
The Little Mermaid / int_757bbdb8	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_78540917	type	Like Brother and Sister
The Little Mermaid / int_78540917	comment	Like Brother and Sister: The prince's feelings towards the mermaid.
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The Little Mermaid / int_7a82c3d2	type	All Love Is Unrequited
The Little Mermaid / int_7a82c3d2	comment	All Love Is Unrequited: The mermaid loves the prince, but he has already lost his heart to a temple maiden who (he thinks) rescued him from drowning. When it turns out that the maiden is actually the princess to whom he is betrothed, he is overjoyed — the poor mermaid, of course, cannot tell him that she is the one who saved him.
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The Little Mermaid / int_7f152e56	type	Our Mermaids Are Different
The Little Mermaid / int_7f152e56	comment	Our Mermaids Are Different: They can go to the surface when they are old enough, and lack immortal souls. They also live for 300 years.
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The Little Mermaid / int_801a35a5	type	Only the Leads Get a Happy Ending
The Little Mermaid / int_801a35a5	comment	Only the Leads Get a Happy Ending: The mermaid goes joyfully to her new mission as a daughter of the air, and the prince gets to marry the girl he loves...but the mermaid's sisters are doomed to dissolution at about the same time the Little Mermaid qualifies for heaven, and none of them will ever see each other again. Even the prince and his bride have a moment at the end where they look for the 'mute girl' and sadly conclude she must have jumped overboard.
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The Little Mermaid / int_887da4ea	type	Died Happily Ever After
The Little Mermaid / int_887da4ea	comment	Died Happily Ever After: The mermaid dies despairing, but finds happiness immediately after among the Daughters of the Air. Played with, however, in that she's still in a phase of "trial" that requires her to do invisible good deeds to earn her soul: the true happiness of Heaven is still to come. Andersen wrote several stories where the protagonist dying and going to Heaven was their 'happy' ending, and this story follows that pattern.
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The Little Mermaid / int_89eb7d75	type	Unrequited Tragic Maiden
The Little Mermaid / int_89eb7d75	comment	Unrequited Tragic Maiden: The titular mermaid, who ultimately chooses the prince's happiness over her own life and turns into sea foam. Unexpectedly, she is rewarded for her sacrifice by becoming an air spirit, who will earn an immortal soul and go to Heaven after three hundred years of doing good deeds for mankind.
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The Little Mermaid / int_8c41d6e9	type	Nameless Narrative
The Little Mermaid / int_8c41d6e9	comment	Nameless Narrative: No one is referred to by name, just their titles.
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The Little Mermaid / int_91c001	type	Cute Mute
The Little Mermaid / int_91c001	comment	Cute Mute: The mermaid as a human.
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The Little Mermaid / int_950bbfa7	type	Take a Third Option
The Little Mermaid / int_950bbfa7	comment	Take a Third Option: Either the prince must marry the mermaid, or she will die at the next sunrise if he marries another woman. With the sea witch's help, her sisters try to give her an option that will save her — but it would involve killing the prince, so she doesn't take it. In doing so, she unwittingly takes a fourth option and becomes a Daughter of the air.
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The Little Mermaid / int_9793f1b9	type	Solitary Sorceress
The Little Mermaid / int_9793f1b9	comment	Solitary Sorceress: The Sea Witch lives by herself in a dangerous part of the ocean. Unlike the Disney adaptation, she has no evil agenda, and she tells the mermaid every negative consequence her spell will have.
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The Little Mermaid / int_9bfa1697	type	Eye of Newt
The Little Mermaid / int_9bfa1697	comment	Eye of Newt: The Sea Witch uses her own black blood as an ingredient in the potion.
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The Little Mermaid / int_a56e3cba	type	Language Barrier
The Little Mermaid / int_a56e3cba	comment	Language Barrier: A one-way barrier, at that. While mermaids can understand humans, humans apparently cannot understand them. The little mermaid's sisters try to communicate to imperiled sailors, but fail because of this: The mermaid evidently cannot speak to her prince in writing or any nonverbal way, except possibly with her eyes.
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The Little Mermaid / int_a8cff6a	type	Familiar
The Little Mermaid / int_a8cff6a	comment	Familiar: The Sea Witch has sea snakes and a toad for familiars.
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The Little Mermaid / int_a8dcb1d7	type	Love at First Sight
The Little Mermaid / int_a8dcb1d7	comment	Love at First Sight: The mermaid towards the prince. The prince towards another girl.
