Tag Archives: Week 7

The Day after the Wedding from Undine

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All that was echoing in my mind while reading “The Day after the Wedding, from Undine” in “The Penguin Book of Mermaids” was like Professor Pressman said in class, “Love with a capital L”. This tale is the holy embodiment of what we typically consider to be love, or rather, what it’s displayed to be for us in the media. So it only makes sense her soul is tied to male validation, right? *crickets* The entire section was full of contradictions! I found it interesting it says, “She continued thus throughout the whole day, quiet, kind, and attentive,- at once a little matron and a tender bashful girl” (103). Even details like this about her personality also hold these major contradictions. Why is it that Undine can only have a soul if she obtains the love of a man? Why does her humanity have to be defined by her marrying a man? Have you guys ever thought about how odd it is that, in our society, for a relationship to be considered real in the eyes of the law you legally have to go through the ritual of getting married? Also, Undine explains she is magical…literally made from the elements, and even says, “Thus my father, who is a powerful water-prince in the Mediterranean Sea…”(105), indicating that she is of some royal lineage…yet none of that matters? She is, for some reason, less than Huldbrand and depicted as incomplete without him. This is important to think about because tales like this reinforce patriarchal standards, but also when looking at them deeper…heavily favor religion. The entire thing has strong religious themes, echoing the Christian sentiment that love is good and redeeming. According to the text, similar to our friend Undine, our souls can also be redeemed.

Week 7: The Origins of the Modern Era

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After reading the excerpt from “Undine” Pg. 101 – 106, I was able to see not just similarities between this story and the notable Little Mermaid, as the introduction explained, but to other stories we have read previously, such as Melusine. I have no doubt that Huldbrand and Raymondin would have been friends and bonded over their lack of boundaries, or respect for their partners. Not that they would be doing it maliciously, in this case referring more to Huldbrand, but its almost as though they don’t know any better. While Huldbrand is in love with Undine, his behavior seems as though he is more in a trance, or is being manipulated by Undine under the guise of being the helpless little Undine who needs her strong knight to carry her, ” I love you so heartily. Now carry me across to that little island, that lies before us. The matter shall be decided there” (Pg. 104). In this quote alone it shows the control she has over him, something one could assume she alluded to while speaking with Huldbrand, “Many a fisherman has been so fortunate as to surprise some tender mermaid, as she rose above the waters and sang” (Pg. 105), this in a way being her own form of admitting what she is doing to him, without him realizing it. However as I mentioned before, Huldbrand not knowing any better, goes on to convince himself that there is some sort of spell or teasing him, “The Knight tried to persuade himself that his beautiful wife was under the spell […]” (Pg. 105).

What really stood out to me most was besides the obvious love trance that Undine has Huldbrand under, she seems to be sucking his energy as well and thriving off it. Almost as through she is using Huldbrand like a vessel on the human land to conserve her own energy, or later use it on someone else. One example being when she demanded he carry her across the water. This may be outlandish, but heres why. I noticed that she sighs around him, 1. When Huldbrand was awoken by bad/good dreams, possibly inflicted by Undine, “[…] she only held out to him her fair hand, signed deeply and remained silent[…]”(Pg. 102), and 2. When Huldbrand was in shock when he was being told Undines truth, “Undine shook her head sorrowfully, drew a deep sigh […]” (Pg. 105). While this may be a small detail, I also understand that each word is a choice. Why is the sighing being mentioned more than once? Is it maybe, that she is absorbing his energy this way given that Huldbrand feels he can’t say, or feel what he’s thinking, “He could not believe it for a moment; a strange shudder passed through him; unable to utter a word, he stared at the beautiful narrator with an immovable gaze” (Pg. 105), the description of her breath then following. Maybe after all, he is the one under a spell, not his love, Undine.

Humanity’s separation from Nature.

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For this post I will be talking about “The Day after the Wedding, from Undine” Pages 101 to 106 in the Penguin Book.

In the section in the Penguin book for the story Undine, the beginning text before we start reading the story makes sure to emphasize her role as a “water princess” and within the story itself how she alludes to being a “water spirit”. Rather than simply a mermaid. This to me highlights a deeper connection between Undine and nature, that she represents the element of water itself, embodying the bodies of water on the Earth (the oceans, lakes, rivers, etc). The story’s conclusion where we’re told after Huldbrands death, and after his love drifted to someone else (a more mortal or human person), Undine transforms into a body of water surrounding his grave. I saw this and their marriage as humanity’s bond with nature, as there is a saying how we return to nature after death. This made me think about how, in the context of these stories, humanity was much closer to nature, both literally and spiritually in the past, a point our professor made in class.

