Free to Love: Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid

The freedom to love and individuality. The difference between spiritual love and carnal love. Love for the self and love for a beloved. The fear and fascination elicited by those who don't fit conventional categories and definitions.

Hans Christian Andersen was probably not thinking about these ideas when he wrote his fairy tale "The Little Mermaid," at least not with a conscious agenda. And yet this story about a mermaid, a figure with a long mythological history, offers an interesting opportunity to reflect on these themes.

This original version by Andersen is not Disney. It might surprise you. The story doesn’t offer solutions  but it may launch valuable personal reflection into your beliefs about who and how to love, and how you value your love relationships. 

Transcript

Hello, and welcome to Myth Matters, storytelling and conversation about mythology and what myth can offer us today. I'm your host and personal mythologist Dr. Catherine Svehla. Wherever you may be in this wide, beautiful, crazy world of ours, you are part of this story circle. 

I reread an essay by Joseph Campbell recently, from his book Myths To Live By. The essay is titled "The Mythology of Love." Campbell begins his discussion of this topic by noting the  distinction commonly upheld in our mythic traditions between spiritual love, a "higher love," agape, or the compassion of the bodhisattva and the earthly, romantic and carnal love, the "lower" type that is the common experience of the majority of us imperfect, stumbling along human beings.

 According to Campbell, this split into higher and lower, spiritual and carnal, is a relic from our history that we should examine. Does this perspective further our understanding of the mysteries of love? Campbell says "no," and he goes on to suggest that the Western examination of this split began during the time of the medieval troubadours. Through their poetry and songs, the troubadours and their patrons in the royal courts of Europe developed a new vision of love, which they called amor. 

Marriage at that time had very little to do with love. Women in particular were frequently compelled into marriages for every reason other than love, and what escaped the stringent control and authority of the Christian Church was harshly judged by the community at large.

In contrast, amor was a freely chosen love between two human beings that was both romantic and sexual, and a love that inspired the transformation of character and spirit. In this view, love itself was transformative, and the only authority was the force of love between the lovers.  They alone defined the terms of expression, seeking to both satisfy their passions and achieve spiritual refinement. This was the goal of the knight's code of chivalry. 

This freedom to love who you choose was radical and subversive. It marked the emergence, as Campbell explains, of the modern image of the individual as a person with the rights and freedoms of self-determination. I'm sure you recognize this as the ideal and model in dominate societies today, and the freedom to love is no less important to its realization. Unfortunately, we're still dealing with far too any people who think they have the right to meddle in the love and lives of others, to judge and punish people who refuse to submit to their authority. 

I'll talk a bit more about amor later on in this podcast. But reading Campbell’s essay got me thinking about a fairytale that I want to tell you today, "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen. This original version by Andersen is not Disney and it might surprise you. The story doesn’t offer solutions or a map to navigating the difficult terrain of love. It does provide an interesting opportunity to reflect on how you love, what you expect of love, and the ways this split between "higher" and "lower," the spiritual and the ordinary human passions, may limit the way you approach and value your love relationships. 

I invite you to relax and listen to the story. Notice the moment or the detail that catches your attention. This detail is an opening into the meaning of the story for you right now, and could be particularly useful as you continue to think about the story. I've shared this fairy tale with people who didn't like it or find Andersen a bit too obvious. Investigate your response to the story and refrain from judging it from the outside.

Now, "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen based on the translation by Maria Tatar and Julie K. Allen. 

"The Little Mermaid" 

If you go far, far out to sea and even further down into the depths, you will find that there is much more than bare white sands down there. You will find the kingdom of the merpeople and the castle of the Sea King. The Sea King had been a widower for many years, and his aged mother kept house for him. She was deeply devoted to her six grandchildren, six beautiful girls.

The six mermaid princesses played in beautiful surroundings. They had a marvelous castle adorned with all types of shells and pieces of coral that were luminescent under the filtered light that made its way down to the depths. The Royal Garden was similarly full of plants and shells, and of course frequented by all kinds of sea creatures and brilliantly colored fish. 

