The Sea Witch's Art of the Deal

Andersen's mermaid was afraid of dying.

That's it. The love story was secondary. She made a deal with the sea witch because she didn't want to die forever. 

And she was a mermaid, so she didn't get to go to heaven or hell or wherever after she died - poof, you're gone, only some sea foam is left.When you're a mermaid, you get to live longer than a human, but when you're gone, you're gone. 

And she didn't want that.

In a way you can view this story as an analogy of a person who doesn't want to accept the gender role that the society gives them. 

I don't want to be a kitchen/kids/kafedral person, I don't want to always hide my passions and desires, I don't want to look in the mirror all my life and see someone that's not who I feel I am. 

I don't want to die as a mermaid. 

So that's where the sea witch comes in. 

Unlike the Disney version, there is no real villain in Andersen's story. The sea witch offers a deal, and she sticks to it. What she offers you is a chance. 

You want to change the way things are, or change what you are - she shows you a way. She gives you the tools. She turns your tail into a pair of legs, or she gives you a knife that can take one life and save another. 

And she takes away something important from you. The best thing that you possess - your hair, or your tongue. A part of what makes you what you are. 

And she gives away some part of herself, as well. To stop being a mermaid, you have to drink her blood. 

The sea witch is a meaningful, painful catalyst of change. Once you go to her, things cannot be the same. 

And it makes for a good story.