During the section where Undine talks about other spirits like herself, she says, “that there are beings in the elements which almost appear like mortals, and which rarely allow themselves to become visible to your race,” tells how nature—like Undine herself—is often only partially visible and understood. Showing how humanity is already, even around this time, separating themselves from nature in a way that didn’t necessarily break their bond. But in a way that lessened their understanding/outlook. As when Undine explained this to Huldbrand, “The knight tried to persuade himself that his beautiful wife was under the spell of one of her strange humours, and that she was taking pleasure in teazing him with one of her extravagant inventions. But repeatedly as he said this to himself, he could not believe it for a moment”, this quote shows he doesn’t believe her. Rather only focusing on her beauty.

Struggled a lot to put this into words, so I hope this makes sense.

Week 7: The Soul as a Gift and Burden

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In this week’s reading of Friedrich de la Motte Fouque’s Undine, when the water spirit explains to Hulbrand the difference between her kind and mortals. “We have also no souls; the element moves us, and is often obedient to us while we live, though it scatters us to dust when we die; and we are merry, without having aught to grieve us.” This passage exemplifies the central tension throughout the story, the exchange between freedom and permanence. That of one between soulless joy and the suffering that comes with having a soul.

Undine’s speech reveals the paradox of her existence. On one hand, she is a water spirit which embodies beauty, playfulness, and power, however she is also transient and is subject to vanishing without a trace. Her father’s wish to have her gain a soul through marrying a mortal underscores the Christian framework wherein the soul is depicted as both salvation and a curse. To acquire a soul, one must enter into a world of suffering, grief, and moral struggle, however, they also gain eternal life and “meaningful” love.

One complication is Hulbrand’s role in this story as his marriage has unwittingly transformed Undine’s fate. Through gifting her a soul, it has also bound him to the responsibility of guiding her through a mortal existence. His doubts and nightmares are in direct contrast to Undine’s calm demeanor and acceptance of suffering, suggesting that the “inhuman” side of her may embody a deeper spiritual truth than that of the knight.

Ultimately, this reading invites us to reflect on what truly makes life meaningful. Fleeting joy without consequence, or a painful existence but with the enduring prospect of having a soul. Fouque seems to suggest that true love, one that is based in faith, requires the acceptance of both joy and suffering. And it is with this union that Undine truly becomes “human”.

The Mermaid: from mythical being to exotic freakshow attraction

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The mermaid, as a symbol of cursed femininity, is a creature which, in all its beauty and connection to the splendor of nature, is still lacking some intrinsic quality. This lack, whether it be of the soul, or human limbs, keeps it separate from becoming part of civilized human society. We see this in Undine’s story, which precedes Hans Christian Anderson’s “Little mermaid”, and highlights the central theme we’ve become familiar with, of the mermaid yearning for humanity or a soul: “such as we are, however, can only obtain a human soul by the closest union of affection with one of you human race (p.105)” Their earthly permanence is only secured by the love of a human, despite being “far superior to that of other human beings(p.105).” 

However, the difference between these two assigned readings, Undine and The Mermaid editorial, points to a cultural shift in the mermaid’s symbolism in popular culture. This cultural shift occurs in the West as the United States becomes an imperialistic force in the global south, and conversations of slavery and the subjugation of Black people in the southern states come into focus in the years prior to the Civil War. 

The mermaid transitions from a beautiful (white) creature into a monster reflecting the fears of Westward expansion. These Fae-like creatures (Melusine and Undine) were historically associated with eurocentric ideals of beauty and morality. The only quality that the beautiful and loyal Undine lacks is a soul, supplied by her husband’s love and admiration. However, the Freakshow mermaids and editorial recollections were framed not only by the novelty of entertainment but by the pitfalls of Social Darwinism; as a means to justify the subjugation and non-consensual viewing of black and othered female bodies:

“It was female, with ugly negro features. The skin was harsh, the ears very large, and the back parts and the tail were covered with scales(p.253)”

“It was therefore an Asiastic mermaid. The description is as follows: –Its face is like that of a young female– its eyes a fine light blue– its nose small and handsome– its mouth small– its lips thin, and the edges of them round like that of the codfish–its teeth are small, regular and white–its chin well shaped, and its neck full (p.253)

The sheer difference in these two descriptions make a stark comparison between the race of these two creatures. Barnum, in his attempt to comment on this growing fascination of the link between animals and humans, also comments on the prevalence of racial pseudoscience which is accepted as a norm in the scientific community. The 19th century mermaid becomes a vehicle to explore and support the supposed logic in scientific racism and the growing eugenicist movement that will define the century to come. 

Undine: Affected by Your Surroundings.

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While there are many a siren and water spirit tales, the pattern tends to be the fact that there is a sense of betrayal and or seductive nature to them and after reading the section from Undine, it follows a similar structure to the other ones that have been included in “The Penguin Book of Mermaids.” Despite the common motifs, this specific section has more of an actual emotional complexity which makes the reveal that much more impactful compared to the other tales and this very depth is also explained by the overall atmosphere in which Huldbrand resides in.