Each of the mermaid princesses had her own plot in the royal garden, where she was allowed to plant and decorate as she saw fit. The five older mermaids planted a great variety of flowers and underwater trees, and festooned their plots with various treasures. The youngest mermaid planted only red round flowers. Red round flowers that shone like the sun and reminded her of the sun very far above, which she could see, vaguely outlined, its light glittering through all of the miles of water above her head. In the middle of her garden plot, she placed a lovely statue of a boy chiseled from pure white stone, that had landed at the bottom of the sea after a shipwreck. 

The mermaid princesses were very happy. They had many amusements, they got along well, and some evenings their devoted grandmother told them stories about the human world above and beyond the sea. She told them about the sound of bells ringing and birdsong. She told them that the flowers up there had a fragrance. The youngest mermaid, especially, was enchanted by the stories of another world. "When you turn fifteen," their grandmother told them "you can go all the way up to the surface and sit on the rocks in the moonlight, and see some of these things for yourself." 

No one wanted to see this strange other world more than the youngest mermaid. Many nights she stood at her window and looked up through the depths to see the pale light of the moon and the stars, and the shadows that were cast by whales or ships moving in the water overhead. The longing to see these things inspired and filled her dreams. 

When the oldest mermaid princess turned 15, she was allowed to swim up to the surface. She had much to report when she came back home. Her favorite moment she said, was lying on a sand bar close to the shore, where she could see the city lights twinkling in the moonlight off in the distance. She told her sisters that this was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. 

The following year, the second mermaid sister turned 15. She reached the surface of the sea just as the sun was setting. The sky happened to be filled with clouds that evening and they were touched with that incredible golden pink light from the sun. The sky was filled with gold and the surface of the water rippled with pink and orange. When she came back home, this mermaid sister said she had never seen anything more beautiful. 

The next year the third mermaid princess turned 15. She was a bit more daring than the older sisters and actually swam up a river to get views of the countryside, of the houses and the woods. She came upon a group of children playing in the water. She swam up to them and wanted to join them, but they were terrified at the sight of her and scrambled out of the water and ran away. Not long after, a dog came down to the bank and barked at her, so eventually, she swam away. But she said she would never forget the image of those children splashing about in the water. 

The fourth sister stayed far out in the middle of the wild ocean. She didn't go near the shore. When she was caught up in the vastness of her own watery realm, she didn't have much interest in the land and the humans. She stayed out in the middle of the ocean and played with the dolphins and the seagulls. 

The fifth sister had a little bit different experience because her birthday was in the wintertime. When she went up to the surface of the sea, she saw things that the others did not. The ocean had turned quite green with the cold. There were huge floating icebergs in the water that glittered like gigantic diamonds. This mermaid sister sat on the ice and watched as a tremendous storm, with huge rolling waves and wind and lightning, came in. She found the power and the glory of the storm tremendously beautiful and thrilling. She noticed that the few ships that she glimpsed off in the distance stayed away from the ice however, and didn't come close. 

Each of these mermaid princesses were delighted with the view from the surface for a while. But they gradually lost interest after they'd made a few of trips and done some exploring. They very much preferred the comforts of home and the familiar sights and amusements of the deep sea. Sometimes, the five of them did go up to the surface together. Then they would link their arms and sing. Mermaids have lovely voices, more beautiful than any human. 

If a storm was raging when they got to the surface, and they found a shipwreck, the five mermaid sisters went to the sailors and sang to them. They told them not to be afraid of the depths. But the men couldn't understand their words or songs, and when they arrived at last in the kingdom of the Sea King, they were dead. 

The youngest mermaid was left behind at these times and she would have cried if mermaids could shed tears. Finally, she turned 15. Her grandmother made her dress up and wear eight big oyster shells clamped onto her tail to show her high rank. "Ow," she complained to her grandmother," those hurt." "Beauty has its price," her grandmother replied.

