INSTRUCTIONS AND PROPHECIES OF THE Blessed MOTHER ALIPIA GOLOSEEVSKY, Kyiv...
The little mermaid is the daughter of the sea king. She's just like a person. Since childhood, the Little Mermaid has been striving for the world of people and idolizes the marble statue of a boy, brought to the seabed during a shipwreck. Having fallen in love with the prince, she dreams of becoming a man herself. The little mermaid sacrifices her beautiful voice, gives her mermaid tail to the sea witch in order to be close to her lover. She becomes the first beauty in the prince's court.
The Little Mermaid has a father - a sea king, sisters, an old grandmother. Mermaids can gossip like humans. The king's mother is proud of her pedigree and therefore always carries a dozen oysters on her tail, while others are allowed to carry only six. With all the nobility, the grandmother does not shun work and runs the entire palace economy. Her little mermaid granddaughters plant flowers in the flowerbeds themselves.
The little mermaid aspires to the wonders of the earth, to sunbeams, to the singing of birds, the life of the seabed depresses her with everyday monotony - after all, it is only for us that underwater trees and shells seem to be something unusual!
The mermaid's love for the prince is the main one, central theme fairy tales. This is not a theme of ordinary human love, but romantic, doomed love, love - self-sacrifice, love that did not make the heroine of the fairy tale happy, but which did not disappear without a trace for her, because it did not make her completely unhappy. In mythology, a mermaid, having lost her immortal soul as a result of the evil done to her as a person, can gain this soul if she makes a person love herself. The love of a mermaid and a person does not have to be mutual. A mermaid may not answer a person and destroy him, falling in love with herself. But a person's love for her is the main step towards gaining an immortal soul by a mermaid. Therefore, she must provoke a person, evoke this love in him by any means and ways.
In Andersen, this theme is both preserved and rethought. The little mermaid wants to achieve the love of a person, wants to gain an immortal soul. Why don't we have an immortal soul? - the little mermaid asked sadly, - I would give all my hundreds of years for one day of human life, so that later I would also rise to heaven ... How I love it! More than father and mother! I belong to him with all my heart, with all my thoughts, I would willingly hand over the happiness of my whole life to him! I would do anything - if only I could be with him and find an immortal soul! .. ". The immortal soul is necessary for the Little Mermaid, because she has been given only three hundred years, this is a great life, but this is the only possibility of existence, and the immortal soul makes it possible to live forever.
Andersen's fairy tale includes Christian motifs. Andersen rethinks ancient pagan mythology from the point of view of Christian mythology: ideas about the soul, about the afterlife, about life after death.
On the combination of two motifs, the story of the little mermaid and the prince is born. The little mermaid saves the prince, she does good for a man who is dying in the waves. Often, by the way, according to mythological ideas, women who died in the water became mermaids. A person cannot live in an element that is not characteristic of his habitat. On the one hand, the little mermaid saves the prince, and on the other hand, she would like him to be in her father's palace. “At first, the little mermaid was very happy that he would now fall to the bottom of them, but then she remembered that people cannot live in water and that he can only sail to her father’s palace dead. No, no, he must not die! .. He would have died if the little mermaid had not come to his aid ... It seemed to her that the prince looked like a marble boy standing in her garden; she kissed him and wished him to live"
For saving the prince, the little mermaid, of course, has the right to expect gratitude, but the fact is that the prince does not see her. He sees a girl standing above him on the shore and thinks that she saved his life. The prince liked this girl, but she turns out to be out of reach for him, since at that time she was in a monastery.
If the task of the mythological mermaid is to make a person love herself, then the little mermaid cannot force anyone; her desire is to be close to the prince, to become his wife. The little mermaid wants to please the prince, she loves him and is ready to sacrifice everything for their happiness. For the sake of her love, she renounces her home, her beautiful voice, she renounces her essence, herself. The Little Mermaid completely surrenders herself to the power of fate in the name of her love.
But the prince sees in her “a dear, kind child, it didn’t even occur to him to make her his wife and queen, but meanwhile she had to become his wife, otherwise she couldn’t find an immortal soul and had to in case of his marriage on the other, turn into sea foam "
The mermaid's dream is a dream of happiness, an ordinary, human dream, she wants love, warmth, affection. “And he laid his head on her chest, where her heart beat, longing for human happiness and an immortal soul.” Love for the little mermaid is a constant overcoming of physical and moral torment. Physical - because "every step caused her such pain, as if she were stepping on sharp knives", moral - because she sees that the prince finds his love; but it does not harden her. Love should not overshadow a person's true vision of things and the world. “The little mermaid looked eagerly at her (the prince’s bride) and could not help but admit that she had never seen a sweeter and more beautiful face.” The little mermaid lost her voice, but gained sharpness of vision and perception of the world, because a loving heart sees sharper. She knew that the prince was happy with his bride, she kissed his hand and it seemed to her that “her heart was about to burst with pain: his wedding should kill her, turn her into sea foam!” .
But Andersen gives the little mermaid a chance to return to her family, to the palace of the sea king, and live for three hundred years. The little mermaid understands that all her sacrifices were in vain, she loses everything, including life.
