ATU 533

“The Goosegirl.” The twelve dancing princesses and other fairy tales, edited by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc., 1930, pp. 29-36.

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 17:18:03 +0000

“The Goosegirl.” The twelve dancing princesses and other fairy tales, edited by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc., 1930, pp. 29-36. Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 01/02/2023 - 10:18

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, there lived a princess who was to be married to a prince who lived far away. Before she left, her mother the queen gave her riches, a waiting-maid for company, and three drops of blood on a handkerchief for good luck. The princess set out on her own horse named Falada, who could speak, and after a way was very thirsty and asked her maid to fetch her some water in her golden cup. The waiting-maid refused, and the princess was so meek that she went down to the stream herself, and the three drops of blood said that it would break her mother’s heart to see her. Later in the day, the princess again requested the same thing of her maid, who again refused, and again the princess went down to drink by the stream instead of from her golden cup. The three drops of blood lamented again, but because it was tucked in her bosom, it fell out when she leaned over the water and was swept away unnoticed by the girl. The maid, however, did notice and knew that the princess was now powerless. The princess was forced to switch horses and clothes with the maid so that when they arrived at their destination everyone was fooled into thinking she was only a peasant while the maid was married to the prince. The king noticed the princess, thinking that she was very beautiful, and asked the false bride about her. She replied that he should find her some work to do because she was only brought along for company and should not be idle, so the king put her to work with a little boy named Curdy who tended to his geese. The false bride then asked her husband to have Falada killed, for she was afraid he would tell someone what she had done. When the real princess heard that he had died, she promised his butcher a sum of money if he would do her the favor of nailing the horse’s head to a gate that she passed through each day. This was done, and every day she talked to the horse head, who told her that her mother’s heart would break to see her. When Curdy and the princess drove the geese into the pasture, she sat down and let down her hair to brush it. He saw that it was of pure gold and tried to grab it, but she sang a rhyme that made his hat blow away, and finished brushing and putting it back up by the time he had caught it. After being teased like this for several days, Curdy went to the king to say he didn’t want to work with her anymore and explained all of the strange habits she had. The next day, the king hid and watched the true princess as she talked to the horse head and brushed her golden hair. When she got home that evening, he pulled her aside and asked why she did those things, but she would not answer him. He told her that if she could not tell him, she could tell the stove, and so she explained her entire sad story to it while he listened. She was then dressed in new fineries and the prince was delighted with her. A banquet was held with the true princess in attendance, and the king, after telling the story, asked the false bride what the punishment should be for such a woman. The maid said that she should be stripped naked and put in a barrel full of nails drawn by two white horses until she died. The king announced that she had just decided her own fate, and after she is killed, the true princess marries the prince.

Fairy Tale Title

The Goosegirl

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Kay Nielson

Common Tale Type

Goosegirl/Speaking Horsehead

Tale Classification

ATU 533

Page Range of Tale

pp. 29-36

Full Citation of Tale

“The Goosegirl.” The twelve dancing princesses and other fairy tales, edited by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc., 1930, pp. 29-36.

Original Source of the Tale

From the Brothers Grimm.

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

The twelve dancing princesses and other fairy tales

Book Author/Editor(s)

Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch

Illustrator(s)

Kay Nielson

Publisher

Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc.

Date Published

1930

Decade Published

1930-1939

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“The Goose-Girl.” German Popular Tales, Vol. 61. Brothers Grimm, edited by Edgar Taylor, London: Chatto and Windus, 1868, pp. 151-158.

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 14:52:20 +0000

“The Goose-Girl.” German Popular Tales, Vol. 61. Brothers Grimm, edited by Edgar Taylor, London: Chatto and Windus, 1868, pp. 151-158. Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 12/29/2022 - 07:52

Brothers Grimm

Tale Summary

There was once a beautiful princess who was betrothed to a prince far away. Her mother, the Queen, sent her off with many precious things, and a waiting-maid for company. The princess’s horse was named Falada, and he could talk. Before they left, the Queen gave her daughter a lock of her own hair as a good luck charm, and she tucked it in her bosom and set off. One day, the princess was very thirsty and asked her maid to fetch her some water in her golden cup. The maid refused and said if she was thirsty, she should go lie down by the water and drink. The princess did this because she was so frightened and meek. While she drank, she cried, and the piece of hair told her that her mother would be sad to see it. This happens again later in the day, with the maid refusing to serve the princess, the princess drinking by the stream, and the lock of hair talking. But this time, the lock of hair fell out of her bosom and drifted away, which made the maid very happy, because now the princess was under her power. She forces her to trade clothes and horses with her so that when they reach their destination, the waiting-maid is taken for the princess and married to the prince. The king notices how pretty and delicate the real princess is, and puts her to work helping the lad (named Curdken) who takes care of his geese when the maid asks him to make sure she is not idle. The maid also asks that the head of Falada, the princess’s horse, be cut off because she is afraid it will tell someone the truth. When she learns that he is dead, the princess begs that his head is nailed up to a gate so that she may see it every morning and evening. The next morning she talks to the head, and it answers that her mother would be sad to see the state she’s in. While she and Curdken tend to the geese, the princess takes a break by the bank of the meadow to brush her hair, which is so beautiful and of pure silver that Curdken tries to take it, but she sings a song that makes a wind blow which carries his hat away so that he must chase it, and finishes brushing before he can return. This happened for several days, until the boy goes to the king to ask that she not work with him anymore, and tells him all about her. The king hides himself the next day in order to observe her. At the end of the day, he took her aside to ask why she did those things, and she cried, saying that she must not tell anyone. But he begs her so much that she tells him everything about what happened. He orders a great feast, and a beautiful dress for the little goose-girl, who is seated on one side of the prince, and on the other, his wife the waiting-maid. While they were eating, the old king told the story and asked the maid what sort of punishment someone like that should receive. She said that they should be put in a cask with sharp nails in it, and pulled by horses around the town until they died. The king announced that she had judged her own fate, and married the princess to his son instead.

Fairy Tale Title

The Goose-Girl

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Brothers Grimm, edited by Edgar Taylor

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

George Cruikshank

Common Tale Type

Goosegirl/Speaking Horsehead

Tale Classification

ATU 533

Page Range of Tale

pp. 151-158

Full Citation of Tale

“The Goose-Girl.” German Popular Tales, Vol. 61. Brothers Grimm, edited by Edgar Taylor, London: Chatto and Windus, 1868, pp. 151-158.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

This is what the lock of hair says to the princess:

“Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly her heart would rue it.”

This is what the princess says to the horse’s head, and how it answers her:

“Falada, Falada, there thou art hanging!”
“Bride, bride, there thou art ganging!
Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly her heart would rue it.”

The song that the princess sings to make Curdken chase after his hat is this:

“Blow, breezes, blow!
Let Curdken’s hat go!
Blow, breezes, blow!
Let him after it go!
O’er hills, dales, and rocks,
Away be is whirl’d,
Till the silvery locks
Are all comb’d and curl’d!”

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

German Popular Tales

Book Author/Editor(s)

Brothers Grimm, edited by Edgar Taylor

Illustrator(s)

George Cruikshank

Publisher

Chatto and Windus

Date Published

1868

Decade Published

1860-1869

Publisher City

London

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Green leather-bound book with golden filigree print on the front cover. The beginning title font is in block lettering, but the illustrator’s name is in cursive. The pages are yellowed and somewhat worn.

Traditional

White