Some notable examples of animal woman relationships in popular culture include:

And every night at high tide, she rose from the foam at the foot of Elara’s dock, her legs dissolving into a glistening tail, her human face sliding into something older and stranger. She would wrap Elara in her slick, powerful arms and kiss her with lips that tasted of salt and eternity.

Villeneuve’s version includes the “backstory” of the Beast’s curse: He was a cold, selfish prince who refused to help a fairy. The animal form is the physical manifestation of his emotional immaturity. Thus, the romance is a bildungsroman for the male. The woman is the catalyst for his humanity.

A sound escaped Nera then—something between a laugh and a creaking wave. Elara felt it in her chest.

Nera tilted her head, a gesture less human, more curious seal. “The others always hide it. Then they demand love as ransom.”