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justpayin t1_j21am3m wrote

Reply to comment by wegqg in TIL the original 1881 "Pinocchio" was a dark story that included the puppet's execution by hanging for his bad behavior (which included murdering Jiminy Cricket) by foodtower

Not the little mermaid!!

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BrokenEye3 t1_j229620 wrote

Yup. The Sea Witch grusomely cuts the Little Mermaid's tail in half to give her "legs", but the Prince (there are few, if any named characters in the original) falls for someone else so she decides to murder him, but she can't go through with and commits suicide instead, and the narrator decides this would be the perfect time to remind us that dead mermaids can't go to Heaven because they're abominations and have no souls.

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justpayin t1_j22ausp wrote

Omg no

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BrokenEye3 t1_j22bilr wrote

Later editions have her somehow transforming into an air sprite instead of dying so that she can earn a soul through good deeds (people complained)

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FartOfGenius t1_j22cktu wrote

Which is the earlier edition you're referring to? Andersen's version already has her gaining a soul, I'd like to see earlier versions of the tale

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foul_dwimmerlaik t1_j22dbrk wrote

If you look at the handwritten drafts, it’s very clear that the part about her becoming a spirit of the air who can earn a soul was tacked on at the last minute.

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wegqg t1_j234tto wrote

Yeah another guy fell for it hook line and sinker, guess he will need therapy now

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