Styles

The Life of Mermaids: Styles Brainstorm

Topic:

My storybook will be about mermaids interacting with different sea creatures.  There are so many different stories and tales about mermaids, what they do underwater, and their different traditions. I’d love to include this story called “The Mermaidand the Boy” including the interaction of a mermaid and a boy and following the boy in his travels. I would also love to include the story of the Little Mermaid and some of the background information that went into making that movie.  I also want to include a lot of the information about the mermaids with the Gods and Goddesses. The ancient mermaids were known for their singing and this story called the Symbolism andFolklore in the Little Mermaid, explain a lot of the history behind mermaids and how the stories have changed over the years. 

Bibliography:

1. The Mermaid and the Boy, from the Brown Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang [1904)

2. The Little Mermaid and the Archetype of the Lost Bride, by Margaret Starbird

3. Symbolism and Folklore in the Little Mermaid

Possible Styles:

Mermaids as the Storyteller or narrators. There are so many different stories with the mermaids in different circumstances and situations.  I would write my storybook from the point of view from the mermaid to know more about their life and what they are struggling with at the moment.  Some mermaids struggle with love and humans, or protective fathers, or problems coming in contact with other sea animals. 

Following the mermaids in their daily life. I could have one person or narrator to narrate and tell the story of all the mermaids in my story and somehow relate them all at the end.  When I retell the story, I could incorporate a similar character in each story to relate them all to the same group of mermaids.

Mermaids within one area. There were a lot of mermaid stories coming out of the northern Celtic area and the Norway region. I could retell those stories and relate them all at the end to connect them with their geographical area.  They could all tell their stories to one another because they are all in the same general area of the world.

Mermaids today telling stories about their ancestors. Most of the mermaid stories date back to hundred of years ago.  I could have a group of mermaid friends sitting around and telling the story that their ancestor mermaids told them growing up.  We all listen to our stories from our grandparents and they are always so interesting because so much has changed.  In this case, so many of the mermaid stories change from century to century, as well.  Hearing mermaid stories from different regions but coming together with a common group of friends could be a way to hear about mermaids all over the world and throughout history.

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