From Andersen's The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid wears a veil of shining white gold and a tiara of lilies made of pearls. My new reading of "The Little Mermaid" (Andersen) is a surprisingly long and cruel tale of tragic love, in which the fish has eight oysters on its tail, the mark of the Sea Princess (oysters hurt because they bite!) The Witch's House at the bottom of the sea. The Witch's House at the Bottom of the Sea" is so scary, you'll have nightmares. But there was hope in the ending, which I could not accept as a child: "The little mermaid goes into the sea, becomes sea foam, and is taken to heaven. It is said that if she becomes a nymph of the air and performs good deeds for hundreds of years, she will receive an eternal soul.
