In Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” the mermaid has five older sisters.
The tale describes the mermaid as the youngest of the Sea King’s six daughters. Each sister reaches the age at which she may rise to the surface one year after the preceding sister, so the youngest must wait longest before seeing the human world. This structure introduces the story’s family setting before the mermaid’s encounter with the prince.
The sisters are important in the original literary tale, although Disney’s 1989 film changes the family presentation. Disney’s Ariel has several sisters, but the animated film does not make the exact literary counting detail a central plot point in the same way.
Readers sometimes remember the number as four because adaptations simplify or alter the mermaid’s family. Andersen’s original published story, however, identifies her as the youngest of six daughters, meaning she has five older sisters.