Love is a sacrifice, and this theme runs through Andersen throughout the tale. The little mermaid sacrifices her life for the happiness of the prince, her sisters sacrifice their beautiful long hair sea witch to save the little mermaid. “We gave our hair to a witch to help us save you from death! And she gave us this knife - see how sharp it is? Before the sun sets, you must plunge it into the heart of the prince, and when his warm blood splashes on your feet, they will grow back into a fish tail and you will again become a mermaid, come down to us in the sea and live your three hundred years. But hurry! Either he or you - one of you must die before sunrise!" Here Andersen brings us back to the mythological theme. The mermaid must destroy a person, sacrifice him. The theme of shed blood is reminiscent of pagan rituals and sacrifices, but in Andersen's fairy tales, paganism is overcome by Christianity, its ideas and moral values.
For Andersen, love makes irreversible changes with a person. Love always does good, it cannot be evil. And so the little mermaid, holding a knife in her hand, still sacrifices her life, and not someone else's, chooses her death, giving the prince life and happiness. "The little mermaid lifted the purple curtain of the tent and saw that the head of the lovely newlywed was resting on the chest of the prince."
The first thing the little mermaid sees is the prince's happiness and love. It would seem that this picture should cause jealousy in her, and jealousy is unpredictable, jealousy is the power of evil. “The little mermaid leaned over and kissed him on his beautiful forehead, looked at the sky, where the morning dawn flared up, then looked at the sharp knife and again fixed her eyes on the prince, who in a dream said the name of his wife. She was the only one in his mind! The world of people for the little mermaid is beautiful. He so beckoned her underwater, so enchanted on the day of his coming of age; she feels sorry for this world, she is afraid to lose it, but she sees the prince, who at this time pronounces the name of his wife. “The knife trembled in the hands of the little mermaid” Love cannot kill another love - such is Andersen's thought. “Another minute - and she (the little mermaid) threw it (the knife) into the waves, which turned red, as if stained with blood, in the place where he fell. Once again she looked at the prince with a half-faded look, rushed from the ship into the sea and felt her body melt into foam. The little mermaid abandoned herself entirely, but she had one more dream - to find a human soul. This dream has come true and it hasn't. By itself, love already gives a person a soul. It is no coincidence that the little mermaid does not turn into sea foam, love gave her the opportunity to move into a different state, she becomes one of the daughters of the air.
Ancient mythological beliefs, having lost power over human consciousness, were preserved in folklore and artistic images writers different countries. In our work, we turned to only one such image and saw how complex and individual the writer's relationship with mythology and the mythological image is. Interpreting the image of the mythological mermaid, turning it into the mermaid heroine of his fairy tale, Andersen partially preserves its mythological features and possibilities. But at the same time, the mythological image under the writer's pen acquires a human essence, human character, human destiny. The little mermaid, with the help of the witch's witchcraft, turns into a man, she selflessly loves the prince, this love turns out to be unrequited and even tragic, she sacrifices her life for the sake of the prince's happiness.
Starting from pagan mythology, Andersen affirms the values and ideas of Christianity, affirms the power of human love as the greatest moral force in the whole world, regardless of whether this world is real or fantastic. And such metamorphoses in Andersen's fairy tales occur not only with one little mermaid. Any mythological characters, be it gnomes, the snow queen, the ice maiden, acquire individual characters and destinies under the writer's pen, become like people, endowed with human dreams and desires. Mythological fairy-tale images are reinterpreted by the writer, used by him for the artistic transformation of such important moral ideas for him as the ideas of humanism, spiritual purity and selfless and devoted love.
We will make a special emphasis on the path that the mermaids had to go through in order to receive an immortal soul: “Let only one of the people love you so that you become dearer to him than his father and mother, let him give himself to you with all his heart and all thoughts and orders the priest to join your hands ... ". Why, apart from human love, was a priest also needed? For Andersen, his presence is absolutely natural. Man's love must be sanctified. There must be God's love-blessing, which is transmitted through the priest.
When did the Little Mermaid decide to go to the people? Then, when she confessed to herself: “How I love him! More than father and mother! .. ". But the Little Mermaid was not only drawn to the prince, she also had another goal on earth: “If only I could be with him and find an immortal soul.” That is, the love for the prince and the desire to have an immortal soul in the Little Mermaid stand side by side.
What was the path of the Little Mermaid to people? First, she went for advice and maybe help to the sea witch. Andersen describes the Little Mermaid's path to the witch, and thanks to precise epithets and comparisons, we can easily imagine it - seething whirlpools, peat bogs, "disgusting polyps", "similar to hundred-headed snakes", "white skeletons of sunken ships", "animal bones". Why does the writer recreate in such detail the path to the witch that the Little Mermaid had to overcome? In order to show how difficult it was and, most importantly, terrible - “her heart beat with fear”, “it was the worst of all”. And yet, the Little Mermaid did not turn back, although she had such impulses, but then she “remembered the prince, the immortal soul and gathered her courage.” It is again emphasized that not only the prince pulled the Little Mermaid to the ground, but also the immortality of the soul. The far-sighted sea witch confirms this - “if you want the young prince to love you, and you would receive an immortal soul!” .
