The Little Mermaid

The little mermaid falls in love with a human prince and is given a potion by the sea witch to turn her mermaid's tail to legs so she can walk on the land. For this she must give up her voice. She becomes the prince's constant companion, but nevertheless one day he tells her that he must marry another.

Rejecting an opportunity to kill his bride and regain his affection, she instead throws both the dagger and herself into the waves and, in so doing, breaks the witch's spell, becoming a mermaid once again.

In this version, the focus of the story is on unrequited love, suggesting that with experience comes wisdom, and perhaps warning against striving too hard to be something you are not.