While reading Legend of Melusina, I thought that this story shows a tragic ending created by the conflict between two kinds of fear. Melusina lived with the fear of having her true form discovered, while Raymond was afraid of the social pressure and judgment directed at him. In the end, this fear led Raymond to reveal Melusina’s secret to society, and interestingly, he finished his life as a hermit. To me, these fears seemed like a conflict between external fear and internal fear. This opposition made me reflect deeply on what is truly frightening for human beings.

Melusina’s strange appearance may cause discomfort to the eyes, but it did not actually harm anyone. She used her abilities to build castles, bring wealth, and raise a large family, which shows that her appearance had no evil intent. Raymond, on the other hand, allowed his inner fear to dominate his judgment. His fear of shame and doubt pushed him to expose his wife’s secret, destroying both their relationship and his own peace of mind. In the end, human internal fear overcame Melusina’s external fear. I believe this tragic ending makes us question whether true fear comes from a monster figure or from humans themselves. In my view, the true source of fear in this story is not Melusina’s form but the mistrust and betrayal created by humans.

I also think this story has something in common with Odysseus and the Sirens, which we studied earlier. In both stories, human curiosity is strongly emphasized. Odysseus’s intellectual curiosity led him to listen to the Sirens, an action that almost endangered the lives of his sailors. In Legend of Melusina, both Raymond and even Elinas caused tragic outcomes because of their curiosity and impatience. From this, I learned that human curiosity has both pros and cons. On one hand, curiosity has led to scientific development, new discoveries, and the advanced society we live in today. On the other hand, curiosity can also become destructive when it breaks trust or puts others in danger. In conclusion, instead of fearing other beings only for their physical differences, I believe we should recognize that the more dangerous fear is the mistrust and prejudice that come from within ourselves. True fear is not the monstrous body we see, but the destructive choices born from the human mind.