Part 7/14:
A significant part of the debate hinges on the origins of these stories. Critics point out that The Little Mermaid was based on a fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, written during a time when Denmark was almost entirely ethnically homogenous—around 99% white. Therefore, Andersen’s story was rooted in a European context, not a culturally diverse one. They argue that the story’s Nordic origins mean that Ariel’s race was never explicitly defined and that modern reinterpretations shouldn’t be bound to that original context.