ATU 425A

“The Iron Stove.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 32-37.

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 14:24:52 +0000

“The Iron Stove.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 32-37. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 07/12/2024 - 08:24

Tale Summary

There was once a prince who was cursed by an old witch to sit in a large iron stove in the forest, where he lived for many years. One day, a king’s daughter became lost, and after nine days of wandering she found the stove. She heard a voice inside which asked about her, and she explained her plight. He promised to help her if she agreed to marry him, and to come again soon with a knife to scrape a hole in the iron. She reluctantly consented to this, and was given a guide to bring her back home. Once there, she told her father what had happened, and they devised a plan so that she could be free of her promise. They sent a beautiful miller’s daughter in her place and instructed her to scrape the stove with a knife, but after 24 hours of doing so she could not make a dent and accidentally betrayed her origins. Another beautiful girl was sent, the daughter of a swine-herder, but she also could not finish the task and revealed that she was not of noble birth. The princess herself goes into the woods and scrapes a hole in the stove and sees that the prince inside is very handsome. She consents to marry him, but before she was to go with him to his home country she wished to say goodbye to her father. He agreed, but warned her not to speak more than three words. She did not heed what he said, and could not find the stove when she returned. She walked at night and was afraid, and so sought refuge in a little old house. Inside were many toads and a set table, and when the girl knocked a small toad was sent by the biggest toad to let her in. She told them everything which had happened and they treated her well, and the next morning the big toad gave her three large needles, a plough-wheel, and three nuts to use in times of need. The toad told her that to find her husband she must cross a glass mountain, three cutting swords, and a great lake. When the princess reached the mountain, which was very slippery, she used the three needles to climb safely up. Then she came to the three cutting-swords and rode over them with her plough-wheel, and then crossed the great lake to a beautiful castle. She presented herself as a servant and was put to work in the kitchen. She heard that her husband was to marry another princess, as he thought his bride was dead, and so in the evening she cracked one of the nuts. Out came a beautiful dress, which the new bride desperately wanted, but the princess would not give it to her until she consented to let her sleep outside the prince’s door. She allowed this, but gave the prince a sleeping potion so that he could not hear her speak to him all night. The servants, however, did hear, and told their master. The next night, she bit into the second nut, and an even more beautiful dress came out which the new bride insisted on having. The true bride was again granted her wish to stay outside the groom’s door, but again he was given a drought and could not hear a word she said. The servants heard her, and told her master. On the third night the princess cracked open the last nut, and found the most beautiful dress made of pure gold. She gave it to the new bride under the same conditions as before, but that night, the prince did not take the sleeping draught and so heard what she had to say and they were reunited with joy. They got in a carriage together with the false bride’s clothes and made it back to the little old house the same way the princess had come. When they stepped inside it transformed into a large castle and the toads were freed from a spell and became little princes. The princess and her love were married and her father was fetched to live with them, so they had two kingdoms that they ruled happily together.

Fairy Tale Title

The Iron Stove

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Common Tale Type

The Animal as Bridegroom

Tale Classification

ATU 425A

Page Range of Tale

pp. 32-37

Full Citation of Tale

“The Iron Stove.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 32-37.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2024

Book Title

The Yellow Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, and Co.

Date Published

1906

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London
New York
Bombay

Publisher Country

United Kingdom
United States
India

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Though this book is written in prose with more difficult language than other books of fairy tales in the collection, the Preface says this book is written for children.

Traditional

White

“East of the Sun and West of the Moon.” Scandinavian folk & fairy tales: tales from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, edited by Claire Booss, New York: Avenel Books, 1984, pp. 63-71.

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 19:57:04 +0000

“East of the Sun and West of the Moon.” Scandinavian folk & fairy tales: tales from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, edited by Claire Booss, New York: Avenel Books, 1984, pp. 63-71. Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/26/2023 - 13:57