This youngest mermaid reached the surface just as the sun was setting. The pale pink sky was calm. The air was mild. She saw a tall three masted ship drifting in the water and could hear music and other sounds of a party. She stayed around the ship, listening, curious about all the movement on board. 

When night fell, hundreds of colored lanterns were lit. It was so beautiful. The mermaid swam up to the portholes of the cabin and looked inside. Yes, a party. She swam around to each of the portholes to look in at the crowd and the festivities. Then she noticed the guest of honor, the most handsome young man she had ever seen. He couldn't have been more than 16. His dark hair and eyes shown in the light. The mermaid realize that it was his birthday and he was a prince. She followed his progress from the water when he came out onto the deck. She never took her eyes from his face. 

All of the sailors danced. Then they shot fireworks up into the air. At first, the mermaid was so startled that she dove down beneath the waves for a moment. But then she came back up and saw that there was no harm in it, only beauty. It was getting late but she couldn't tear herself away from the ship and the smiling prince.

At last, the party was over. The sailors took down the colored lanterns. They put up the sails to head home. The wind began to blow hard. Waves rose and rocked the ship. In a short time, the waves were so high that they loomed like great black mountains over the deck. The ship groaned and creaked and the crew moved around frantically trying to hold on and to keep the ship upright against the storm. 

For a while, the mermaid enjoyed the beauty and fury of the storm. Then lightning flashed and the ship's mast snapped. Water poured into the ship as it tipped over onto its side. The mermaid suddenly realized that the ship was in real danger. She had to dodge bits of wreckage in the darkness. The prince must be in the water, she thought. She was overjoyed that he would live in her watery world but then she remembered that human beings could not survive in the water. Oh no. 

The mermaid darted among the floating planks, oblivious to the danger of being crushed. When she found the prince, his limbs were failing and his beautiful eyes were shut. He was on the verge of drowning and would have died if she hadn't held him. She held his head above the water and let the waves carry the two of them along. She held him in her arms all night. By morning, the storm was over. 

There was no sign of the ship. The prince was cold and white, and she kissed his brow and smoothed his hair wishing that he might live. Then she looked up and saw land. Off in the distance, was a lovely green coast and some buildings clustered by a beach inside a small peaceful bay. The mermaid swam into the bay with the prince. She went up onto the beach and laid him gently on the sand. Bells began ringing in the buildings and a group of young girls came out and ran down to the beach. The mermaid hid behind some rocks in the water, so no one would see her. Before long, one of the girls saw the prints in the sand. She ran to get help. The mermaid watched as the prince was revived and taken into one of the buildings. 

When she went home, her sisters asked her about her first visit to the surface. But she didn't want to tell them. Many mornings and evenings, the youngest mermaid swam back to the beach where she had left the prince. Time went by. She watched the fruit ripen on the trees and then the snow fell. The seasons changed but she never caught sight of the prince again. When she wasn't looking for him, she sat with her arms wrapped around the white statue in her garden. The marble boy, she thought, looked a lot like her prince. 

The young mermaid was miserable and couldn't bear her silence any longer. She told her sisters everything and they told their friends. One of the friends knew about the prince. She' d seen him and his fine ship too, and knew she where he lived. "Come, little sister," the mermaids said, "Let's go and find him. We'll show you where he lives." 

Arm in arm, the six of them swam to the surface. The prince's castle was on a marvelous bay and had a grand marble staircase that ran straight down to the edge of the sea. They peered through the large glass windows and saw sumptuous furniture, flowers, beautiful paintings, and statues. 

Now the little mermaid went to the palace almost every evening. She swam closer and closer, even daring to swim up a narrow channel that ran right under the balcony of the prince's room. She often watched him take his ship out and heard the music from his parties. The sailors and the fisherman praised the young prince, and this made her very happy about having saved his life. She remembered holding him and kissing him. 

