After reading the story of Undine, it is abundantly clear that Melusine’s impact on the image of the mermaid in historical literature has turned the once-damned creatures into pious women, desperate to be ever closer to God.
Undine’s sweet nature and her devotion to Huldbrand directly mirrors that of Melusine to Raymond, giving both mermaids an innocent and pure aura about them. This demeanor is of course further emphasized by both mermaid’s decrees of holiness.
Just as Melusine declares to Raymond that she “is as faithful a Christian as [he is]” (The Romance of Melusina, 25), Undine “entreated [the priest] with an agitated tone to pray for the welfare of her soul” (Undine, 101). Undine is also described as “mild and gentle as an angel” (103), which is a stark contrast to the stories of sinful and villainous sirens that were pedaled by the church in it’s past. In this way, it is clear the iconic influence Melusine had on shaping the newfound saintly view of mermaids that were once used as a comparison to debauchery. These mermaids are good Christians, who are concerned with obtaining and protecting their immortal souls, serving as a means for the church to further maintain control of women’s place in society.
Melusine and Undine together promote messages that women are not entitled to their secrets, as Melusine is punished for keeping hers and Undine rushes to reveal her own. They also communicate that to earn the privilege to be loved, a woman must be serving to both God and to her husband.
By twisting and warping the image of the mermaid, and therefore, the image of women as an obscure species, the church maintains control of how women are to exist—what they will be punished for, and what they will be rewarded for. These stories serve as an underscored warning to women about how they must act if they are to be seen as anything but deranged monsters.
Hi Rayna, I think the connection between Undine and Melusine is really interesting because it shows the way the Church’s control over women has evolved. Undine and Melusine are free from the position of temptress, but they still lack agency from the church.
I think there are good ideas here, but I would like to see you do more to prove the connection between the stories. You write, “it is clear the iconic influence Melusine had on shaping the newfound saintly view of mermaids that were once used as a comparison to debauchery,” but where do we see (clearly) that connection? Can you be more specific? Can you work to explicate and prove your interpretation? Keep going!
I think it’s really interesting how you make that connection between the two, I would’ve never interpreted the stories that way. The idea of entitlement is really interesting and also noticed this in both of the stories. I think it’s interesting how you use the language of warping because I believe that thats exactly what’s happening to women.