The Little Mermaid

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

It’s emotionally intense and can be bittersweet, so it’s best for older kids and a gentle framing. Focus on the mermaid’s courage and the story’s ‘spirit of kindness’ ending rather than tragedy.

Story Synopsis

In the deep sea, a young mermaid listens to stories of the surface—sunlight, ships, and human voices. Unlike her sisters, she doesn’t only want to see the world above; she aches to belong to it. When she turns fifteen, she rises and watches a ship carrying a prince. A storm follows, and she saves him, leaving him safely on shore before disappearing back into the waves. Her longing deepens into a plan. The sea witch offers a bargain: a potion that will give the mermaid human legs, but in exchange the mermaid must give up her voice—her sweetest gift. The transformation will be painful, and if she fails to win the prince’s love, she will be lost. Still, she chooses the chance. On land, the mermaid is mute but radiant. The prince is drawn to her gentleness, yet he believes his heart belongs to the girl who ‘saved’ him (often someone else who was found nearby). He cares for the mermaid as a dear companion, but not as his bride. As the prince prepares to marry another, the mermaid faces an impossible choice. In many tellings, her sisters offer a way out that would harm the prince—she refuses. She chooses mercy, even at great cost. Andersen’s ending turns from romance to spiritual hope: the mermaid becomes a ‘daughter of the air,’ given a new path through kindness and good deeds. The Little Mermaid is a story about longing and sacrifice, but also about the quiet strength of compassion—choosing what is right when your heart is aching.

Story Excerpt

Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the deepest sapphire and as clear as glass, lies the kingdom of the Sea King. His palace is built of coral, with windows of the clearest amber and a roof of shells that open and close in the currents, each holding a gleaming pearl. The Sea King’s wisest counselor was his mother, a proud and clever queen who helped raise his six daughters. The sea - princesses were all beautiful, but the youngest was the loveliest of all. Her skin was as delicate as a rose petal and her eyes were the color of the deep sea. Like all her people, she had no feet ; her body ended in a graceful fish’s tail. Each princess had her own small garden on the seafloor. The youngest princess made hers round, like the sun, and planted flowers as red as a sunset. She was a quiet, thoughtful child who cared for little besides her flowers and a beautiful marble statue of a human boy, which had fallen from a shipwreck. More than anything, she loved to hear her grandmother’s stories of the world above : of ships and cities, fragrant flowers, and green forests where the birds sang. “ When you turn fifteen, ” her grandmother told her, “ you will be allowed…

In One Glance