The Little Mermaid grew more and more fond of human beings and more and more fascinated with their world. It seemed so much larger and brighter and more colorful than her own. Her sisters and her grandmother couldn't tell her nearly enough about it. 

One day she asked her grandmother about human beings and drowning and death. "If human beings don't drown," she asked, "can they live forever?" "Oh, no," said her grandmother, "they die and they often live shorter lives than we do. We can live for up to 300 years. When we die, we turn into foam on the sea. In fact, we don't even have graves because we lack an immortal soul. So, we will never live another life. But human beings, they have souls that live forever. They say it rises up to the stars, when their bodies have turned to dust." 

"Why don't we have immortal souls?" asked the little mermaid. "I think I would give all of my 300 years to have one day as a human and share in that heavenly world." "Well, that's not a thing to worry about" said her grandmother." Besides, we are much happier than they are." "Isn't there anything I can do to gain an immortal soul?" said the youngest mermaid.  

"No, my dear," said her grandmother. "Only if a human loved you so much that you meant more to him than his father and mother. Only if you were to be the dearest wife of a human who loved you with all his heart and soul. But that will never happen. Humans don't understand the beauty of your fishtail. They think it's hideous. They have these two pillar like things that they call legs, that they get around on. Let's forget this and celebrate our 300 years." Grandma declared that was the end of the conversation. 

There was a grand and lovely party at the Sea King's palace that evening. All of the merpeople sang sweet songs, more beautiful than any human song. The youngest mermaid had the most beautiful voice of all and everyone applauded her. For a moment, there was joy in her heart. But she couldn't stop thinking about the human world and the prince and an immortal soul. A deep sorrow fell over her and she slipped away from the party. "Who can help me," she wondered.

Then she thought of the sea witch. "The witch terrifies me" she said to herself, "but maybe she can give me some advice." 

The Little Mermaid left the palace in the gardens and swam far away. The sea witch lived way out on the edge, past the churning currents and maelstroms. The little mermaid had never been there before. This place was barren. There was no seagrass at all. She had to pass over churning swirling whirlpools and boiling mud holes. She chose her paths very carefully. Finally, she was in the swampy home ground of the sea witch. There were no beautiful trees and bushes, only sea polyps, these half animal half plant creatures with long, slithering fingers that they used to reach out and grab things. When they grabbed something, they wound themselves around it so tightly that they killed it. 

The youngest mermaid was afraid. She saw the white skeletons of humans who had perished at sea. Bits of junk from their ships that the polyps were holding onto. Great fat water snakes slithered around. In a clearing was a shelter made of bones. The mermaid thought she would faint from fear but the thought of the prince and an immortal soul sustained her. She made it to the front door of the sea witch's house. 

She hadn't even knocked when the sea witch opened her door and said "I know what you want. You're hoping to get rid of that fishtail and have two stumps to walk around on like human beings. You're sure the prince will fall in love with you and that you will win an immortal soul. I can help you. You're just in time because this is something that I can only do once a year. I'll make you a potion to drink. You must swim up to land before sunrise and drink it. There your tail will split and become what human beings call pretty legs. You're still going to be quite graceful but I warn you, every step that you take with those legs will be like treading on a knife. It's going to feel like burning needles. There will be enough pain to make your feet bleed. Do you think you can endure that?" 

The mermaid trembled at the thought of this much pain. Then she thought about the prince and the immortal soul. "Yes," she said "I can handle that." "Think carefully" said the sea witch, "there will be no turning back. Once you lose your tail, you can never come home again or see your family. And the only way that you can win an immortal soul is to make the prince love you above all else and marry you. If he marries someone else, your heart will break. And you will die and become sea foam. Forget the 300 years." The youngest mermaid was pale but she said "I'm ready." 

