Queen Athena is the overarching heroine from Disney's animated film The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. Her speaking voice was provided by Lorelei Hill Butters, and her singing voice was provided by Andrea Robinson.
Background[]
Athena was the wife of King Triton, and the mother of Ariel, Andrina, Arista, Aquata, Adella, Alana, and Attina. She was the Queen of Atlantica, and beloved by her family and subjects. She was noted for her singing talent and her love of music. She and Triton had been the best of friends ever since their childhood. Unfortunately, she died as a result of a run-in with a big pirate ship when Ariel was very young, fueling Triton's hatred of humans as a result. A statue of her dancing with him is present in his courtyard.
Physical appearance[]
Athena is shown to be a stunningly beautiful and attractive mermaid with long, red hair tied in a partial ponytail, green eyes, and an aqua tail.
Out of all her daughters, Ariel resembles her the most. This is most obvious in the original release of The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, at least 20 years following the first film's events, when Ariel has matured and become a mother herself. It is possible that the animators of Athena based her appearance on the mature version of Ariel.
Role in the Film[]
Athena appears at the very beginning of the film. She and Triton are shown to be very much in love. One day, they are relaxing in a cove with the princesses and some other merpeople. They are celebrating their anniversary, and so Triton gives Athena a special music box that plays their song. However, pirates soon approach the cove and attack the merpeople. Most of the mermaids and mermen escape safely. Triton carries Ariel, Arista, Aquata, and Adella to safety while Andrina and Alana dive into the water to swim to safety, but Attina, gets her tail stuck between two rocks. Athena is able to free her in time, but she is crushed to death by the ship while trying to save the music box, and the ship sinks after hitting the rocks, due to the pirates having apparently lost control of their ship and unable to stop it from crushing Athena and running aground, breaking the keel and sinking it.
Athena's death leaves Triton devastated. As a result the music box in the ocean, bans music from the kingdom, forbids contact with the land above, and raises his daughters very strictly. However, Ariel and her older sisters inherited their mother's love of and talent for music. Later on, Ariel references her at several points. When she learns of the Catfish Club, she sings a song remembering her late mother and her love for music. Later, when confronting Triton over his ban of music, she points out that her late mother wouldn't have wanted music to be banned from the kingdom.
Other Appearances[]
Athena is referenced in TV series in the episode "Beached". Triton references her, revealing that he had made a promise to her to raise the girls properly.