The grandmother of the Little Mermaid and her five sisters is the Sea King's mother. Following the death of her daughter-in-law, she took upon most of the responsibilities of taking care of the castle and its servants, while her son continued to govern the kingdom. She also acted as a confidante to her six granddaughters and gave them all good advice.

Given her high status, the Sea King's mother has been known to decorate her tail with twelve oyster shells, which is twice as many as most mermaids - even those of noble birth - tend to wear. This vanity is described as her only character flaw, for in all other aspects she is worthy of praise, especially in her kindness and the affection she displays for her granddaughters. To the Little Mermaid in particular, she often told stories about the surface world, which the young princess had always shown a remarkable interest in.

Like all characters in Andersen's tale, she isn't given a name. In Edward Sheldon's 1914 play The Garden of Paradise, she is known as Empress Dowager.

All published appearances of the Little Mermaid's grandmother from before January 1, )-(95)}} are public domain in the US.

* ''The Little Mermaid'' by Hans Christian Andersen (1837)
** ''[http://www.archive.org/stream/bentleysmiscella19dickuoft#page/n403/mode/2up The Mermaid]'' (translated) by Lady Duff‐Gordon (1846)
** ''[http://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.hwhmbe?urlappend=%3Bseq=56 Danish Fairy Legends and Tales]'' (translated) by Caroline Peachey (1846)
** ''[http://www.archive.org/stream/uglyduckothertal00ande#page/36/mode/2up The Ugly Duck, and Other Tales]'' (translated) by Charles Boner (1854)
** ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=ezZDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1#v=twopage The Little Mermaid and Other Stories]'' (translated) by Robert Nisbet Bain (1893)
** ''[http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015009003941?urlappend=%3Bseq=49 Three Tales of Hans Andersen]'' (1910)
* ''[http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015023192563?urlappend=%3Bseq=277 The Green Book Magazine]'' vol. 13 #2 (1915) ([http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015023192563?urlappend=%3Bseq=277 HathiTrust])

* ''[http://www.archive.org/details/gardenofparadise00shelrich The Garden of Paradise]'' by Edward Sheldon (1914)

* Fairy Tale Parade #7

*The Little Mermaid's grandmother is absent from the Disney animated movie and the 2023 live-action remake, which focuses more on the love story and the sea witch.

*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Mermaid Wikipedia]
*[https://non-aliencreatures.fandom.com/wiki/Sea_King%27s_mother Non-Alien Creatures Wiki]
*[https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=20657 Fairy Tale Parade #7 at Comic Book Plus]
Category:Literary Characters
Category:Fairy Tale Characters
Category:C. A. Reitzel Characters
Category:Hans Christian Andersen - Creator
Category:1837 Debuts
Category:Female Characters
Category:Elderly Characters
Category:Mermaid Characters
Category:Aquatic Characters
Category:Royal Characters
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Category:Real Name Unknown
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