At first, it may seem amusing that Disney’s The Little Mermaid incorporates Gnostic themes and characters. After all, this 1990s film tells the tale of a rebellious mermaid who falls in love and ultimately finds happiness. However, my perspective changed when I observed the similarities between Ariel, the mermaid, and Sophia from the Apocryphon of John. Furthermore, I noticed a similar structure within parallel worlds consisting of both a higher realm and a lower one (although not precisely aligning with the Apocryphon’s depiction). Ultimately, there exists an ongoing struggle between good and evil throughout the movie, which is represented by various characters and their interactions.
The film seems to feature a character from the Apocryphon, Prince Eric, who Ariel falls in love with. These similarities are explored in this essay to emphasize the Gnostic aspects present in the film. However, these parallels do not delve further into representing the themes in Gnosticism that can be considered as ‘symptoms’ of the ‘Gnostic syndrome.’ Ariel shares qualities with Sophia from the Apocryphon of John.
Both Sophia and Ariel, two characters from different stories, share a similar storyline. Sophia was the last aeon created by the invisible spirit, while Ariel was the youngest daughter of king Triton (BJn p. , Layton 34). Despite their differences, both characters share a common desire for something that seems impossible. Ariel dreams of having a pair of legs that would allow her to live among humans, while Sophia longs to create (BJn p. 9, Layton 35). Although these desires may appear unrelated, they both lead to negative consequences once obtained. Both characters lose a significant ability to the villain, and in both cases, this ability is connected to light. Ariel gives up her voice as collateral for the sea witch’s legs, with the film portraying it as a small ball of golden light being extracted from her.
The power of Sophia in the case of Sophia was taken by her creation, Ialtabaoth. According to the text, Sophia’s light diminished as a result (BJn p. 13, Layton 38). This loss is a symptom of the Gnostic syndrome. In The Little Mermaid, Sophia’s depiction is not wise; instead, she acts rashly and carelessly, giving little thought to the consequences of her actions. The primary difference between Ariel and Sophia lies in the nature of their transformations; otherwise, their plots run parallel. While Sophia creates without a consort or the invisible spirit’s consent, Ariel changes her appearance to be with her consort but still without her father’s consent. Once they attain their desires, both characters face expulsion and concealment from their place of origin. For Ariel, expulsion entails a rapid ascent to the human surface since she can no longer breathe underwater.
Sophia’s father was unaware of her transformation, resulting in her expulsion. To ensure that the immortals couldn’t see Ialtabaoth, it was enveloped in a luminous cloud. Both Sophia and the Little Mermaid’s disobedience prevented them from staying in the more perfect realm. The Apocryphon of John and the Little Mermaid share dual worlds – a spiritual realm and a material realm for the former, an underwater world with ‘merpeople’ and a land world with humans for the latter. Sebastian, Ariel’s guardian, clarifies which world is favored.
The song “Under the Sea” suggests to Ariel that those on the shore work all day and slave away in the sun while life underwater is without worries and hard labor. This highlights the idea that suffering occurs on the surface while the underwater realm represents a more perfect spiritual reality. In contrast, the Apocryphon text presents the spiritual realm as ‘above’ and us as ‘below,’ but in the film, it is portrayed as the opposite, with the world ‘below’ being more perfect and the one ‘above’ being less so.
The Little Mermaid does not fully embody the tri-partite division of the universe, a characteristic of the Gnostic syndrome. It also portrays a duality between good and evil, with Triton representing goodness as the king of the sea, and Ursula representing evil as the sea witch. The Apocryphon of John, however, does not exhibit such a clear duality. The text describes the invisible spirit using words like “ineffable,” “unnameable,” and “immeasurable,” but never directly as good. Similarly, Ialtabaoth is described as “dark and without acquaintance,” “impious,” and particularly mad, but not explicitly as evil. Despite this, Triton and Ursula share similarities with the invisible spirit and Ialtabaoth. Triton can be likened to the invisible spirit for two reasons. Firstly, although depicted as masculine in the film, he lacks a female equivalent. He demonstrates both the power and temper of a father to his daughters, but also shows compassion like a mother on other occasions.
He is not androgynous like the invisible spirit, but he does possess qualities associated with both genders. Additionally, both superior beings sent their offspring to a male human to rectify their deficits. In a display of compassion, Triton ultimately transforms Ariel into a human in the film’s conclusion. This instance bears resemblance to the act of compassion exhibited by the invisible spirit towards Sophia, as she was sent to Adam to regain her lost power (BJn p. 20, Layton 44). Just as these passages in the text equate Triton with the invisible spirit, there are other instances that draw parallel between Ursula and Ialtabaoth’s representation in The Little Mermaid.
