Queen Athena

Queen Athena is an important character 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
Queen Athena was the wife of King Triton, and the mother of Ariel and her 6 older sisters. She was the Queen of Atlantica, and beloved by her family and her subjects. Queen Athena was noted for her singing talent and her love of music. Unfortunately, Athena died as a result of a run in with pirates when Ariel was very young. A statue of Athena dancing with Triton is present in Triton's courtyard.

Role in the Film
Athena appears at the very beginning of the film. She and Triton are shown to be very much in love. She and Triton are shown to share a special song (known as "Athena's song"). One day, Athena and Triton are relaxing in a cove with their daughters and some other merpeople. Triton and Athena 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 merpeople escape safely, but Athena leaves behind her music box. When she goes to retrieve it, she is crushed by the pirate ship and dies as a result.

Athena's death leaves Triton devastated. As a result, he bans music from the kingdom and raises his seven daughters very strictly. However, Ariel and her sisters inherited their mother's love of and talent for music. Later on, Ariel references her mother at several points. When she learns of the Catfish Club, Ariel sings a song remembering her mother and her love for music. Later, when confronting Triton over his ban of music, Ariel points out that Athena wouldn't have wanted music to be banned from the kingdom.

Appearance
Queen Athena is shown to be a stunningly attractive young woman with long, auburn hair tied in a ponytail, blue eyes, and a blue tail.

Of all her daughters, she is most closely resembled by Ariel. This is most obvious in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, rougly 23 years following the 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.

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.

Bonus Information

 * Although Athena is mentioned quite a few times prior to the release of The Little Mermaid III, this is the first time she is actually seen.
 * Queen Athena bares a shocking resemblence to that of her youngest daughter, Ariel. They both have a similar hair color, the same colored eyes, and an acclaimed singing voice. However, their similarities are even more noticeable in The Little Mermaid II, where Ariel has grown to look almost identical to her mother.
 * Although Athena and Ariel look quite similar, it is impossible for Ariel's appearance to be based on her mother's, because Athena made her first appearance in the third film, while Ariel appears in all three, including the television series. In fact, Athena's appearance was possibly based on that of the matured Ariel from The Little Mermaid II, which was released 8 years prior to the third film.
 * Athena and Ariel's likeness could have partially contributed to the reason King Triton is so protective of his daughter.
 * Queen Athena's eldest daughters' name, Attina, is a variant of her own, which explains why they sound so similar.
 * Athena is the name of the Greek Goddess of Widsom.