"The Mermaid" is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, written in 1837. The tale tells the story of a mermaid princess who falls in love with a prince and wishes to become human to be with him. She sacrifices her beauty and voice to a sea witch in order to obtain legs and walk on land. The prince likes her, but is unaware of her origin and marries another princess. The mermaid, losing hope of the prince's love, returns to the sea and dies.