Prince Eric’s (Jonah Hauer-King) mother, the Queen on their island, has always warned her son that “The sea gods have always been against us” in Disney’s 2023’s The Little Mermaid.
But who exactly are the ‘sea gods’ in The Little Mermaid? Well, read on to find out!
The ‘Sea Gods’ in The Little Mermaid: Who Are They?
Disney’s The Little Mermaid changed a lot in its 2023 live-action version, but the ‘sea gods’ stuck true to its original animated counterpart in 1989.
I know what you're thinking: sea gods as in Poseidon and King Neptune? No, no.
As much as Greek mythological gods could exist in the Disney live remake, they are not the 'sea gods' being talked about here.
The ‘sea gods’ were first mentioned of their existence when Eric’s adoptive mother (Noma Dumezweni), also known as Queen Selina, warned that voyaging over to uncharted waters would be far too dangerous.
Though it is Eric’s 21st birthday, the Queen showed her wariness of the seas, especially since they have lived on the island for many years now.
In fact, it is through the seas that the Queen adopted Eric. Her son was found washed up ashore from shipwrecks after the stormy weather.
So, who are the ‘sea gods’ she’s pertaining to?
It’s none other than King Triton, ruler of the seven seas, and of course, unbeknownst to them, Ursula the Sea Witch.
While The Little Mermaid did not explicitly call Triton and Ursula as the ‘sea gods’, the term is really more of a mythology the people on the island believed in, when it comes to the curses of shipwrecks washing up ashore their island.
ALSO READ: Does King Triton Die in The Little Mermaid (2023)?
The Little Mermaid Live-Action: Is Ursula A ‘Sea God’ Or A ‘Sea Witch’?
There is no doubt that King Triton is, of course, considered to be a ‘sea god’. He is the ruler of the seven seas, as he could wield its power through his trident. But Ursula? Is she a ‘sea god’ or a ‘sea witch’?
Technically, Ursula always has and always will be commonly known as a ‘sea witch’ in the eyes of the merpeople who are well aware of the great mischief solutions she had done to her own kind.
In fact, even the humans on the island, though they fail to name Ursula as one, they believe that a ‘sea god’ or ‘sea creature’ had always been causing trouble whenever they set sail.
Not to mention, when Ariel first met Ursula face-to-face, Ariel merely relied on the source of her knowledge about Ursula’s reputation which came from her own father.
King Triton, who, by the way, was revealed to be siblings with the Sea Witch all this time.
Ursula was mentioned to have been ‘banished’ by King Triton, and as the reason remains unestablished, Ursula’s dark sea magic and using it for her own gains quite explain it to an extent.
It is through her banishment that she was instead called a ‘sea witch’, based on her reputation for the damage and tragedies she has caused both to merpeople and humans.
You can now catch Disney’s The Little Mermaid live-action in theaters worldwide!
RELATED: The Little Mermaid: Why Were The Humans and Merpeople Divided?