Haku and the Mermaids

One day, Haku, the blacksmith's son, meets the daughters of the Sea King. The mermaids flatter Haku and coax him to follow them down into the realm of the Sea King and Queen. When he arrives at their palace, the cunning Sea King promises Haku gold if he will do a task for him. Haku, all too glad to impress the people of the village, agrees. Little does he know that he is destined to see the light of the sun never again...

The German Version is available in April 2016.

About "Haku and the Mermaids"

Everyone has heard of the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Little Mermaid"? Deprived of her ability to speak and reduced to her naked beauty, Andersen sends her into the world of humans. All the same it is clear that her outer beauty reflects an inner honesty, her actions reflect her feelings.

The mermaids in Haku's story are beautiful too, but unlike Andersen's mermaid, these creatures are utterly selfish and full of self-love. This mermaid is more like the classical Greek sirens or, looking at a present-day example, the mermaids from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, whose superficial beauty, enhanced by the grace of their songs and the promises they carry, does not reflect a beautiful inner being. In The Pirates of the Caribbean, the beautiful appearance of the mermaids changes to a grotesque appearance, showing their true depravity just before the protagonists meet their downfall.

On his path to adulthood, Haku has to learn that beauty really does lie in the eye of the beholder: Haku enjoys being praised and flattered and willingly follows the beautiful outward appearance. But looks can be deceiving, as is so often the case in life. But, because our hero Haku decides at the right moment not to base his happiness on the approval and applause of others, the story has a happy ending after all. In the end Haku realises that it is important to consider both praise and criticism carefully. Since the sincerity and good will of a small mermaid cannot be assumed in either case.

The aim of this illustrated fairy tale is to communicate this message in an entertaining way.

Genre: Fantasy / Fairy Tales
Age: all Age
Format: fully illustrated, with full-page illustrations, in colour, with text, 64 pages
Themes: Entertainment, deceptive appearance, growing up, recognition, friendship