In the sea witch’s cave, Ursula presents herself as a benevolent character, similar to Ialtabaoth’s deceptive appearance when claiming to be the only god. Ursula assures Ariel that she has changed her ways and has “seen the light.” Similarly, Ialtabaoth deceived humans because they couldn’t see beyond him. Although Ursula didn’t create an entire world, she has the ability to create, just like Ialtabaoth. Ursula gives Ariel legs in exchange for her voice, while Ialtabaoth’s flawed creation resembles the spiritual realm without acquaintance.
Both Ialtabaoth and Ursula share a common trait – wrongfully claiming superiority. The Apocryphon of John reveals Ialtabaoth claiming to be the only god, while The Little Mermaid showcases Ursula using witchcraft and trickery to temporarily become the most powerful being in the sea by acquiring Triton’s crown and trident (BJn p. 11, Layton 37; BJn p. 13, Layton 38). Both the text and the film illustrate that the darker entity is subordinate to the lighter one. In Ariel’s world, Ursula resides in a cave that exists within Triton’s vast underwater realm.
In the Apocryphon of John, Ialtabaoth’s subordination is depicted as being created after the first principle. Ursula also possesses the power of creation, as demonstrated when she transformed Ariel from a mermaid into a human. However, Ursula’s creation was incomplete and therefore imperfect. Conversely, Triton also possesses the ability to create, as seen at the end of the film when he transforms Ariel into a human for her happiness. This creation was complete as Ariel did not have to sacrifice anything.
One particular artifact in the film represents Prince Eric, Ariel’s love interest, in a similar way to how Adam is depicted. While Prince Eric is away at sea, his caretaker character, Grimsby, gives him a statue. This statue is an idealized portrayal of the prince, possibly similar to the “portrait statue” that the aeons presented to Ialtabaoth’s world. In a shipwreck scene, the statue sinks to the bottom of the ocean, much like the spiritual image that reached the depths of “the waters that are over the material realm” (BJn p. 14, Layton 39). Eventually, Eric’s statue becomes part of Ariel’s collection of human artifacts.
In the movie, there are now two versions of Prince Eric existing in separate realms: one is an idealized image in the sea (or spiritual realm), and the other is a living human copy on the surface (or material realm). This mirrors the Apocryphon of John’s portrayal of Geradamas in the spiritual realm and Adam as the animate human being in the material realm (BJn p. 9, Layton 34; BJn p. 20-21, Layton 44-45). Ariel struck a deal with Ursula to gain a pair of legs, but Ursula imposed a condition where she would restore the mermaid’s voice and allow her to remain in human form.
The task of Ariel was to receive a kiss from Prince Eric in three days. However, Ursula intervened when Ariel was close to achieving her goal. Ursula imitated Ialtabaoth’s actions and transformed herself into a female form. By doing so, she magically enticed Prince Eric. Although he recognized Ursula in her human form, it did not have the same effect as the newly created Eve had on Adam, where he became more aware. Instead of removing the veil from his heart, Ursula blinded Eric and nearly convinced him to marry her. This scene in the movie also connects to Ialtabaoth’s ability to change shape. Ursula’s transformation into a human woman represents the first ruler’s ability to have various outward appearances and rely on them as desired. Furthermore, Ursula gained a third appearance when she took Triton’s crown and trident, causing her to grow to an enormous size.
In this passage, Prince Eric’s act of piercing a ship into Ursula marks the moment of salvation. Ursula’s death results in the liberation of her captives from her curses. This identifies Prince Eric as the savior figure, or as previously mentioned, Adam’s representative in the film. However, this does not qualify as the Gnostic syndrome since Adam does not hold a similar role in the Apocryphon. Both The Little Mermaid and the Apocryphon of John share common themes of disobedient offspring and the repercussions of their misconduct.
As the plot of these child characters unfolds, there are many similarities. The film’s deviation from the Apocryphon’s outlined plot could be seen as evidence of revisionism by the filmmaker. Despite numerous resemblances and minimal differences that currently cannot be reconciled, defending Gnosticism in The Little Mermaid may seem unlikely because it is a children’s movie rather than religious indoctrination for adults.
Considering the symptoms of the Gnostic syndrome, The Little Mermaid does not fully meet the criteria. While Wisdom’s lack of wisdom is evident, other symptoms are absent or incomplete. Overall, the film’s similarity to the Apocryphon of John does not classify it as Gnostic due to its lack of broader thematic elements associated with the Gnostic religion.
Bibliography
Layton, Bentley. “The Apocryphon of John.” The Gnostic Scriptures. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1987. 28-51. Print.