To get to people, the Little Mermaid had to change her tail to human legs - "it will hurt so much, as if you were pierced with a sharp sword." She will have to give up her native environment, her father's house, her sisters, lose the opportunity to ever become a mermaid again. The Little Mermaid also had to give the witch her "wonderful voice" as a payment for her help. Note that the “voice” is what determines the image of a mermaid, her essence. That is, the Little Mermaid gave the witch a part of herself.
What was the condition of the Little Mermaid during her visit to the witch? She was scared. She answered the witch's terrible warnings with a "trembling voice", "turned white as death". Even the comparison itself is scary. What made the Little Mermaid endure all the fears? Only thoughts of a prince and an immortal soul.
The victims of the Little Mermaid are enormous, both physical (voice, legs) and psychological (relinquishes her native environment and herself). But true love always involves sacrifice.
The Little Mermaid could not tell the prince about her love. But the prince did not doubt her love at all, because "her eyes spoke more to the heart." “You love me so much,” the prince claimed. Andersen is also convinced that true love does not need words.
But how did the prince treat the Little Mermaid? “Yes, I love you,” said the prince. - You have a good heart, you are devoted to me more than anyone else...”, “You will rejoice at my happiness. You love me so much!” . It is easy to see that the words "me", "me" dominate here. The Prince loved the Little Mermaid above all for his love for himself. But he also had love-gratitude towards the Little Mermaid. After all, he told her: “You look like a young girl whom I saw once.” He thought that this girl saved him when he was drowning.
The prince also loved the Little Mermaid "like a sweet child." What does it mean? The fact that the prince treated the Little Mermaid as a funny toy that touched and entertained him. We find confirmation of this in the text. Let's remember how the Little Mermaid was dressed in the palace, what she usually did. "The little mermaid was dressed in silk and muslin", the prince "told her to sew men's suit”To participate in his walks, she danced beautifully, they admired her dances. And to sleep "she was allowed ... on a velvet pillow in front of the doors of his room." If we select the dominant verbs, we will see that they always express the will of the prince, and not the Little Mermaid. She is loved, but only as a beautiful expensive toy.
Did the Little Mermaid need such love? No, because in order to gain an immortal soul, she only had to become the wife of a prince, and he “didn’t even think of making ... her his wife and queen.” The Prince did not love the Little Mermaid the way she needed to. It turns out that even great love- and the Little Mermaid carried just such - she is not always able to evoke a reciprocal feeling.
Why did the mutual love of the Little Mermaid and the Prince turn out to be impossible? Sometimes they say: “He is a prince, and she is just a “foundling” girl.” At the same time, they forget that the Little Mermaid is also a princess, although a sea one. That is, the Prince and the Little Mermaid are socially equal, but another inequality separates them. The fact is that the Little Mermaid and the Prince belonged to different worlds. She is the sea, he is the earth. And they lived different lives. She is spiritual (remember her hobbies, interests, aspirations, especially in comparison with her sisters). And the prince lived in the literal and figurative sense earthly life(we meet him on the ship, celebrating his birthday, on walks, in worries about marriage and other similar matters).
The Little Mermaid loved, but was she happy? How does Andersen answer this question? Love and happiness, according to Andersen, are not synonymous at all. Moreover, they are not compatible. The reverse side of love is not happiness, but suffering, as was the case with the Little Mermaid. We will find evidence of this in the text: “her legs were cut like knives, but she did not feel this pain - her heart was even more painful”; her "heart, longing for human happiness and immortal love"; "The little mermaid laughed and danced with mortal anguish in her heart"; “it seemed to her that her heart was about to burst from pain: his wedding should kill her.” In relation to the Little Mermaid, the words "heart" and "pain" are inseparable unity - "heart pain" with the word "happiness" does not fit in any way.
The little mermaid, despite the strength of her love, did not achieve reciprocal love from the prince and, according to the witch's prediction, had to die. But why didn't this happen? Who turned her death sentence away from her? This was done by her sisters. To save the Little Mermaid, they gave the witch their beautiful hair. Note that the hair, like the voice, is the figurative elements of mermaids. Mermaids are incomplete without hair. But the sisters made this sacrifice to save the Little Mermaid.
"The Little Mermaid" is also a fairy tale about the great power of kindred (sisterly) love - one that does not even spare itself for the sake of a loved one.
To save herself, the Little Mermaid had to plunge a knife into the prince's heart. His death is her life. Why didn't she do what was required of her? Why "the knife trembled in the hands of the Little Mermaid"? She heard how in a dream he said the name of his wife - "she alone was in his thoughts." The author does not use the word "love", but it was the prince's love for his wife that stopped the hand of the Little Mermaid. True love always respects the feelings of the other.
The little mermaid was unable to kill the prince and threw the knife into the waves, "which turned red, as if stained with blood." How to understand this metaphor? Together with the knife, the Little Mermaid threw her life into the sea. Blood here is a symbol of life. Again, the Little Mermaid sacrifices for the sake of the prince. Is there a difference between the first victims and the last? Yes, and it's huge. At the beginning of her journey to people, the Little Mermaid made unheard-of sacrifices - torments, but then she still gave only part of her body and soul and hoped for good luck. At the end of her earthly journey, the Little Mermaid sacrificed her entire life, and she had no hope left. Why does Andersen build the Little Mermaid's love story in such a way that it begins and ends with her victims? Has the Little Mermaid changed over the earthly period of her life? Yes, she changed, because she understood the main thing - the prince did not love her. So the Little Mermaid had to die. "She thought about her death hour and what she was losing with her life." What did she lose? An opportunity to receive an immortal soul through the prince's love for her.
