The image of the "water maiden" by E. Merike: between myth, psychology and social criticism

this article is devoted to a comprehensive study of the image of the «water maiden» in the works of Eduard Merike, including an analysis of the cycle «Tales of Sailors and Mermaids» («Schiffer- und Nixen-M?rchen») and the novella «The Story of the Beautiful Lau» («Die Historie von der sch?nen Lau»). The work examines the mythological roots of the image, its refraction in the context of German Romanticism, the psychological aspects related to the projections of internal conflicts and desires, as well as the elements of social criticism present in the depiction of the clash between the natural world and the world of culture. Special attention is paid to the ambivalence of the image, which combines beauty and danger, charm and destruction, and its role in shaping E. M?rike's worldview.

Eduard M?rike, water maiden, mermaid, Undine, German Romanticism, fairy tales, novellas, mythology, psychology, social criticism, symbol, motive, ambivalence