Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale first published in 1837 about a mermaid who longs for a human soul is “The Little Mermaid.” Andersen published the story in Copenhagen on 7 April 1837 as part of Fairy Tales Told for Children. Third Collection. It differs substantially from the familiar Disney adaptation.
In Andersen’s original, the mermaid rescues a prince after a shipwreck and later trades her voice to a sea witch for human legs. Walking causes her pain, and the prince marries another woman. Rather than killing him to regain her mermaid form, she becomes a spirit of the air and receives the possibility of earning an immortal soul through good deeds.
The tale is frequently mistaken for a simple romance or a direct version of the animated film. Andersen’s ending is philosophical and religious, emphasizing moral action and spiritual transformation rather than a conventional happily-ever-after marriage.