Now, that is not to say that the relationship Sir Huldbrand and Undine was completely fabricated without any true intimacy, but should be mentioned that their environment and social status definitely made in impact on their lives. In instance in the tale where it is evident that their relationship was also shaped by their social status and atmosphere is when they are speaking about going their separate ways and Huldbrand is hesitant to do so, “‘remember, even if I wished to desert you, the church, and the spiritual powers, and the emperor, and the empire, would interpose and bring the fugitive back again'” (102). Considering that Huldbrand says this while they their is quite a significant flood going on, this as well could be an indication that he only stayed their and only planned it continue to be there because of the storm that was occurring in the meanwhile. As time goes on and Huldbrand begins to question himself and others, he continues to be a subject of his own environment due to how much he prioritizes what the people would say if they found out as well as the natural disasters that are impeding him from doing what he wants to do, which is to be his true self and leave the shore but once he realizes that he is a victim of his own mentality, it is too late.

Undine’s Reflection in the Water

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After reading this week’s story, a sentence that stood out to me that I really wanted to talk about was on page 102 (I think). Where Undine is talking to Huldbrand about who she is, Undine states, “…the noble monuments sparkle below, stately and solemn, and bedewed by the loving waters which allure from them many a beautiful moss-flower and entwining cluster of seagrass” (102). I had to cut the quote short because the sentence went on for way too long.

First off, I want to point out Undine’s use of the word “loving” when describing the water; this, to me, felt like she was giving an emotion to nature, which felt like a reflection of herself. Giving a feminine aspect and feel to the water shows how she wants Huldbrand not to feel threatened. By describing the water as a majestic force rather than something of fear and destruction. This mirrors Undine herself, a life of water that brings vigor and kindness into a world full of masculine knights and rulers. By portraying the waters as something of serenity and love, she is giving Huldbrand the idea that she herself is reflected in the water. A figure of love and kindness that can continue to bring him happiness.

I also liked the use of “moss-flowers” and “sea grass” because I feel it intentionally blurs the line between land and water. Casually reflecting Undine and Hulbrand themselves, the merging of life on land and life in the water. I love the subtle foreshadowing that is happening in this line as well, “entwining cluster of sea grass”, because to me, this highlights the idea that Undine is wrapped around “the monument” (Huldbrand) in a loving embrace.

I feel like this sentence did a great job reflecting the relationship between Undine and Huldbrand, showing the union of land and water. I also like the idea that it mirrors the merging of feminine and masculine or the mortal and the elemental. Overall, this quote does an amazing job of highlighting how water shows the reflection of things. In this case, the water is mirroring Undine’s reflection of herself and her relationship with Huldbrand.

Song of the Week: la petite fille de la mer (Remastered) by Vangelis (This song felt very mystical and magical, and I also feel that it captured the emotion of Undine’s confession of her true self very well. It’s eerie yet enticing, and would honestly do a great job capturing me if a beautiful woman tried to lure me into the sea.)

The Rise of Christianity in Undine

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In this week’s reading of Undine in The Penguin Book of Mermaids, the author showcases Undine’s revelation to her husband that she is a water princess who did not have a soul until she married him. While making this confession, the author builds a religious tone as Undine explains the tragedy of not being in possession of a soul. Subsequently, the confession creates the notion that humans and supernatural beings do not exist on the same level and creates a boundary between these two worlds, where humans’ relation to religion makes them inherently better “beings” since they have a soul. 

During the revelation, she explains to him that there is an “evil peculiar to [those like her]” as they “vanish into dust, and pass away, body and spirit, so that not a vestige of [them] remains behind” (Penguin 105). However, humans are placed on a pedestal when Undine notes a further on in the passage that their soul allows them to achieve a “purer life” (Penguin 105) than supernatural creatures. It is here where the author creates a boundary between human and the supernatural nature, where the supernatural is painted as being beneath humans. Creating the dichotomy between good versus bad through Undine’s use of the word “evil” to describe the plight of these supernatural creatures in comparison to the “pure” humans serves to paint piety as something to aspire to. If beings like Undine do what is “right” and obtain a soul, then they are essentially promised a “purer life” (Penguin 105) because of this attachment to religion. The lack of souls that supernatural beings possess puts them at a disadvantage since they don’t have a connection to a higher being like God and, therefore, are seen as unholy. Humans become the ideal since their souls are given to them by God and are then deemed sacred, which puts them a step above the supernatural.  

