The Lure of Mermaids
Hans Christian Andersen’s story set under the sea, The Little Mermaid, features a strong and independent mermaid who finds love for the land beyond the sea. She frequently journeyed to the top of the water to see the outside world, and upon one of these journey’s she fell in love with a prince whom she saved from dying. She wanted to have an immortal soul, which could only be granted by true love from a human who put her above himself and everyone else he loved. This desire led her to the Sea Witch. The Sea Witch gave her a magic potion that allowed her to walk freely on land, but there was a catch. Her new legs would hurt with every step, and her tongue was cut off and she could no longer speak or sing. Worst of all, once she took this human form she could never be a mermaid again. The prince did love her deeply, but he married someone else. The little mermaid immediately turned into foam on the day of his wedding, and she joined the daughters of the air.
The story of Aquamarine features two human girls, Claire and Hailey, who discover a mermaid washed on shore, Aquamarine. Aquamarine tells them that she is able to take human-form during the day. She made a deal with her father that if she finds love in three days she will not have to go through her arranged marriage. Aquamarine finds a boy, Raymond, whom she thinks she loves and whom she thinks loves her back. She, like the Little Mermaid, believes that finding love can only be found through romantic love. At the end of the three days, Aquamarine discovers that Raymond is not who will show her what human love is, instead it is Claire and Hailey. This love she found is enough to keep her from getting married, and she is happy to have found true love with human friends.
The siren originates from Greek mythology and is said to be a creature that is half bird and half woman. The sirens were said to be daughters of the river god Achelous and a Muse. These sirens were essentially mermaid-like creatures who lived by the sea. They were able to seduce and lure passing sailors with their ear piercingly beautiful songs. Their singing voices were like the Little Mermaid’s, but instead of finding love, they wanted to lure men in and bring them to their death. The sailors followed the seducers to their island, which is where they found their doom. The beauty of the sirens is not what lures the sailors in, but their voices. The “siren song” is referred to as something that is hard to resist, but which will end badly. The sirens are beautiful but dangerous, and one should never try to find love for these creatures or their beautiful songs.