"First you have to pay me," said the witch, "and I demand a steep price. I have to put my own blood into this potion. You have the most beautiful voice in the sea and I expect that you plan to charm the prince with it. But you must give it to me. I want the dearest thing that you have in exchange for this potion." "But if you take my voice," said the mermaid "what will I have left?" "Why your lovely figure," said the sea witch, "and your expressive eyes and your courage."

So, the deal was done. The sea witch cut out the mermaids tongue. She made the potion as promised and handed it to the mermaid. "If those polyps tried to grab you on the way out," the witch said, "toss a dropper this potion on them and they'll burst into a thousand pieces." But that wasn't necessary because when the polyps saw her emerge from the witch's house with a bottle of potion in her hand, they shrunk back in terror. 

The bottle of potion glowed in her hands like a luminous star as she made her careful way back to her father's palace. Her family and friends were dancing and singing inside. This was her last look. She was leaving them forever. She blew them a thousand kisses and swam away with a sorrowful heart. 

The sun hadn't risen yet when she arrived at the marble steps of the prince's palace. There she drank the bitter, fiery potion. She felt as if a double-edged sword was cutting her in two. The pain was so great that she fainted. 

The sun was shining when she woke up, and the prince was looking down at her. She glanced down and saw that she had the lovely, long, white legs that any human would own. The prince asked her who she was and how she got there, but she couldn't speak. All she could do was look up at him tenderly. He took her hand and escorted her into the palace. 

Every step felt like she was walking on burning knives and needles. Still, she moved lightly and gracefully, and everyone was charmed. The prince had some beautiful costly dresses made for her and invited her to accompany him everywhere he went. 

Not long after this, there was a big party and some servant girls were brought in to sing and dance. The young prince was enthralled with them. Alas, the little mermaid sat there mute. She couldn't sing and she knew that she had an even more beautiful voice, which was a pity. But she could dance, and she moved so gracefully that everyone was enchanted including the prince. "You must never leave me" he told her, and he bade her sleep on a velvet cushion outside his bedroom door. 

The mermaid and the prince had many adventures together. She put on a page's costume and went horseback riding with him. They climbed tall mountains. They visited foreign lands. They took many trips on his fine ships. Sometimes her feet bled from the effort of these excursions but when others noticed it she just laughed and smiled and kept on going. 

At night she crept down to where the marble steps met the water's edge, and soaked her burning feet in the cold sea. Then she thought of home and her family and what she'd left. But here was the prince, and the prince was growing more fond of the little mermaid with every passing day. 

With her eyes, she asked him, "Do you care for me more than anyone else?" He seemed to understand. He kissed her brow and he told her, "Oh, you are more precious to me than anyone else. You have the kindest heart of anyone I know and you are so devoted to me. In fact, my little foundling, you remind me of a young girl that I met once and will probably never see again. She saved my life. I was in a shipwreck and she found me on the beach. But she belongs to a holy temple and will likely never marry. She is the only one that I could ever love. My good fortune sent me you in her place."

The little mermaid was glad to hear of his affection. "Little does he know," she thought "I am the one who saved his life. But he says that the other girl belongs to a holy temple and is probably out of his life forever. So, I will stay here and be by his side every day and devote myself to him. And he will love me and I will have an immortal soul."

Not long after this, the prince's parents decided that he should marry. They arranged a marriage for him with a princess in a distant land. The prince told her that he had to go and meet the princess they had chosen for him. "My parents insist," he said, "but they will never force me to marry someone I don't love and I am sure that I could never love her. She's not like the young girl at the temple, whom you resemble. So, if I have to choose a bride someday, it will be you, my quiet little orphan." Then he kissed her on the lips. 

The little mermaid was on the ship with the prince when he sailed to the distant kingdom. She stood by him on the deck when they came into the harbor. Bells rang and flags were flying. A great crowd gathered to welcome them but the princess was waiting at the palace. Everyone said that she was quite beautiful, well educated, and virtuous too. She had been raised at a holy temple. 