This religious tone becomes important because it validates religion as a way to judge someone’s character in order to police society. The notion that the closer you are to God, the better of a person you are helps solidify the standard to which people are then measured. Calling those without a soul (aka religious affiliations) “evil” and those who do have a religious connection “pure” indicates to people that they should be more pious in order to avoid being seen as wicked. Knowing that humans often feel the desire to fit into society, people are then more likely to join the Church to keep from being ostracized or deemed a lesser person like Undine. In turn, it grows the power of religion since it is seen as necessity for a good life.

Week 7- Merpeople From the Perspective of Western Capitalism

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After reading the excerpt, “Freakshows and Fantasies” from Merpeople: a Human History, I began to see how to concept or “promise” of merpeople in the 19th century was often used for capitalist gains. “In the keenest examples, the mermaid specimen of American sea captain Samuel Barrett Eades and the American showman P. T. Barnum’s ‘Feejee Mermaid’ both created cultural frenzies that attracted droves of paying onlookers (Scribner 125).” As sightings of mermaids and tritons became prevalent in the press, more and more people were increasingly intrigued and attracted to the idea of catching a glimpse themselves. So much so that they were willing to pay to see these creatures as if they were circus acts. As these stories of ancient Asian legends were being misinterpreted and fetishized in the West, they were also apparently aiding in business opportunities. It also did not come to a halt with the newfound perspectives of scientists. “Public exhibits and ‘freak shows’ continued to entertain clamouring audiences across both countries (Scibner 125).” No matter what, entrepreneurs (of sorts) would continue to promote and sell the chance to witness a “freakshow,” and onlookers with money to spend were all the more willing to experience something magical.

These customers may not have been aware, but if they had ever heard the ancient tales and myths of these hybrid creatures, they would be aware that they were a force to be reckoned with and maybe not seek them out. The moral of many of these Japanese stories that took the Western world into a frenzy was to steer clear of merpeople and certainly not to get too close. Yet with all of that being said, people had money to spend and a thrill to chase.

Humans have a long history of spending money on anything and everything, especially in the West, but also in such daredevil ways. People pay money to jump out of airplanes or get chased at a haunted house. These 19th-century merpeople enthusiasts don’t seem all that crazy when you think about what people will spend money on now, but they do prove to be part of a history of American Capitalism. They took part in the exploitation of not only a mythical creature, but a culture. The men who orchestrated these sideshows manipulated the public and their need for entertainment. They also dismissed the cultural and religious aspects that accompanied what they “promised,” and they made money doing so. Unfortunately, they would not be the last of their kind.

Undines Speech and Christian Essentialism

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In “The Day after the Wedding, from Undine,” found in The Penguin Book of Mermaids, religious imagery stands out thematically, driving the chapter’s narrative. As Undine gives her speech to Huldbrand she confesses that her kind “vanish into dust, and pass away, body and spirit, so that none of the stage of us remains behind; and when you mortals hereafter awake to a purer life, we remain with the sand and the sparks and the wind and the waves” (105). This elemental imagery of dust reflects that of Genesis 3:19 “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” The scripture from the Book of Genesis is supposed to be a reminder that there is no amount of human achievement that can defy human destiny. Allusions to such scripture heavily frames the context in biblical cosmology, where there is one divine order that holds the power to determine what life holds value. Yet Undine had referred to this process of returning to “dust,” “sand,” “sparks,” and “wind”  as a sort of “evil.” The prevalent hierarchy of the divine order and the soulless is represented syntactically where the divine mortals “awake to purer life,” while the soulless nature spirits “remain” in the material world, one with the elements. The chapter’s biblical imagery depicts the ways in which Christian essentialism is legitimized falsely naturalizing religious teleology. 

Undine’s speech to Huldbrand lays the ground for the idea that all beings aspire to have and desire a divine soul, under the notion that moral advancement is dependent on Christian faith. In the following quote from that stated previously Undine goes on to say that water spirits “have no souls; the element moves [them], and is often obedient to [them] while [they] live, though it scatters [them] to dust when [they] die; and [they] are merry, without having aught to give [them] […] but all beings aspire to be higher than they are” (105). The environment and its elements, in this case, are personified—“the elements moves us”—making nature both animated and simultaneously passive. Nature is alive yet lacks free will. The water spirits are depicted as beings without divine agency, very much alive but not sanctified. The elements “move” them, yet are “obedient” to them, making Undine and other water spirits paradoxically passive and active in life. It lays a foundation for ideology that believes if a being “has no soul” then they are drifters in life and the environment. The final line presents that theological claim generalizing that “all beings aspire to be higher than they are.” It essentially claims that all life strives toward salvation because that is part of the order of life. 

The chapter sets the narrative that these “soulless” beings may be joyful but they are incomplete. By doing this Christian essentialism is put onto the pedestal as divine and part of natural evolution. That everyone must be incomplete and therefore feel the need to aspire to a “higher” way of life. Depictions of religious teleology is a way to dictate rhetoric of moral and cultural superiority.