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The Soul
The unnamed Mermaid is the object of the Fisherman’s affections, and though she is absent for most of the story she is integral to its development. When the Fisherman asks the Mermaid to marry him, she tells him she can only be with him if he gives up his Soul, and on account of his love for he readily decides to do so. Following this, for three years they live happily together in the sea. When the Fisherman is eventually tempted by his Soul to go back into the world, however, he commits a series of evil acts and finds he can no longer separate himself from his Soul, which prevent him from later returning to the Mermaid. The Mermaid subsequently dies, perhaps of heartbreak, and her body is brought up out of the sea by the Sea-folk. As the Fisherman clutches her dead body in despair he drowns, and both of their bodies are placed in an unmarked grave.
The Mermaid Quotes in The Fisherman and His Soul
The The Fisherman and His Soul quotes below are all either spoken by The Mermaid or refer to The Mermaid. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Fisherman and His Soul
Quotes
"Of what use is my soul to me? I cannot see lt. I may not touch it. I do not know it. Surely I will send it away from me, and much gladness shall be mine."
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“The love of the body is vile,” cried the Priest […] “and vile and evil are the pagan things God suffers to wander through His world. Accursed be the Fauns of the woodland, and accursed by the singers of the sea! They are lost […] For them there is no heaven or nor hell, and in neither shall they praise God’s name.”
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Now when the young Fisherman heard the words of his Soul, he remembered that the little Mermaid had no feet and could not dance. And a great desire came over him, and he said to himself, "It is but a day's journey, and I can return to my love," and he laughed, and stood up in the shallow water, and strode towards the shore.
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And when he had robed himself with his robes, and entered in and bowed himself before the altar, he saw that the altar was covered with strange flowers that never had been seen before […] But the beauty of the white flowers troubled him, and their odour was sweet in his nostrils, and there came another word into his lips, and he spake not of the wrath of God, but of the God whose name is Love. And why he so spake, he knew not […] And in the morning […] he went forth […] and blessed the sea, and all the wild things that are in it […] All the things in God's world he blessed, and the people were filled with joy and wonder.
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The Mermaid Quotes in The Fisherman and His Soul
The The Fisherman and His Soul quotes below are all either spoken by The Mermaid or refer to The Mermaid. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Fisherman and His Soul
Quotes
"Of what use is my soul to me? I cannot see lt. I may not touch it. I do not know it. Surely I will send it away from me, and much gladness shall be mine."
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“The love of the body is vile,” cried the Priest […] “and vile and evil are the pagan things God suffers to wander through His world. Accursed be the Fauns of the woodland, and accursed by the singers of the sea! They are lost […] For them there is no heaven or nor hell, and in neither shall they praise God’s name.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
Now when the young Fisherman heard the words of his Soul, he remembered that the little Mermaid had no feet and could not dance. And a great desire came over him, and he said to himself, "It is but a day's journey, and I can return to my love," and he laughed, and stood up in the shallow water, and strode towards the shore.
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Explanation and Analysis:
And when he had robed himself with his robes, and entered in and bowed himself before the altar, he saw that the altar was covered with strange flowers that never had been seen before […] But the beauty of the white flowers troubled him, and their odour was sweet in his nostrils, and there came another word into his lips, and he spake not of the wrath of God, but of the God whose name is Love. And why he so spake, he knew not […] And in the morning […] he went forth […] and blessed the sea, and all the wild things that are in it […] All the things in God's world he blessed, and the people were filled with joy and wonder.
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