Claire Booss

Tale Summary

Once upon a time there lived a poor tenant who had many children but no money to feed and clothe them. One Thursday evening, a white bear knocked on the door and asked for the man’s youngest daughter (who was the most lovely) in exchange for great riches. She initially declined, but was talked into the arrangement by her family, and so the following week she rode the white bear back to his home, which was a splendid castle. The white bear gave her a little silver bell to ring whenever she wanted something, and that evening she wished to go to sleep and was whisked away to her bedroom. After the light went out she heard the bear enter and settle down in an armchair next to her bed, where he shed his bear skin. He did this every night, but left before dawn, so that she never saw his human form. The girl began to miss her family, and so the bear promised to let her visit if she swore not to be alone with her mother. He dropped her off at their new grand farmhouse, where her mother convinced her to have a private conversation. The girl told her mother about how a man came into her room every night but left before dawn, and how she was very sad not to ever see him. Her mother exclaimed that he might be some monster, and to check she must take a candle to light while he is asleep. On the way home, the girl admitted to the bear that she had spoken with her mother, and he warned her not to follow the advice she was given. That night she crept over to the sleeping man and when she lit the candle she discovered that he was the loveliest prince ever seen. She fell in love instantly, but when she leaned in to kiss him, the candle dripped hot wax on the man and he awoke. He was furious and told her that he had been transformed into a white bear by his evil stepmother, and that if only his bride did not see him for a year he would have been set free. He now had to return to his stepmother’s castle to marry an ugly princess. She begged to follow him, but he told her that the castle layed east of the sun and west of the moon and she would never find her way. In the morning he and the castle were gone and the girl found herself in the middle of the forest. She walked for many days until reaching a mountain, where she met an old woman playing with a golden apple. She explained who she was and who she was looking for, and the old woman offered her the golden apple and a horse so that she may ride to her neighbor’s house for help. The girl rode a long time until she came to another old woman who also did not know where the castle was, but offered her a golden carding-comb and to borrow her horse to ride to her neighbor, who may know the answer. After some time riding, she came to a large mountain where an old woman was sitting at a golden spinning-wheel. She listened to the girl’s plight, gave her the golden spinning-wheel, and lent her another horse to ride and see the east wind. When she reached him, the wind told her that he had heard of the prince and the castle but had never blown as far to reach it, so offered to carry her to see his brother, the west wind. She got on his back and they soon reached the west wind, but he had never been so far, either, and so they went to the south wind, who had also never been there. She was taken to the north wind, who had been to the castle before and offered to take her there the next day. They left in the morning and the north wind blew as hard as he could, and was barely able to drop the girl off at the castle which lay east of the sun and west of the moon. The girl sat under the castle windows the next day and played with the golden apple, and was seen by the princess with the long nose whom her husband was to marry. She wanted the apple so badly that she agreed to give the girl whatever she wanted, and granted her permission to sit in the armchair next to the sleeping prince that night. When she came to the bedroom he was fast asleep, and no matter what she did the girl could not wake him. The next day she sat under the windows again, this time with her golden carding comb, and the princess again granted her the same wish as before in exchange for the comb. The same thing happened that night, and the girl could not wake her husband. She sat with her golden spinning-wheel the next day and the princess once more gave her permission to sit in the armchair by the prince that night. Some Christian people had been imprisoned in the room next to his and they told him about the weeping woman they had been hearing in his bedchamber, and so that night he only pretended to drink what was given to him by the princess, sure that she had been slipping him a sleeping draught. When the girl came to his room that night he was wide awake, and he told her that only she could save him from being married to the long-nosed princess. He said that he would challenge her to clean the shirt with the candle wax stains on it, knowing that she would be unable, because only a Christian could do it. He would declare that he would only take for a bride the woman who could wash the shirt, which would be the girl who had traveled so long to find him. The next day these things transpired exactly as he had told her, and when he pronounced that the girl should be his wife, all of the evil people in the castle burst from rage. The prince and his bride set free all who were imprisoned there, and moved far away together.

Fairy Tale Title

East of the Sun and West of the Moon

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Claire Booss

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

The Search for the Lost Husband, The Animal as Bridegroom

Tale Classification

ATU 425, ATU 425A

Page Range of Tale

pp. 63-71

Full Citation of Tale

“East of the Sun and West of the Moon.” Scandinavian folk & fairy tales: tales from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, edited by Claire Booss, New York: Avenel Books, 1984, pp. 63-71.

Original Source of the Tale

A Norwegian fairy tale, similar to the Greek Cupid and Psyche myth.

Tale Notes

This tale has an unusual deviation from most popular versions of the story, in that it directly invokes Christianity and the prosecution of Christians.

