The 1989 Disney classic, The Little Mermaid, had us all falling in love with sweet princess mermaid named Ariel. We also fell in love with some many aspects of the movie including the artwork, the propensity to make us feel like kids and even the wonderful soundtrack. The is partly why the Ariel tattoo is such a popular one for fans of the movie and people that are into mermaids.

So, in addition to having an affinity to the Disney movie, mermaids hold a great deal of symbolism. So, when you add that to the some of the reasons people might get an Ariel tattoo, you have a lot of room to talk about symbolism and reasons to be tattooed with a small Disney princess.

In this post we will go talk about the movie in which Ariel spawned and we will also talk about mermaid symbolism in general. By the end of this post, we hope you have a better understanding of what it means to have an Ariel tattoo.

The Little Mermaid

The kingdom of Atlantica is home to a 16-year-old princess mermaid named Ariel. She is no longer satisfied with life underwater and her curiosity intensifies as she grows older. Ariel wants to know what it’s like to live above the water. Contact with humans is forbidden by her father King Triton but Ariel’s wonder of the land above water proves to be too strong for her.

One the night of Prince Eric’s birthday, Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder go to the surface to watch the festivities for the party. Upon seeing Prince Eric, Ariel falls in love. During this same time, a violent storm arrives, strikes the ship and throws Eric overboard. Ariel brings Eric to shore and sings to him until her awakens. However, she retreats to the sea before he matches a face to the voice that hears. Eric then vows to find the girl that saved his life and Ariel vows to find a way to join Eric on land.