...and
so the tale goes...
I made my way
down to the port and imagined myself as the courageous
captain of the grandest ship of the lot. I could feel the fresh
air on my cheeks and taste the salt. The pain of hunger
brought me back to reality and I began my search for food.
I took in all of the sights and was on the look out for a friendly face. After avoiding many questionable characters, I spotted a fine looking sailor I felt was approachable. He was young and small framed and I felt he would be harmless. He spotted me and spoke first. “Hello there! You look as if you are searching for something,” the sailor called.
“Um...well, I was wondering if you could spare a bite to eat. I could work for it,” I added quickly. Then, a funny look came over the sailors face and he said, “Oh, well, women are not permitted to work on or around ships.” My heart sank and I felt at once that I should not have wasted my time looking for food at the port. My disappointment was written all over my face, for the sailor called once more to me, “You look very hungry, why don’t you come aboard and I will see what I can find for you to eat.”
Before I was able to set foot on the ramp that led to the ship a mighty ruckus broke out not twenty feet from where I stood. Sailors were yelling and fighting with one another. The atmosphere was violent, I knew I must depart quickly. I turned my back to the crowd and started off.
I hadn’t taken three steps when I felt a great shove from behind. In the next moment the surface of the water was coming towards me quickly. The chill of the water took my breath away. I struggled to the surface but only made it a little ways before total weakness took over and my limbs were no longer under my control. I was comforted by the thought of my miserable life finally coming to an end. I closed my eyes and felt the darkness envelope me.
I was on the edge of consciousness when I felt myself being pulled to the surface with great speed. I found myself sitting on a huge, white cloud! My confusion grew when I looked down and could see a miniature version of the port I was just on. It was then that I saw her...the most beautiful creature.
“I am Sirenetta. I am a fairy of the air. I know who you are and I know that you welcomed death. I have a story to tell you, so death will have to wait.”
I was still not sure whether I was alive or dead, but listened to the beautiful Sirenetta and welcomed her story.
I took in all of the sights and was on the look out for a friendly face. After avoiding many questionable characters, I spotted a fine looking sailor I felt was approachable. He was young and small framed and I felt he would be harmless. He spotted me and spoke first. “Hello there! You look as if you are searching for something,” the sailor called.
“Um...well, I was wondering if you could spare a bite to eat. I could work for it,” I added quickly. Then, a funny look came over the sailors face and he said, “Oh, well, women are not permitted to work on or around ships.” My heart sank and I felt at once that I should not have wasted my time looking for food at the port. My disappointment was written all over my face, for the sailor called once more to me, “You look very hungry, why don’t you come aboard and I will see what I can find for you to eat.”
Before I was able to set foot on the ramp that led to the ship a mighty ruckus broke out not twenty feet from where I stood. Sailors were yelling and fighting with one another. The atmosphere was violent, I knew I must depart quickly. I turned my back to the crowd and started off.
I hadn’t taken three steps when I felt a great shove from behind. In the next moment the surface of the water was coming towards me quickly. The chill of the water took my breath away. I struggled to the surface but only made it a little ways before total weakness took over and my limbs were no longer under my control. I was comforted by the thought of my miserable life finally coming to an end. I closed my eyes and felt the darkness envelope me.
I was on the edge of consciousness when I felt myself being pulled to the surface with great speed. I found myself sitting on a huge, white cloud! My confusion grew when I looked down and could see a miniature version of the port I was just on. It was then that I saw her...the most beautiful creature.
“I am Sirenetta. I am a fairy of the air. I know who you are and I know that you welcomed death. I have a story to tell you, so death will have to wait.”
I was still not sure whether I was alive or dead, but listened to the beautiful Sirenetta and welcomed her story.