At last, they were ushered into the great hall and when the princess entered, the little mermaid had to admit that she had never seen anyone more enchanting. The princess walked toward the prince and he suddenly shook his head and smiled. He eagerly took her in his arms. "It's you," he said, "you are the young woman from the beach who saved my life." He turned to the little mermaid. "This is the best thing imaginable," he said "more than I would ever dare hope. This is the young woman I told you about, and because you are so devoted to me, I know that you share my happiness." 

The little mermaid smiled and kissed the young woman's hand but her heart was breaking. She knew the day of the wedding would be her last one on earth. Soon she would be foam on the ocean waves and her hope for an immortal soul was gone. 

The wedding day was beautiful, as was the church, the bride, the palace and the party. Everyone was overjoyed. The little mermaid played her part bravely, even carrying the bride's train as she walked down the aisle. That evening, the bride and groom went aboard their ship. Colored lanterns were lit, and music played, and everyone danced and sang. 

Once again, the little mermaid danced with such beauty and grace that cries of admiration rang out from all sides. She felt as if sharp knives were cutting her feet but the pain in her heart was far keener. 

She knew that this was the last night she would see the prince. She thought of her family and the life that she had forsaken. She had given up her beautiful voice and endured excruciating pain for a man who had never suspected her agony, and her life would be short, because she wanted an immortal soul. This was the last night that she would see the stars or breathe the cool night air. 

The party ended and the royal couple retired together into a tent of red and purple. The ship rocked gently on the waves and the sails flapped softly with the breeze. The little mermaid stood on the deck alone, gazing into the sea. Then her sisters rose up from the depths, arm in arm. They looked pale and drawn, and she noticed that all of their lovely long hair was gone.

 "We gave our hair to the witch," they told her "so she would help you escape your fate. She gave us a sharp knife. See, look. Before sunrise, you must use this to kill the prince. When his warm blood splatters on your feet, your fishtail will grow back together. You'll be a mermaid again and can come home to us. Everyone has been heartbroken since you left. Hurry, hurry. Soon the sky will be striped with red and it will be too late." They tossed the knife up to the little mermaid and sank down beneath the waves. 

Perhaps, all was not lost. She had lost the prince and the chance for an immortal soul. But she could go home again and live out the 300 years granted to her kind. She crept quietly to the tent where the prince and his bride slept in each other's arms. She bent down and gently kissed his brow. The sky was growing brighter. She looked down at the sharp knife in her hand. She heard the prince whisper the name of his princess in his sleep. She was the only one in his heart. 

The mermaid trembled. She ran to the railing and threw the knife into the sea and the water turned red where it fell. With the last glance at the prince, the little mermaid threw herself into the waves and felt her body begin to dissolve into foam. 

The sun was rising, casting its warm rays onto the cold water. But the little mermaid didn't feel like she was dying. She opened her eyes and saw hundreds of lovely transparent creatures hovering above her. They soared through the air without wings. The mermaid realized that she was rising up out of the foam and into the air. 

"Where am I?" she asked. "You are among the daughters of the air," they replied. "Like you we do not have immortal souls. But we do not need the love of another to win one. We can earn one for ourselves through good deeds. You have struggled to do what we do, and now you've joined the world of the air spirits. Through good deeds, you too can earn an immortal soul in 300 years."

People on the ship began to wake up. The mermaid heard sounds of them bustling about. She saw the prince and princess searching for her. They stood at the rail and look down into the waves as if they knew what she had done, and were saddened. Unseen by them, the mermaid kissed the bride's forehead, smiled at the prince and flew away. 

How does Andersen's story address the split between the higher and lower forms of love? Whether this story mends or reinforces the split, I leave up to you decide. I think a case can be made either way. Did the little mermaid experience both forms of love? Was her ascension a kind of consolation prize, or a culmination?

I want to point out a couple of radical elements in this story that you might miss. First, the mermaid acquired her immortal soul herself through her own actions. It wasn’t bestowed on her by anyone else. I wonder if the love of the prince and the marriage that he might have offered, ever really was the means to the adventurous life and soul realization desired by the mermaid. 