The little mermaid has changed in understanding her position, but has remained the same in her love for the prince. The composition of the tale is precisely intended to emphasize the inviolability of this love. The Little Mermaid did not regret anything - in her love she remained the same.
The little mermaid did not achieve the love of the prince, but she retained the opportunity to gain an immortal soul. What is the difference between the first and second paths to the immortality of the soul? She received an answer from the daughters of the air, to whom she came after she threw away the knife: “Now you yourself can earn an immortal soul with good deeds and find it in three hundred years.” Why is it necessary to work for so long - as many as three hundred years? Is this number random? There is nothing accidental in Andersen's text - every detail works for main idea. Mermaids live for three hundred years, and then they turn into sea foam. The little mermaid, after three hundred years, can receive "as a reward an immortal soul and ... taste the eternal bliss available to people."
The fairy tale of the great Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen "The Little Mermaid" has long become world famous and popular, despite its sad ending. It is loved and known in most countries of the world, although the fact that it was written for children sometimes causes great doubts, the plot is too serious and difficult.
Summary of the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by Andersen
The little mermaid is a fish-girl who lives in the abyss of the sea. Her father is a widower, who, in addition to the main character of the tale, has 5 older daughters. Our Little Mermaid is the youngest, most beloved and most defenseless daughter of her father. The fullness of the experiences of the girl will not be able to convey summary. The little mermaid is very eager to see the unknown world of people. When a young girl turns 15, she is allowed to go upstairs, to where people live, not fish, and look at the world that hitherto seemed unknown to her and as if even non-existent.
And this child goes upstairs, and, ironically, she has to become an eyewitness to a shipwreck in which a young and beautiful prince dies. The little mermaid cannot be indifferent and indifferent, she, of course, rushes to his aid and saves him. What will tell us further the summary of the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by Andersen?
Continuation. Prince Charming
The fact that the prince is really beautiful is not a proven fact at all, but the young and ardent heart of the sea maiden perceives him exactly like that, because in an instant it lights up with love for the young man. Let's explore the summary further. "The Little Mermaid" says that the young prince, unfortunately, does not know the name of his savior, because she is forced to hide in the depths of the sea. But even there she does not find a place for herself, grieving from love for the prince and coming to the understanding that she cannot even live without him. It was then that the thought came into her little head of the sea witch, who has considerable power and can, no doubt, help her grief.
The little mermaid goes to the sea witch, and she - lo and behold! - agrees to help her, but with considerable conditions. Namely: she demands in return the voice of the Little Mermaid, which is beautiful, like a fresh stream. In addition, the sea witch puts a very short time so that the girl could win the heart of her hero, otherwise she would die at sunset, turning into sea foam.
Mermaid among people
And so the sea maiden in an instant turned from a fish-man into a real person. Unfortunately, the summary does not allow describing her feelings. The little mermaid was invited by the prince to the palace. It would seem, what else could a young girl wish for, because now she was next to her lover! However, her love did not find a reciprocal feeling. The young man did not love her, but treated her like a friend. And on top of all the troubles of the poor Little Mermaid, he also marries a princess from a neighboring kingdom.
Love and its highest manifestation - self-sacrifice - is presented in the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid". The summary of the tale cannot get around this main idea stories about the sea girl. She sacrifices herself in the name of love. Her love does not require anything for herself, she wants to see her loved one happy. She is not selfish and does not require a reciprocal feeling from her beloved.
Completion of the fairy tale
Our summary is coming to an end. The little mermaid will die if the prince does not love her. However, sisters, immensely loving girl, agree with the sea witch that their sister's salvation is possible if she kills the prince. They persuade the Little Mermaid, but she does not agree. Her love is selfless, she is ready to give everything, even her life, so that the prince she loves lives and is happy. In the end, this is what happens. The girl dies, the prince remains alive, not even suspecting how close he was to possible death, and the Little Mermaid saves him twice.
The Little Mermaid turns into the abyss of the sea, from where she came and where she had to go, having lived for 300 years. However, her life ends at the age of only 15, but over the years she has shown a true example of courage, generosity and self-sacrifice. The summary of the book "The Little Mermaid" will always lead the reader to an understanding of what lies behind these words, which are the ideal of true love. Therefore, we can say that this fairy tale was written not so much for children as for adults, although it will also be useful for children to understand real feelings.
Mermaid cartoon
The world famous animation company "Walt Disney" in 1989 shot its 28th cartoon filmed at this studio. The world storyteller Hans Christian Anderson was chosen as the author by the animators. "The Little Mermaid", a summary of which was presented above, was taken as the basis for creating the plot. A fairy tale with a tragic ending would hardly be a great success, and in general, children do not like unhappy endings to stories. Therefore, the creators of the cartoon modified the main plot by changing the ending.