“I was once
the daughter of the Sea King. I lived
my life under
the sea with my four mermaid sisters. I was the youngest and my
voice was the prettiest. Although my life was rich and full of
love, I desired to experience life above. I was forbidden to go
up until my fifteenth birthday. When the day came that I turned
fifteen I hurried up to the surface and felt great happiness. Off
in the distance I saw a huge sailing vessel, like the ones below us
now, and on it saw the most beautiful site I had ever seen. The
captain of the ship was a gorgeous prince. Night fell and I
continued to watch the men and their activities on the ship. A
horrid storm arose and the ship rocked violently. The beautiful
prince fell overboard and I swam to his rescue. I swam him safely
to shore, but heard voices and hid myself under the surface of
the water. A beautiful woman came to his side, calling to her
companions to get help. The prince opened his eyes and stared
into the face of the woman. He thanked her for saving his
life and with help started toward the castle. Heartbroken, for I
knew my love for the prince was hopeless, I made my way home.
After several miserable days I traveled to the cave of the Witch of the
Deeps to ask her for help. The evil witch knew I wanted human
legs and was willing to grant me this wish but not without a
price. She told me that with each step I took a horrible pain
would flow through my body. This, I cared nothing about as long
as I would be able to see the prince again. There was another
price, my voice was to be handed over to her. Also, if the prince
married someone other than me, I would be unable to return as a
mermaid. I would be come like ocean foam and dissolve into the sea.
I made my way to the shore, not far from the prince’s castle, and drank the potion the Witch gave me. A horrible pain caused me to faint, but when I awoke I was staring into the face of the prince. He took me in and befriended me. I could not utter a sound and with every step sheer pain ran through my body, but none of this mattered for I was in the company of my beloved. Although the prince and I felt a connection, his heart belonged to the beautiful woman who he believed saved him. I was heartbroken once again when my beloved married the woman. I stood staring into the sea after the ceremony and my sisters appeared at the surface with a knife they bargained for from the Witch. If I killed the prince with it I could return to my life as a mermaid. I took the knife and attempted to do this, but when I looked at his sleeping face I could not. I threw the knife and myself into the ocean ready to dissolve, but instead my body was drawn up into the sky and greeted by beautiful fairies. The fairies explained to me that because I had shown kindness to the prince, they saved me from my doom.”
Sirenetta’s story touched me deeply. Her courage to leave her beautiful home in the sea to seek love on land amazed me. I felt inspired by her strength and determination.
“Calliope, I am going to return you to the earth. Your life has been hard and hard times are yet to come. You have the ability to shine through these rough times.”
And with that said, Sirenetta gently returned me to the spot on the dock where I was before being shoved into the water.
I made my way to the shore, not far from the prince’s castle, and drank the potion the Witch gave me. A horrible pain caused me to faint, but when I awoke I was staring into the face of the prince. He took me in and befriended me. I could not utter a sound and with every step sheer pain ran through my body, but none of this mattered for I was in the company of my beloved. Although the prince and I felt a connection, his heart belonged to the beautiful woman who he believed saved him. I was heartbroken once again when my beloved married the woman. I stood staring into the sea after the ceremony and my sisters appeared at the surface with a knife they bargained for from the Witch. If I killed the prince with it I could return to my life as a mermaid. I took the knife and attempted to do this, but when I looked at his sleeping face I could not. I threw the knife and myself into the ocean ready to dissolve, but instead my body was drawn up into the sky and greeted by beautiful fairies. The fairies explained to me that because I had shown kindness to the prince, they saved me from my doom.”
Sirenetta’s story touched me deeply. Her courage to leave her beautiful home in the sea to seek love on land amazed me. I felt inspired by her strength and determination.
“Calliope, I am going to return you to the earth. Your life has been hard and hard times are yet to come. You have the ability to shine through these rough times.”
And with that said, Sirenetta gently returned me to the spot on the dock where I was before being shoved into the water.
“Annotated Web-o-graphy” by Zvi Har’El
English Translation: H. P. Paull (1872)
Original Illustrations by Vilhelm Pedersen and Lorenz Frolich
Website: “Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales and Stories”
Author’s Note: I based this story on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”. I used the Little Mermaid, Sirenetta, as the narrator, telling her story to Calliope.
Image Information: Sirenetta.
Website: The Little Mermaid. Illustrated by Edmund Dulac.