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The Little Mermaid / int_ab30ac9	type	Really Royalty Reveal
The Little Mermaid / int_ab30ac9	comment	Really Royalty Reveal: The object of the prince's unrequited love — the temple maiden — was actually a princess being fostered out. He doesn't realize it until he arrives in her kingdom for his Arranged Marriage to her.
The Little Mermaid / int_ab30ac9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_ab30ac9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_ab30ac9
The Little Mermaid / int_adf84dea	type	What Beautiful Eyes!
The Little Mermaid / int_adf84dea	comment	What Beautiful Eyes!: The little mermaid is known for her beautiful blue 'speaking' eyes.
The Little Mermaid / int_adf84dea	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_adf84dea	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_adf84dea
The Little Mermaid / int_afc6df04	type	What You Are in the Dark
The Little Mermaid / int_afc6df04	comment	What You Are in the Dark: The mermaid has nothing to gain and everything to lose by sparing the prince. She does it anyway. It is implied that this is the moment she earns a place among the Daughters of the Air.
The Little Mermaid / int_afc6df04	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_afc6df04	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_afc6df04
The Little Mermaid / int_b0ac233d	type	Heaven Above
The Little Mermaid / int_b0ac233d	comment	Heaven Above: The mermaid knows Heaven as "that glorious world above the stars." This description of Heaven as sky also furthers the distance between the mermaid and the eternal realm, since land-dwelling humans are closer to the sky while the soulless mermaids cannot even leave the water. The story also describes angelic spirits as "Daughters of the Air."
The Little Mermaid / int_b0ac233d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_b0ac233d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_b0ac233d
The Little Mermaid / int_b3c730b	type	Celestial Deadline
The Little Mermaid / int_b3c730b	comment	Celestial Deadline: If the prince marries anyone but the mermaid, her life will end at sunrise the next morning.
The Little Mermaid / int_b3c730b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_b3c730b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_b3c730b
The Little Mermaid / int_b4a6ae4c	type	Everyone Has Standards
The Little Mermaid / int_b4a6ae4c	comment	Everyone Has Standards: The mermaid's older sisters trade their hair for a knife that she can use to kill the prince and save herself. Despite having no soul and no compelling reason not to, she refuses (an act which is implied to earn her a soul).
The Little Mermaid / int_b4a6ae4c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_b4a6ae4c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_b4a6ae4c
The Little Mermaid / int_b9955dad	type	Wanting Is Better Than Having
The Little Mermaid / int_b9955dad	comment	Wanting Is Better Than Having: The Little Mermaid wishes to be a human and marry the prince. Because she gave up her mermaid life and became a human not being able to ever speak again and feel pain when she walked and danced and the possibility that she will die, it seems it would have been better for her to keep wanting instead of getting it. On the other hand, her actions do put her in a position where she can gain an immortal soul, which she might have wanted even more than the prince.
The Little Mermaid / int_b9955dad	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_b9955dad	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_b9955dad
The Little Mermaid / int_be445584	type	Act of True Love
The Little Mermaid / int_be445584	comment	Act of True Love: The mermaid is given one last chance to save herself by killing the prince as he lies sleeping. She refuses it, allowing him to live happily with his new wife. In doing so, she is rewarded by being transformed into a daughter of the air.
The Little Mermaid / int_be445584	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_be445584	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_be445584
The Little Mermaid / int_c2f7db18	type	Alien Blood
The Little Mermaid / int_c2f7db18	comment	Alien Blood: The Sea Witch's blood that is used in the potion is the color black.
The Little Mermaid / int_c2f7db18	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_c2f7db18	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_c2f7db18
The Little Mermaid / int_c335b9ec	type	Irony
The Little Mermaid / int_c335b9ec	comment	Irony: The mermaid saves the prince's life, but he doesn't know it was her. The same spell that gives her legs so she can be near him also costs her the tongue she might have used to tell him.
The Little Mermaid / int_c335b9ec	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_c335b9ec	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_c335b9ec
The Little Mermaid / int_c3c18143	type	Hope Spot
The Little Mermaid / int_c3c18143	comment	Hope Spot: Two — when the prince tells the mermaid he'd rather make her his bride than the princess to whom he is betrothed, believing that the latter does not resemble the girl in the Temple whom he believes rescued him; and much later (after he does marry the princess), when the mermaid's sisters bring her one last chance to save her life.