In the cartoon, the handsome prince no longer treats the mute girl as a friend, on the contrary, from the very beginning she attracts his male attention, he reaches out to her, but in his soul he harbors the memory of his savior and her wonderful voice that he heard on the shore . The cartoon ends, as one would expect from the very beginning, happily, evil is defeated, and good is rewarded. This cartoon has long won the love of millions of boys and girls, and children and adults still enjoy watching it.
Conclusion
In Denmark, the Little Mermaid is recognized as a symbol of the state, and monuments to her can be repeatedly found on the streets of this country. Despite the fact that the great storyteller wrote many worthy tales, it is the image of the Little Mermaid that is the first thing that comes to mind when his name is mentioned. Many girls are brought up on this image, transferring it later to their future family life. One can, of course, argue about whether this is good. Many will say that you need to remember at least a little about yourself, otherwise who will take care of you? However, it was precisely by her self-sacrifice that the Little Mermaid (a brief summary of the tale shows this) became famous throughout the world and remained in the hearts of millions of people who read this work.
The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue) - the heroine of the fairy tale by H.K. Andersen "The Little Mermaid" (1836-1837). The origins of the plot are folk theme the love of a mermaid for a person (for example, Melusina in Celtic mythology). This topic was devoted to several poetic works of Andersen. R. is one of the six daughters of the widowed sea king, of course, the youngest, as befits the heroine of Andersen's fairy tale: the smallest and weakest. Upon reaching the age of 15, the mermaid sisters received permission to go upstairs, to the shore, to the earth, in order to look at the world of people. This journey marked the maturation of the daughters of the sea king. When R.'s turn came, she realized that she wanted to live among people. The heroine saw and fell in love with the handsome prince, she decided to live a short human life (mermaids live three hundred years) in order to gain an immortal soul later (mermaids, dying, turn into sea foam). She managed, by paying an exorbitant price to the sea witch, to be among the people. She lost her magical voice, and every step of her lovely legs, which grew in place of the tail, caused her acute pain. But the main condition for achieving immortality was the love of the prince. When he fell in love and married another, R. died. She did not use the only chance for her salvation: by piercing the heart of the prince, it was possible, by sprinkling his legs with blood, to become a mermaid again. Of course, R. spared her beloved and died herself. R. is one of Andersen's rare tragic heroines, among whom she stands out with a special melancholy charm. But she is close to such heroines as Gerda from " snow queen and Eliza from wild swans”, with their courage, perseverance, generosity. The image of R. has become a symbol of Denmark. Created in 1913 by the sculptor E. Eriksen, The Little Mermaid was installed in the port of Copenhagen.
Lit .: Braude L. Hans Christian Andersen and his collections "Tales told to children" and "New Tales" // Andersen H.K. Tales told to children. New fairy tales. M., 1983. S. 279-321; Braude L. Creation of a literary fairy tale // Braude L. Skandinavskaya literary tale. M., 1979. S.44-98.
Devastatingly attractive, bewitching with lingering tunes, sometimes pale and sad, sometimes laughing uncontrollably, a sea maiden, turning into sea foam after her death ... Romantic dreams and aspirations for the ideal of many generations of men were embodied in the legends of mermaids - dreams of a woman inaccessible, unlike an ordinary daughter Eve. Modern psychologists say that this image symbolizes sexual desire, leading to self-destruction. A mermaid is a symbol of a mixture of sexual attraction and death, a man’s desire to completely forget himself, even realizing that this sweet oblivion leads to self-destruction. Sexy and voluptuous, and at the same time - cold and elusive, unattainable seductress, whose eternal youth and beauty, magical voice and the art of seduction lead helpless sailors to death. But belief in sea maidens was not the prerogative of sailors going crazy with boredom and abstinence on long ocean voyages. In world folklore, there are many stories about the seductive inhabitants of the deep sea - half-woman, half-fish. Mermaid legends have their roots in powerful Babylonian deities associated with the Sun and Moon. The sun god Oannes had the body of a man, his crown was made from the head of a fish, and his mantle was made from fish scales. Gradually, Oannes was supplanted by the god Ea, already a half-fish-half-man, and it can be assumed that the appearance in Greek mythology myths about tritons, causing calm and storms, is connected precisely with him. And the moon goddess Atargatis, half woman half fish, was the forerunner of mermaids. The Babylonians believed that the Sun and Moon, completing their daily journey through the firmament of heaven, plunged into the sea. And, of course, the gods, symbolizing them, had to have suitable bodies for life both under water and on land. The unusual image of these gods - the symbiosis of fish and man brought to the absolute - and the ability to dive into unexplored ocean depths added to their mystery. Mermaids have inherited these qualities. And, perhaps, the mirror, with which sea maidens are often depicted, symbolizes the ancient night luminary, commanding the tides, and thereby expanding the magical power of mermaids.
