Archetypal Elements In The Little Mermaid By Hans Christian Andersen

Every child loves a good fairy tale. Fairy tales up lift a child’s overall sense of imagination and also encourages a more educational and literate form of pastime. Along with allowing children a fun and adventurous story, the diverse array of characters allow for young adults to piece together right and wrong thoughts through the lives of the certain roles. Even though most fairy tales are set in a euphoric world, these stories tell about beneficial life lessons which will help with the child 's rearing. These magical myths with stand the test of time because the lessons fairy tales teach will always be relevant and helpful guidelines to follow. “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen is the tale of a young mermaid who makes some …show more content…
A devil figure is an evil figure in the story. The Sea Witch in “The Little Mermaid” acts as an archetypal devil figure because of her cruel nature and acts such as when she told the little mermaid that she had “the sweetest voice of any who dwell[es] here in the depths of the sea, [...] [so] this voice you must give to me; the best thing you possess will I have for the price of my draught” (Andersen ). This villain like character is necessary to have someone who opposes the rule of the Sea King and shows that there was a darker power in the ocean. Because many in Denmark at the time where part of the liberal party, the sea witch may have been influenced by the radicals who opposed the democratic practices. Threshold guardians test the main characters courage and worthiness for the task they have ahead of them. Because the Sea King was a widower for many years, his mother, the little mermaids grand-mother, was the threshold guardian for the young, princess sisters. To test their level of maturity, the grandmother of the little mermaid said she could go to the surface of the water once she “‘reached [her] fifteenth year, [...] [she] will have permission to rise up out of the sea, to sit on the rocks in the moonlight, while the great ships are sailing by” (Andersen ). The young and naive mermaid is in need of a threshold guardian to set regulations and tests as to when a task is appropriate to carry out. During the Napoleonic Wars in Denmark during the 1800’s, the grandmother’s character in “The Little Mermaid” may have been influenced by the danish rebellion commander Ferdinand von Schill who gave their army restriction of when and how to fight the enemy. A mentor is an older and wiser figure who serves as a role model to the main character. An old woman the little mermaid meets enlightens her on topics she was uncertain about