The Little Mermaid / int_c3c18143	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_c3c18143	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_c3c18143
The Little Mermaid / int_c4dc0698	type	The Soulless
The Little Mermaid / int_c4dc0698	comment	The Soulless: Mermaids have no souls and therefore no afterlife. This was inspired by a long tradition of water fairies without souls. Andersen was particularly inspired by the 1811 novella Undine, which in turn was inspired by Paracelsus' Alchemic Elementals.
The Little Mermaid / int_c4dc0698	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_c4dc0698	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_c4dc0698
The Little Mermaid / int_cbfe592b	type	Cannot Kill Their Loved Ones
The Little Mermaid / int_cbfe592b	comment	Cannot Kill Their Loved Ones: The prince ends up marrying a different girl. The mermaid's sisters buy her a way to kill the prince and become a mermaid again, but she can't bring herself to do it.
The Little Mermaid / int_cbfe592b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_cbfe592b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_cbfe592b
The Little Mermaid / int_d1522cf	type	Tongue Trauma
The Little Mermaid / int_d1522cf	comment	Tongue Trauma: The Little Mermaid has her tongue cut out by the sea witch as part of the deal.
The Little Mermaid / int_d1522cf	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_d1522cf	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_d1522cf
The Little Mermaid / int_d842e380	type	Love Redeems
The Little Mermaid / int_d842e380	comment	Love Redeems: The reason why the mermaid chose to die rather than kill the prince.
The Little Mermaid / int_d842e380	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_d842e380	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_d842e380
The Little Mermaid / int_dc579c91	type	Contrived Coincidence
The Little Mermaid / int_dc579c91	comment	Contrived Coincidence: The prince dreamed of marrying the girl he thought that had saved him from drowning, and ta-da! That girl and the one her parents betrothed to him are the same.
The Little Mermaid / int_dc579c91	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_dc579c91	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_e03c448e	type	Water Is Air
The Little Mermaid / int_e03c448e	comment	Water Is Air: The Sea Witch brews the potion over fire.
The Little Mermaid / int_e03c448e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_e03c448e	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_e0aed924	type	No Antagonist
The Little Mermaid / int_e0aed924	comment	No Antagonist: The tale is a tragedy, but doesn't have a real villain.
The Little Mermaid / int_e0aed924	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_e0aed924	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_e0aed924
The Little Mermaid / int_e294a0be	type	Our Souls Are Different
The Little Mermaid / int_e294a0be	comment	Our Souls Are Different: Mermaids lack one, humans have one, and daughters of the air can gain one.
The Little Mermaid / int_e294a0be	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_e294a0be	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_e294a0be
The Little Mermaid / int_e5421161	type	Expy
The Little Mermaid / int_e5421161	comment	Expy: The Little Mermaid was heavily inspired by Undine, the protagonist in the story of the same name. Both are merfolk who are told they must win the love of a human man in order to gain a soul.
The Little Mermaid / int_e5421161	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_e5421161	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_ea24a918	type	Lost in Imitation
The Little Mermaid / int_ea24a918	comment	Lost in Imitation: Few young children know the original tragic ending thanks to the Disney retelling. Several adaptations that came after the 1989 movie imitated the ending by having the prince indeed fall in love with the little mermaid, and the two of them marry and live Happily Ever After.
The Little Mermaid / int_ea24a918	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_ea24a918	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_ea24a918
The Little Mermaid / int_eb01d70	type	Princess Protagonist
The Little Mermaid / int_eb01d70	comment	Princess Protagonist: The titular little mermaid is the youngest of six princesses. Her father is the Sea King.
The Little Mermaid / int_eb01d70	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_eb01d70	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_ee9877ea	type	Too Good for This Sinful Earth
The Little Mermaid / int_ee9877ea	comment	Too Good for This Sinful Earth: The innocent and sweet mermaid who sacrifices her undersea life for love ends up giving up the boy she loves and sacrificing her earthly life too. However, the story makes it clear throughout that what she truly wants is a soul and immortality — and upon her death, she is given a place among the daughters of the air, who have been judged worthy to earn a soul through centuries of good deeds.
The Little Mermaid / int_ee9877ea	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_ee9877ea	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_ee9877ea
The Little Mermaid / int_eea93c96	type	Blow You Away
The Little Mermaid / int_eea93c96	comment	Blow You Away: The Daughters of the Air are air spirits who can manipulate the wind.
The Little Mermaid / int_eea93c96	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_eea93c96	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_eea93c96
The Little Mermaid / int_ef3bf14b	type	Child Marriage Veto
The Little Mermaid / int_ef3bf14b	comment	Child Marriage Veto: The prince tells the mermaid he won't marry the princess his parents have chosen for him, because she won't be the girl he really pines for (the temple maiden) nor the mermaid who reminds him of her. Unfortunately, that all flies out the window when the princess actually is the temple maiden.
