Friday is for Fairytales (1)

Friday is for Fairytales is a meme hosted by Irena at This Miss Loves to Read. Every Friday, you can choose a fairytale you love, or simply find interesting or haunting, and review it or simply say why you like it so much, or why it has captured your attention. Instead of a fairytale, you can choose a favourite fairytale character and describe him/her and tell us why you like them, or you can simply share an experience connected to a fairytale. Fairytales can be old and modern, written by a known author or anonymous, written down or passed on orally, short or in novel form (like re-writings of fairytales), international or typical for your country alone. In this case, present your country’s fairytale and we can all become acquainted with a new fairytale. So, make a post every Friday that is connected to the world of fairytales, be it a review, a character description or your own fairytale experience. Let’s celebrate fairytales and share our love for them.

MY POST IS ABOUT: The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen


The Little Mermaid is by far my favorite of Andersen's fairytales, and one of my all-time favorites in general. I love the theme of the power of love. This mermaid girl, after seeing this prince guy just for the first time, decides to go after him. She will give up anything for him, including her precious mermaid tail, her beautiful voice, and, eventually, her very own life. The fact that she is willing to sacrifice all that for one man is priceless. Her love is a strong, eternal love that can never be broken.

Ever since I was a little girl, Princess Ariel (the little mermaid) was always my favorite Disney princess. Other than the fact that she is the only redheaded princess (like me), I just love her character. She has her own voice, her own strength. She longs to break free from the world she's seemingly trapped in, and I can really sympathize with her there.

I love The Little Mermaid because it really is a powerful fairytale of love and freedom. Even though the Andersen fairytale ends on a rather bittersweet note, I still love and enjoy this tale everytime I see it or read it.

Art © Jackie Sullivan