Little Mermaid lost her voice - forever - and didn't get the prince, either, in the original.
Scare tactics and horror stories seemed to be popular parenting devices.
But I grew up on a farm, with mostly German DNA, and we were expected to be stoic about death and bad things that happen.
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The Little Mermaid did get a chance at a human soul, which is better than a prince. Also every time a child does what his parents want him to, her waiting time to get a soul grows shorter. Basically, the end meaning reinforces the values of being good and going to heaven. It's not a German story though, it's from Denmark.
the scary part is learning that your actions have consequences so it makes sense.