The Little Mermaid / int_ef3bf14b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_ef3bf14b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_ef3bf14b
The Little Mermaid / int_f64a9cf7	type	Earn Your Happy Ending
The Little Mermaid / int_f64a9cf7	comment	Earn Your Happy Ending: The mermaid is told she can gain a share in the prince's soul (and permanent humanity) if he marries her. When that falls through and all seems lost, she chooses death over killing him to save her own life, and unexpectedly finds herself among the Daughters of the Air, on the way to earning a soul of her own.
The Little Mermaid / int_f64a9cf7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_f64a9cf7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_f64a9cf7
The Little Mermaid / int_f7883b17	type	Love Makes You Dumb
The Little Mermaid / int_f7883b17	comment	On the surface, it seems to say "Don't give up your life for love", as the Little Mermaid forfeits her centuries of existence because she loves the prince, even after it's clear he doesn't love her. However, by her sacrifice the Little Mermaid earns everything she truly wanted, so the message becomes "Do give up your life for love, because the rewards of love are greater than all the sufferings."
The Little Mermaid / int_f7883b17	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_f7883b17
The Little Mermaid / int_f93e1eb7	type	Locked Away in a Monastery
The Little Mermaid / int_f93e1eb7	comment	Locked Away in a Monastery: The temple maiden turns out to be a princess in fosterage, not a consecrated virgin.
The Little Mermaid / int_f93e1eb7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_f93e1eb7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Little Mermaid / int_f93e1eb7
The Little Mermaid / int_fe793a63	type	Last-Second Chance
The Little Mermaid / int_fe793a63	comment	Last-Second Chance: The mermaid can save her own life, even after the prince marries another, if she kills him before the sun rises.
The Little Mermaid / int_fe793a63	featureApplicability	1.0
The Little Mermaid / int_fe793a63	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_ff17ccf1	type	Innocently Insensitive
The Little Mermaid / int_ff17ccf1	comment	Innocently Insensitive: The prince involves the mermaid in his wedding, having her dance at the reception and even carry the bride's train, thinking she will want to share in his happiness.
The Little Mermaid / int_ff17ccf1	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Little Mermaid / int_name	type	ItemName
The Little Mermaid / int_name	comment
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The Little Mermaid / int_name	itemName	The Little Mermaid

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Little Mermaid	seeAlso	The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid / Disney	seeAlso	The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Act of True Love / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Adaptation Relationship Overhaul / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Adaptational Curves / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Adaptational Karma / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Adaptational Modesty / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Become a Real Boy / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Bittersweet Ending / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Cannot Kill Their Loved Ones / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Cathartic Crying / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Cessation of Existence / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Contrived Coincidence / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Dark Is Not Evil / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Deal with the Devil / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Demoted to Extra / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Disabled Means Helpless / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Disneyfication / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Driven to Suicide / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Early Adaptation Weirdness / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Evil Brunette Twin / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Fairytale Motifs / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Family-Unfriendly Aesop / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Fractured Fairy Tale / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Garden of Evil / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Heaven Above / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	I Want My Beloved to Be Happy / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	I'm Melting! / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Incorruptible Pure Pureness / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Innocent Flower Girl / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	LGBT Fanbase / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Locked Away in a Monastery / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Lost in Imitation / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Love Hurts / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Loves My Alter Ego / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Make a Wish / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Mermaid Media / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Mermaid Works Launching This Weekend / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Mortality Phobia / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Mutual Pining / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	No Antagonist / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Old Man Marrying a Child / int_d6b7adcf
OnceOnThisIsland	seeAlso	The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Our Hags Are Different / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Our Souls Are Different / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Princess Protagonist / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Princess Stories / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Public Domain Character / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Rainbow Lens / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Rescue Romance / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Selling One's Own Hair / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Sirens Are Mermaids / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Solitary Sorceress / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Species-Specific Afterlife / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Sweet and Sour Grapes / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Soulless / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	The Speechless / int_d6b7adcf
TheatreIlluminataTrilogy	seeAlso	The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Tongue Trauma / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Traumatic Haircut / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Twice-Told Tale / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Unable to Cry / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Wanting Is Better Than Having / int_d6b7adcf
The Little Mermaid	hasFeature	Whole-Plot Reference / int_d6b7adcf

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