Historic Children’s Fairy Tales That Will Haunt Your Nightmares

Historic Children’s Fairy Tales That Will Haunt Your Nightmares

Aimee Heidelberg - December 10, 2023

Historic Children’s Fairy Tales That Will Haunt Your Nightmares
The Little Mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch (c. mid 1800s). Public domain.

The Little Mermaid: No Dancing Fish Here

Hans Chrisitan Andersen’s original mermaid love story, mermaids they can visit the surface at will. On one of these visits, the little (and unnamed) mermaid saves a prince from drowning, and wants to become human to find him. She seeks the sea witch, who, after giving her chances to back out, turns the little mermaid human. All she had to do is have her tongue cut out so she could neither speak nor taste. And her legs will hurt agonizingly with every step. Despite the pain, the mermaid agrees. She becomes human, finds her prince. But the Prince is already engaged to the princess he believes saved his life. She knows, though, if she kills him and his blood lands on her legs, she will re-grow her mermaid tail. But she chooses not to, instead hurling herself into the sea, killing herself and turning into sea foam, a mermaid’s death.

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