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Scandinavian folk & fairy tales: tales from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland

Book Author/Editor(s)

Claire Booss

Illustrator(s)

Publisher

Avenel Books

Date Published

1984

Decade Published

1980-1989

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of folk literature from five countries, with illustrations by native artists.

Traditional

White

“The Sprig of Rosemary.” Rose Fairy Book, Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, 1948, pp. 107-113.

Anonymous — Mon, 29 May 2023 23:23:15 +0000

“The Sprig of Rosemary.” Rose Fairy Book, Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, 1948, pp. 107-113. Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/29/2023 - 17:23

Andrew Lang

Tale Summary

Once upon a time there was a girl whose father made her work hard every day, and one morning she was sent out to collect firewood. After she had made a large bundle, she stopped to pick a sprig of rosemary for herself, but it would not budge. With one great tug, she unearthed the plant, and a handsome young man appeared and asked why she was stealing his firewood. She told him that it was because her father had ordered it, and the young man took her through the opening made by the torn up roots of the rosemary until they reached a beautiful palace, and he told her that he was a great lord and that she was the most beautiful maiden he had ever seen. The two got married, and the next day the housekeeper handed the girl all of the keys to the house, but pointed to one of them and warned her never to use it, or else the castle would crumble and the damsel herself would be forgotten. She promised not to use the key, but after a time the maiden became bored and curious, and so used it to open a chest, having to break the lock. Inside, she found a serpent’s skin, as unbeknownst to her the lord she had married was a magician who donned the snake skin at work. She turned away in disgust and the castle fell apart, and the maiden found herself in the middle of a field. She was sorry for losing her husband whom she loved, and so broke off a sprig of rosemary and resolved to search the world for him. After walking for a long time she reached a house of straw and became a servant, but she grew more and more sad and at last her mistress begged her to tell her what was the matter. She listened to the story and advised the maiden to ask the Sun, the Moon, and the Wind if they had seen him. She reached the Golden Castle of the Sun and asked for his help, but he had not seen her husband, and out of pity gave her a nut to open in a time of distress. She thanked him and walked to where the Moon lived and asked for help, but she had not seen her husband either, and gave her an almond to crack if she was in great need. She thanked her and walked to another castle, and asked for the help of the Wind. She told him her story and he gave her a walnut to eat in a time of need, but the girl stayed and wept. The Wind set out to find her husband, and came back with the news that he was hidden in the palace of the king and was to be married to an ill-tempered princess. The maiden asked the Wind to help her put off the wedding for several days in order for her to reach her husband, and so he blew through the wedding preparations and the tailors who were working on the wedding gown lost their work as it whizzed through the air. The king realized that his daughter could not be married without a beautiful gown to make up for her poor looks, and postponed the wedding until the tailors could come up with a new dress. By this time, the maiden had arrived, and when she reached the door of the castle she cracked her nut and out came the most beautiful mantle in the world. The princess was delighted with it, and gave the maiden a large sum of gold. Then, she broke her almond and procured a magnificent petticoat, which the princess gladly purchased from her. Lastly, she cracked her walnut and found the most splendid court dress, and this time she told the lady that the price being given permission to see the bridegroom was her price. The princess knew that she needed the dress, and that the other two items she bought would be useless without it, and so granted her wish. The maiden was led to her husband’s room and touched him with the sprig of rosemary. His memory of her came back and he declared that she was his true wife. They went back to the maiden’s home and lived happily for the rest of their lives.

Fairy Tale Title

The Sprig of Rosemary

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Vera Bock

Common Tale Type

The Search for the Lost Husband/Animal as Bridegroom

Tale Classification

ATU 425/ATU 425A

Page Range of Tale

pp. 107-113

Full Citation of Tale

“The Sprig of Rosemary.” Rose Fairy Book, Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, 1948, pp. 107-113.

Original Source of the Tale

From Cuentos Populars Catalans, by D. Francisco de S. Maspons y Labros, Barcelona, 1885

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

The Rose Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

Vera Bock

Publisher

Longmans, Green

Date Published

1948

Decade Published

1940-1949

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Presents a collection of fairy tales from the folklore of France, Italy and Spain

Traditional

White

“The White Wolf.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 168-177.

