Ariel has a mom! (Had. She had a mom.)
Plenty of Disney aficionados have seen The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
It's the one where Ariel finally reaps the reward of being a problem child by birthing a rebellious daughter who is exactly like her.
Disney / Via ascully.com
But the third Mermaid movie, the prequel Ariel's Beginning, is less known.
Probably because it's a little bit...dark.
Disney / Via fanpop.com
Everything starts out fine and we get to meet Ariel's mom, the lovely Athena...
(also note the babeworthy King Triton in his heyday)
...right before she gets murdered by pirates in front of her children
Question: is that the same coast as Prince Eric's lands? If so, then the pirates may be either his subjects or his adversaries, meaning that Eric's parents' failure to control their coastal piracy problem caused Athena's death. Wars have been waged over less.
Disney