Let's also take note of the gender fluidity, exemplified by the cross dressing of the mermaid. We might not notice this today, but at the time that Andersen wrote the story, including a female--mermaid or not-- who dressed up in a page's costume to ride horses and climb mountains with the prince as if she were male, was rather shocking. Which leads me to another train of thought inspired by this story.

I've worked with "The Little Mermaid" a number of times and yet, I hadn't spent much time contemplating the most obvious detail in this fairy tale: that the main character is a mermaid. What is the mythological history of the mermaid? It's pretty extensive so I'll provide a snapshot version.

Many myths and stories, with and without mermaids,  express deep associations between the fertility of the sea as the source of life, its mystery and depth, powerful motion and partnership with the moon, fluidity, feeling, and women. The mermaid is one of the symbols that brings these ideas together. Water is a liminal space, changeable. The fluidity of water elicits our fascination and fear of what evades definition and of otherness.

A mermaid (and there are also mermen although they're not as plentiful in the stories we have now), is a divine or semi-divine marine creature with the head and upper body of a human and the tail of a fish, which is often split. They appear in myths in cultures around the world, and are sometimes referred to by other names, like selkie or siren. Whether they are evil or benevolent depends on the culture. 

They are often quite beautiful, with magical powers, associated with singing, and thought to be mortal but very long lived. A mermaid or mermen has no soul. The twin themes of attraction and fear run through our stories, which are often stories of seduction or a powerful love that is difficult and brings suffering, even death.

The earliest known mermaid legends involve a Syrian goddess Atargatis come from around 1000 B.C. E. Myth being myth, there are a number of variations about she came to be part fish. Some say that she dove into a lake in the shape of a dove and emerged in the form of a half fish, half human woman. Some say that she was a beautiful young woman who became pregnant in the course of an illicit lover affair, threw herself into a lake and was changed into a mermaid. Over time, Atargatis became mixed with the Syrian goddess Astarte, one of many of the powerful goddesses from polytheistic times who symbolized life.

Other cultures, the ancient Greeks for example, incorporated the image of the mermaid into their mythologies. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, was also associated with doves, the sea, and sea creatures. Depending on the source, Aphrodite was either born from an egg brought out of the sea or emerged from the foam created when the Titan god Cronus threw his father's severed testicles into the sea. 

The sea has long been the province of sailors, mostly male. The mermaid is often presented as the object of heterosexual fantasies and yet her otherness- what species is she?-- lies outside convention. I barely dipped my toes into this water, but if you're interested, look into the history of sailors, ships, mermaids, and the sea. You'll find that many people who did not fit in societal boxes escaped to sea, including homosexuals and cross dressing women. The use of the mermaid and mermen, as touchstones in the contemporary LGBTQ community, has a long history. You might check out Oscar Wilde's fairy tale "The Fisherman and His Soul" from 1891. Wilde uses Andersen's tale to write one with a gay subtext. I'll post a link on my mythic mojo website.

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Now back to the themes for today. The freedom to love, whether that love brings us joy or heartbreak, is the core of our right to self-determination. You can't fully be yourself without the freedom to love. And like any freedom, it doesn’t truly exist unless it is extended to everyone and enjoyed by everyone. Cornel West said, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” Maybe as a community, we unite the spiritual, compassionate, romantic, and carnal dimensions of love in our society, when we embrace and insist on the freedom to love for everyone.

I'll leave you with this passage from Louise Erdrich. In her novel The Painted Drum, she writes:

 “Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could.” 

If we have a better understanding of our need for myth, and all that our old stories offer, we can live more satisfying lives. We can inhabit a better story and create a more beautiful, just and sustainable world. 

And that's it for me, Catherine Svehla and Myth Matters. Thank you so much for listening. Take good care of yourself and until next time, keep the mystery in your life alive.