Anonymous — Fri, 19 May 2023 21:44:39 +0000

“The White Wolf.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 168-177. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/19/2023 - 15:44

Andrew Lang Henry Justice Ford

Tale Summary

Once upon a time there was a king who had three daughters, the youngest being the loveliest. One day, he set out for a tour elsewhere in his kingdom, and had promised the girl to bring her back a wreath of wildflowers, but could not find any. On his journey home, he saw a white wolf with a wreath of wildflowers on his head, and commanded his coachman to retrieve it. The wolf overheard this, and promised the king the wreath if only he would give, in return, the first being he met on the way to his castle. The king agreed, but when his youngest daughter ran out to greet him, she became what he must give to the wolf in three day’s time. The queen came up with a plan, and dressed a servant girl like the princess, but when the wolf came to retrieve her, realized he was being fooled and demanded the real princess. She grabbed her wreath and went with him, and rode on his back until they came to a beautiful castle, where he shed his wolf skin and became a beautiful young man. After half a year, she got ready to leave for her eldest sister’s wedding, and the wolf instructed her that when she heard him whistle outside the gate, she must run back to him to head home. This she did, and in another half-year, left again for her second eldest sister’s wedding, this time with her husband. When they were alone together he shed his wolf skin, but the queen had hidden herself in the room and had it burned. The prince disappeared, returning alone to his palace, and the heart-broken princess could not find her way back to him. She roamed the woods for fourteen days, until she met the wind in a little house, and asked if he had seen the wolf. He had not, but gave her a pair of shoes that could cover a hundred miles with each step. She put these on and walked to a star, who gave her a pair of shoes that could cover two hundred miles with each step. She walked to the moon, who gave her a pair of shoes that could cover four hundred miles with each stride, and she used them to reach the sun. The sun had seen the white wolf, and told her that he was preparing for his wedding with another maiden, as he thought that the young princess had abandoned him. To help her, the sun gave her a pair of shoes which could walk on glass and ice to the steepest places, and a spinning wheel which could spin moss into silk. She came to a glass mountain, and used the shoes to climb to the top, where she found the wolf’s palace, where no one recognized her because she was disguised as an old woman. She took out her spinning wheel and began to spin moss into silk, and the new bride was quite taken with it when she saw what it could do. She promised the true bride, at her request, that she could sleep for one night outside the prince’s door, and so that night she whispered the whole story under the door to her wolf prince. The next day, the prince assembled all who had come for his wedding and asked their advice. He said that he lost the key of my treasure casket and had ordered a new one to be made, but had since found the original, and asked which key was the better. All the royal guests answered that the old key was better, and so the wolf declared that his former bride was better than his new one. He gave away the new bride to one of the princes who was present, and the true bride was led to sit beside him on his throne.

Fairy Tale Title

The White Wolf

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

H. J. Ford

Common Tale Type

Animal as Bridegroom

Tale Classification

ATU 425A

Page Range of Tale

pp. 168-177

Full Citation of Tale

“The White Wolf.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 168-177.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

The wolf distinguishes the servant girl from the princess by asking them both what their father's would do with the forest. The servant girl answers that her father was a poor man who would chop the trees down, and the princess answered that her father would make a garden.

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

The Grey Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

H. J. Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, and Co.

Date Published

1905

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

New York
London
Bombay

Publisher Country

United States
United Kingdom
India

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

One of the 12 color Fairy Books edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by Henry Justice Ford.

Traditional

White

“The Brown Bear of Norway.” The Lilac Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1910, pp. 118-131.

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 20:57:11 +0000

“The Brown Bear of Norway.” The Lilac Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1910, pp. 118-131. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/10/2023 - 13:57

