This early German romance tells the tragic tale of a young water spirit, Undine, who marries a knight in an attempt to gain a soul. Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué's fairy tale novella is the sad tale of a water nymph who so desperately desires a soul, she is willing to go to any lengths to obtain one. The 1811 story was a large influence on Hans Christian Andersen's later tale, The Little Mermaid . This edition of Undine is completed with beautiful and heart-breaking illustrations by Arthur Rackham, both in black and white and in full colour.