Mermaids are mentioned in the folklore of all countries of the world, and if there is no sea in a country, a river or lake becomes its home. Indian river nymphs have a human appearance, skillfully play the lute, are unusually beautiful and seductive. Fickle and looking for new victories, they, unlike their European girlfriends, never destroy men, but, on the contrary, please them in every possible way. In Slavic mythology, dead girls and unbaptized children turn into mermaids. They live underwater in marvelous crystal chambers, and in the mermaid week following the Trinity, they come out of the water, run through the fields, swing in the trees, and can tickle to death or drag people they meet into the water. They are especially dangerous on Thursday - the Great Mermaid Day. Therefore, you can’t swim in the mermaid for a week, and in order to scare off the scoundrels, you need to carry wormwood with you, which they are supposedly afraid of. Compassionate women, pitying the unfortunate mermaids, hang clothes, towels, threads for them on trees, and girls - elegant wreaths. And mermaids always return kindness for kindness. If you cover a naked mermaid (mermaid baby) with your clothes, the mermaid mother will reward you, if you wish, with health, money, the gift of a healer and a skilled healer. But their Western European sisters are quite insidious and bloodthirsty creatures. According to some legends, these are fallen angels, whose food is living flesh. With singing and wonderful music they lure sailors into their nets. If (which happens quite rarely) this method of attraction does not work, mermaids rely on the unique smell of their body, which no man can resist. (It turns out that sea beauties from ancient times took into account the magical power of pheromones in a love game - hormones that stimulate the physiological and behavioral reactions of the opposite sex). Having caught and lulled their prey, they tore it into pieces with sharp green teeth. The less cruel took the victims to their underwater kingdom full of treasures. Therefore, for sailors, the mermaid was bad omen. Whoever saw her was soon to drown in the sea. But, having fallen in love with a person, these insidious creatures lived on the shore for a long time. Only, in order to marry a mermaid, it was necessary to steal and hide her crown, without which the captive could not return to the sea. If the sea maiden ever found a crown, then she immediately disappeared with her into the abyss of the sea. In order to keep the mermaid on the shore forever, it was also necessary to steal her second skin - the seal. Graceful seals with their smooth body have long been associated with mermaids. And many folklore scholars believe that stories about mermaids are based on fleeting encounters with these marine mammals. In legends, the seal usually appears as a constant companion of sea maidens. It is said that once a fisherman stunned and skinned a seal, and then threw it, still alive, back into the sea. Taking pity on the animal, the mermaid went in search of the skin. But, captivated by people, she died, having spent too long in the burning air element. In gratitude for her courage and dedication, the seals always accompanied and guarded the mermaids. In Asia Minor, a whole people traced its lineage from mermaids and seals. In an ancient legend, a sea nymph turned into a seal to avoid the obsessive attention of the son of Zeus. However, he was persistent, and soon the nymph gave birth to a son. It was called Focus - "Seal". The descendants of Focus, the Fokoians, were proud of their descent from a sea nymph and decorated their coins with the image of a seal. With the advent of Christianity, legends about mermaids appeared new topic: They were described as beings eager to acquire an immortal soul. And mermaids could find it only by promising to settle on land, leave the sea and all dreams of returning there someday. With such a cruel prospect of an inevitable choice, the modern Mermaid is just right to run to a psychoanalyst. But in the VI century, psychoanalysis was practiced only in the confessionals of priests. And the restless mermaid, who lived near a small island not far from Scotland, visited daily a monk from the holy brotherhood of Jonah. She prayed for a soul, and the monk prayed with her to give her the strength to leave the sea. The mermaid passionately fell in love with the monk and really wanted to have a soul, but she was not able to betray the sea element either. In the end, weeping bitterly, she left the island forever. It is said that the tears shed by her turned into pebbles and have since been called “mermaid tears”. In Holland at the beginning of the 15th century, after all, one mermaid was sent to the path of the righteous. She penetrated through the destroyed dam into the river, where she was caught. She lived among people for 15 years. She learned to spin and listen to her mistress. After her death, she was buried according to Christian customs. And the inhabitants of the Welsh port of Milford Harbor are still in late XIX For centuries, it has been believed that mermaids regularly visit the city's weekly fair via an underwater road to buy much-needed tortoise combs, and disappear until the next day of the fair. For famous travelers and navigators such as Christopher Columbus and Henry Hudson, encounters with mermaids on the high seas were quite common occurrences. But sailboats were gradually supplanted by steamships, sea voyages became much shorter, and sailors spoke less and less about how the sea sirens seduced and teased them. Perhaps the last such exciting encounter occurred in 1957 during the journey of Eric de Bishop on his model of a reconstructed ancient Polynesian raft from Tahiti to Chile. The sailor on duty proved to everyone that he had seen an incomprehensible creature with hair like the finest algae jumping out of the water onto the deck. Touching the uninvited guest (guest?), the sailor received such a blow in response that he sprawled on the deck, and the creature disappeared into the waves. The sailor's hands were left with sparkling fish scales... Slavic mythology Let's remember that the mermaid week was from June 19 to 24, right before the Kupala holiday. The beautiful girls took off their bracelets and loosened their long sleeves, turning into "birds". Either in birds, or in mermaids. During the holiday, they danced a