FILM/YEAR CREAT
URES/
CHARA
CTERS
The Little
Mermaid
(1989)
DISNEY’S
TAKE
• Triton
King Triton is
• Mermaids Ariel’s father.
This means that
Hercules and Ariel
are first cousins
once removed in
the Disney
Universe, because
Poseidon is the
father of Triton
and Hercules is the
son of Zeus who is
Poseidon’s brother.
Ariel is a
mermaid,
portrayed as
having the lower
body of a fish and
the upper body of
a human.
CLASSICAL
ORIGIN
Triton is the son of Poseidon,
the god of the sea. Triton is
the sea-god of waves and
calm seas. In Greek art, he
was often depicted as a
youthful, bearded merman.
Disney stuck with the beard
but chose a more mature
appearance.
Mermaids are believed to
originate, or draw inspiration,
from the Nereids. While
typically portrayed with legs,
they are associated with
mermaids as they were
shapeshifters and could take
on the appearance of a
mermaid. the personality of
Nereids also aligns well with
the crafty behaviors
mermaids have been shown to
exhibit in encounters dating
back to the 17th century.
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