> The 1989 Disney movie The Little Mermaid is based on a story by which author?And the answer: Hans Christian Andersen. Photo credit: public domain.First published in 1837, The Little Mermaid is a fairy tale written by theDanish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a youngmermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea – and her identity as amermaid – in order to gain a human soul.While the Disney adaptation is a classic tale of a charming prince and a wishfulmermaid, the original story is a bit... darker. This 1837 creation more closelyresembles the Grimm Brothers' tales of trial and tribulation – for example,rather than wasting away from the boredom of the sea floor, "the mermaid" (Arielis nameless in this version) is burdened by painful oysters attached to her tailjust by nature of her royalty. When she objects, her grandmother reminds herthat "pride must suffer pain." Jeez, thanks, Grandma. What's more: the Hans Christian Andersen version is deeply concerned with souls.Rather than seeking love and the ability to walk freely on land, the mermaidseeks the powerful immortality that a soul offers. Another painful aspect ofbeing a mermaid is that their 300 year lifespan ends in not much more than seafoam – Andersen continually reminds the reader that humans alone possess thesuperior quality of a soul. If that wasn't enough, in Andersen's version the prince is a jerk. Forget thedim-witted yet charming prince of the Disney version – Andersen's prince keepsthe mermaid at the foot of his throne and tells her all about the wonders of thesea (I'm rolling my eyes on Ariel's behalf). When the mermaid becomes a human,she must convince him to marry him, or she will perish (soul-less, mind you).Talk about a bad deal!The original story is imbued with a whole bunch of other really bad deals:dissolving into sea foam, dancing at the wedding of her ex-lover, and more. Readthe original here[https://andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheLittleMermaid_e.html] (if you dare).