flowing dance, waving their long sleeves like wings and singing: In the muddy week, the Mermaids sat. Oh early th ru! The mermaids were sitting, the shirts were asking: Ai girls-girlfriends, Give me the shirts. Give shirts, Curl wreaths, Curl wreaths On the holy wind. Oh early th ru! For wind! It turns out that you need to curl a wreath, and pay off, clothes, that is, give a mermaid. And they curled the wreath so that the lads greeted, and this is a marriage spell, they always curled a red love flower into the wreath - they asked the goddess Lelya to help find the betrothed. The mermaids were also responsible for fertility. They loved dew painfully, where a mermaid runs, flies - there is a bigger harvest. And where there is fertility, there is a wedding, and prosperity, and children will be born. Ancient people also say that mermaids are connected with water, like swans. They hung them in the mermaid week with threads, yarn, towels, shirts on branches "weeping", bent to the water, that is. That is why the tail of a fish came in handy for some of them. Swimming is more fun with a tail. They were called shorelines, they also helped to get to the shore. And the shore is called the shore because they fled from the water on it. Oh, those little mermaids were beautiful! Tokmo their hair is unusual - long, long, and green besides. However, it is not clear why it is so, sometimes with the wings of a mermaid, like a bird of God, sometimes with a fish tail? Yes, that's what. Nebushko, the Slavs called heavenly okiyanom, they called it. Little mermaids flew from heaven to sinful earth. Everything is in feathers, but as soon as they moved to the oceans, rivers, seas of the earth, they left their feathers and acquired a fish tail. So it is to this day. Which of them remained in the sky - those with feathers, with wings, they all flutter. And what kind of mermaids looked after rivers, forest lakes for housing - they became half-fish. Vasilisa the Wise - the daughter of the Tsar of the Sea, was also a mermaid, however, having married, she hid her swan wings for the time being ... Yes, and the Princess - a Frog of the same kind - tribe. Tokmo not for every maiden of heaven or the sea will go to deserve it. Little mermaids love to listen to music. Yes, and to sing masters, like Greek sirens, only not as evil as those nonhumans. "After the rain on Thursday," they say, and for good reason. Clean Thursday, they say, and also not for nothing. This day is dedicated to earthly and heavenly water. For this day, the ancient Slavic god Perun is responsible. Perun is the god of thunder and rain, as well as the armies of the daring and just prince. He rules this day. And not only him. Beautiful girls have their own hope on this day. These are mermaids. On this day, at the red dawn, the girls plunged into the water three times, then they rolled three times on the damp earth, on the healing dew of the mermaid. Yes, they did it with intelligence and cunning - they rode from east to west, along the course of the red sun, adding its strength to its beauty. And then in the corners they climbed onto the roof of the huts, closer to the sun and praised the spring-red with a song. And the old people also say that the bread-breadwinner should be born better, a mermaid, all in flowers and a wreath, dress up the most beautiful girl. They led her with songs to the field and pushed her into the spiked rye. She then ran out of there and caught everyone who came to hand. And they ran away laughing. And the little mermaid is bored running around the field alone. And the rye is thick, after this ceremony it became. In the rusalia of Slavic wise men, they find features reminiscent of the cult of Dionysus in Thrace, the Euclesian mysteries in Athens, ceremonies in which initiated mysts and priests participated. The dance of "swords" among the Germans and the dance of the "Maruts" - the gods of thunder among the Hindus from the same place, from the Mermaids went. This holiday is ancient and revered in all cities and villages. As we said before, the little mermaids were different. They will be born like Vila (mermaids of the southern brothers of our Slavs) from rain, illuminated by the sun, from dew. They live differently. Those who have looked after the place in the reservoirs live in crystal palaces; heavenly mermaids - castles in the clouds bungled ("bungled" is a heavenly construction. "Sva" - the sky in ancient Indian, from there our wedding source leads, i.e. sanctified by heaven). But this is another story. Little mermaids run around the rye, across the field. They will pour rain on mother earth in the spring, there will be prosperity in the houses of farmers, but they can also get angry, then they will send a storm. And I also know that the river mermaid has a magic comb. She decorates her green hair with it and combs it. With the comb, the nets of too greedy fishermen are torn, or the millstone, riding on it in the moonlight, can spoil. So that the water does not muddy in vain. With this crest and in the forest, the little mermaid can live, without her beloved water. But woe to that guy who wants to spy on a mermaid, like a village girl. Tickle him to death. Then either take your feet away, or throw dry powder from henbane-wormwood into her eyes - she doesn’t like him very much. But if a mermaid takes pity on someone and falls in love, whether it be a guy or a girl, and if a cruel death happens to him, she will cry over him. And her tears are living water, giving life. The blue lights above the graves are the souls of people. Through the efforts of mermaids, these souls ascend to heaven. If she sees who such a light is, then the mermaid carried the soul of the deceased to the heavenly garden Iriy. At ancient wells, they say, the queen of mermaids keeps living water. Any soul will not come to life, it will not get to heaven without this magical drink, brought from heaven by a mermaid, that's it. Not only girls could get help from the mermaids, but they didn’t forget the guys either, they didn’t leave them unattended. It was hard work for the guys. The squad gathered mermaid, spent the night outside the house, could not speak, not a word. But for a whole week, if they come to a house and perform a round dance with jumps around a sick or dumb person, that one will be healthy with the power of a mermaid. And even if they don’t forget to put on a wreath on their