The Princess's Stories
Original Story
This story takes place under the sea at a palace, were the king mermaid lives with his mother and his six daughters. The daughters will be able to travel to the surface once they turn fifteen. The youngest is quiet and beautiful, patient while waiting for her turn.
On her fifteenth birthday, she goes up to the surface to see a boat. A handsome prince, who was celebrating his sixteenth birthday, was on this boat. A sudden storm appeared that ended up destroying the boat: tossing people into the sea: leading people to their deaths. Though the youngest mermaid ends up saving the prince, bringing him back to the beach. She gets frustrated when she thinks he doesn't know it's her who saved him.
After this, the youngest mermaid becomes quieter, and she began watching the prince frequently. She also becomes more interested in the lives of humans, She questions her grandmother about human's lifespan, to find out they have a shorter lifespan compared to the 300-year young lifespan that the mermaids have. Though unlike the humans mermaids just become sea-foam instead of having an immortal soul. According to the grandmother, the only way for a mermaid to gain an immortal soul, is if a human were to fall in love with a mermaid.
The mermaid fascinated decides to go gets help from the sea witch. The witch tells the mermaid she will grant the mermaid legs and grace, but every step she takes will make in seem like she is walking on knives. If the prince is to marry someone else the mermaid will die. For all of this, the sea witch, only wants to cut out the mermaids tongue.
The mermaid takes the deal and ends up waking up out of the sea with the prince. The prince commenting on how much she looks like the girl who saved him. Though she could not tell him, because she had no tongue. The prince, however, is going to marry a princess from a different kingdom, because he believes the princess is the one who saved him.
Since the prince is going to marry someone else she begins to worry about her death. The mermaids sister had cut off their hair for the sea witch to help save their sister. If the mermaid agreed to kill the prince, she would get her tail back.
Though she can't kill the prince, and goes out to the sea. She is expecting to die, therefore, turn into sea form. But at the moment this is going to happen, she becomes an air spirit. Because of her kindness she has gotten a chance at gaining a immortal soul.
Denmark
Though the setting takes place in a fantasy world, which wouldn't contain any world history, the author, Hans Christian Andersen, lived in Denmark. Therefore, I believe that the setting had some impact by the history of Denmark during the 19th century.
This means that the little mermaid could have either have been in the Baltic sea or the North sea since both of them are next the Denmark. There is a statue of the little mermaid in Copenhagen, Denmark. This statue was given Capital of Denmark in 1913, by Carl Jacobsen, a danish brewer. He gave this statue because he fell in love with the fairy tale and the ballerina.
Religion
Religion plays a factor into the storyline, with the idea that humans have immortal lives. This can be related back to the religion of the author. As the littler mermaid died she was taken into the spirits of the air, which I feel like could be a symbol for angels. She is their to prove herself good enough in 300 years, before she gets an immortal life, going on to the next part or heaven.
Denmark's Fleet
The story mentions the amount of ships that pass by, and when the sisters go up they describe seeing many ships. I think that this makes since, due to the fact in the 1700's the Denmark-Norwegian had the largest merchant fleet, it's size was only compatible with the British fleet. I also think that it makes sense that the mermaids would see multiple ships if they were located near Denmark since there are many ports and lot of different land borders.