"The Little Mermaid" was an Earth fable, written by Hans Christian Andersen, that tells of a young mermaid, who trades her magical life under the sea for a pair of legs to walk on land.
In 2370, Deep Space 9 science officer, Jadzia Dax, told the cartographer Melora Pazlar about the fairy tale, pointing out similarities between the situations of the little mermaid and the Elaysian Melora. (DS9: "Melora")