heads, as a sign of respect for the little mermaid. But the mermaid girls loved more. What girl accidentally dies before the wedding, that one could return life in the human flesh for the Rus week, though the villagers were afraid of such revived girls. And after the mermaid week, ritual funerals were arranged for such "mermaids" so as not to embarrass the people. Their effigy was burned or thrown into the water, in different places in different ways. They were still afraid of mermaids, as well as knowledgeable and strong women. And they, the little mermaids, and the lost child could go out and save, and if they help her with anything, they will thank and bestow for life, but if they take care of her baby, then even more so. The little mermaid knew how to turn into a white swan. Yes, and sometimes she was a daughter of the Sea Tsar. They are relatives with swans. And let us remember our children's swing, and so, our ancestors swung on them on holidays, like mermaids on the branches, in honor of the goodness bestowed by mermaids, and they saw communion with heaven through the swing. Mermaids loved this fun. Even water mermaids loved to swing on the waves. At the mermaid festival, beautiful girls looked after their suitors, yes, sometimes, in our opinion, they "performed a sin" with their betrothed-mummers. It was not the guys who chose the girls at this holiday, but the girls chose the guys. A girl's week is mermaid. It was customary to pour water on everyone. Round dance around the wells. They made a straw horse, he meant the sun. The guys carried this horse around the village and depicted that he was throwing himself at everyone who passed by. To whom this horse touches - that and good luck in all matters will be. Old people or crippled people were soared with "evil" roots in the bathhouse, and carried to the bathhouse on nettles. Let them be patient. But the little mermaid will give strength and health. And the sacred drink was brewed from young grass. Cooked, changing it three times, seasoned with honey, hops, dry raisins. On the third day they poured it and gave it to the table by the trinity. That drink was 7-8 degrees, but it took away no worse than other fortified wine, and it healed great. And if the beautiful girls were deceived by their fiancé or betrothed, they knew what to do. They went to a spring, or a forest lake and cried, complained about the offender to the little mermaid. That husband or groom was salty later. Until now, sorcery is like this: blame your own insult for water, and throw it into that water, a ring given by an adversary. It will be then to him, the offender, oh, not fun. Only the little mermaid kind word need to be remembered. It is better not to complain in winter, but in summer, spring or autumn. Old women say that mermaids sleep in winter, and wake up at Christmas, when "the lads are chasing the kalyadino colo." If you tell fortunes on the river, or ask what the girl wants by the running water - let him throw a feather into the water - let him swim. And then he asks what he wants in the female part. A feather is a gift to the little mermaid. You can hang beautiful strings on the bushes and sing a song quietly to the joy of the mermaid: At the gate there was a green birch, Zelena stood, waving a twig, On that birch the Mermaid sat, The mermaid sat, shirts asked: "Young girls, give me shirts! Though thin - skinny, but white-white!" And after singing three times, say: "Take, little mermaid, a gift, give me a gift." Yes, and express your request by hanging shreds or threads on a bush or tree, and it’s not a pity, then a white shirt. From green anguish, if you are stuck, you also need to whisper to the little mermaid: “Water, you are water, spring water! my words are light and strong (it is necessary to read on the water with which you wash yourself). And they also say that a mermaid is called a mermaid because the river was called a blond river in ancient times, the word "channel" from the river "lo" - the bed occurs. Isn't it from here that the Rus tribe is named? Maybe our ancestors understood themselves as people connected with rivers, with the power and magic of water, female.
The writing
The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue) - the heroine of the fairy tale by H.K. Andersen "The Little Mermaid" (1836-1837). The origins of the plot are in the folklore theme of a mermaid's love for a person (for example, Melusina in Celtic mythology). This topic was devoted to several poetic works of Andersen. R. is one of the six daughters of the widowed sea king, of course, the youngest, as befits the heroine of Andersen's fairy tale: the smallest and weakest. Upon reaching the age of 15, the mermaid sisters received permission to go upstairs, to the shore, to the earth, in order to look at the world of people. This journey marked the maturation of the daughters of the sea king. When R.'s turn came, she realized that she wanted to live among people. The heroine saw and fell in love with the handsome prince, she decided to live a short human life (mermaids live three hundred years) in order to gain an immortal soul later (mermaids, dying, turn into sea foam). She managed, by paying an exorbitant price to the sea witch, to be among the people. She lost her magical voice, and every step of her lovely legs, which grew in place of the tail, caused her acute pain. But the main condition for achieving immortality was the love of the prince. When he fell in love and married another, R. died. She did not use the only chance for her salvation: by piercing the heart of the prince, it was possible, by sprinkling his legs with blood, to become a mermaid again. Of course, R. spared her beloved and died herself. R. is one of Andersen's rare tragic heroines, among whom she stands out with a special melancholy charm. But she is close to such heroines as Gerda from The Snow Queen and Eliza from The Wild Swans, with their courage, perseverance, generosity. The image of R. has become a symbol of Denmark. Created in 1913 by the sculptor E. Eriksen, The Little Mermaid was installed in the port of Copenhagen.
Lit .: Braude L. Hans Christian Andersen and his collections "Tales told to children" and "New Tales" // Andersen H.K. Tales told to children. New fairy tales. M., 1983. S. 279-321; Braude L. Creation of a literary fairy tale // Braude L. Scandinavian literary fairy tale. M., 1979. S.44-98.