Andrew Lang

Tale Summary

There was once a King of Ireland who had three lovely daughters. One day, the King playfully asked his girls who they would like to marry. While two speak of high class gentlemen, the youngest said that she would marry the Brown Bear of Norroway, for she had heard stories about him truly being a handsome prince. That night, she woke to find herself in a great hall with magnificent furnishings, and found the young man, who proposed to her. They were married that evening, and he told her of his enchantment: he had refused to marry the daughter of a sorceress, so he was cursed to spend his days as a bear until a lady married him and endured five years of trial. He warned her that if she lost faith in him, they would be forever parted and he would be obliged to marry the sorceress’s daughter. After a year, she gave birth, but one night soon after an eagle took the child away. She tried to jump after it but her husband held her back, and remembering what he had said, had faith in him and calmed herself. After another year, she birthed a girl who was stolen away by a greyhound, and although she wanted to blame her husband for negligence, held her tongue. Their third child was stolen away by a beautiful woman, and so despondent, the lady asked her husband if she could visit her family for comfort. He agreed, telling her that to get back home, she should state her intentions before falling asleep. She told them her story after a joyous reunion, and they consulted a wise woman, who said the only solution was to burn the bearskin and so break the enchantment. After she went home to her husband and spent many happy days together she contrived to do this, and only pretended to drink from the sleeping draught he brought her nightly, putting it instead in his drink the next night. She got up, burned the skin, and got back in bed. The next morning he told her that the wise woman was the sorceress herself, and now he must make a three day trip to marry the witch’s daughter. She followed him in close pursuit until he came to a hollow on the hill, where she found a smiling woman and her husband kissing a small boy. He told her it was their eldest child, and that the woman was the eagle who stole it. He gave his bride scissors which would turn anything into silk, and told her that at sunrise he would have no memory of her or the child, but would regain it at night. The lady again followed her husband all day until the sun set and he found their daughter. As before, they spent a comforting night together, and he gave her a pearl which would cause diamonds and pearls to fall from her hair. The same events transpired the next day, ending with him finding their youngest boy. He gave her a hand-reel of golden thread and half their marriage ring, saying that if she ever went to his house and touched her half to his, he would recollect her. He left into a wood which made him forget everything about his life with her, and she struggled to go after him until she ordered the forest to part by her magic gifts. She came to a palace, lawn, and a woodman’s cottage. She stayed at the cottage after promising gold, pearls, and silk, and while she heard of the new young prince, servants at the castle took a liking to her. She invited a footman to have tea with her, asked him for a sprig of honeysuckle, and cursed him with horns on his head. The other servants turned against him, and she lifted the enchantment out of pity. The prince and the witch's daughter heard of this and visited her, he puzzled by her, and she greedy for the scissors the lady used to cut a silk gown out of paper. She took them, and in exchange, the lady was given one night outside the prince’s bedchamber. He was in such a deep sleep that night that she could not wake him and he could not hear her say:

“Four long years I was married to thee;

Three sweet babes I bore to thee;

Brown Bear of Norroway, won’t you turn to me?”

Another bargain was made the next day for the magic comb, and another night was spent outside the prince’s door in sorrow. The third day, the prince passed by (as he did daily to smile politely at her), and asked the strange woman if he could serve her in any way. She asked him about his sleeping, and he answered that the past two nights he was given a sleeping draught, but heard sweet singing in his dreams. He agreed not to drink any that night. The witch’s daughter came by later and made the same deal as before for the hand-reel of golden thread. That night, the prince’s door opened, and she sang her song to him, and asked if he remembered their marriage. She pressed her half of the ring to his, and his full memory came back. The castle then began to split, and the two ran outside to watch it collapse. The witch and her daughter were never seen again, and the lady and her husband reunited with their children and went home, where the Kings and Queens of Ireland, Munster, and Ulster, came to visit.

Fairy Tale Title

The Brown Bear of Norway

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

H. J. Ford

Common Tale Type

The Search for the Lost Husband/The Animal as Bridegroom

Tale Classification

ATU 425/ATU 424A

Page Range of Tale

pp. 118-131

Full Citation of Tale

“The Brown Bear of Norway.” The Lilac Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1910, pp. 118-131.

Original Source of the Tale

Taken from the Scottish fairy tale "The Red Bull of Norroway"

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

The Lilac Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

H. J. Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, and Co.

Date Published

1910

Decade Published

1910-1909

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“The Serpent." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 110-121.

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 23:58:43 +0000

“The Serpent." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 110-121. Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/08/2023 - 16:58

Giambattista Basile

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, there was a poor gardener’s wife named Sapatella who longed for a son. When her husband, named Cola Matteo, one day brought home a bundle of sticks and they found a little snake inside, she despaired that even snakes had children, but not her. The snake spoke, telling her to take him as her child, and she did. When he grew older, he wanted to marry the princess, and told his father to go to the King to ask for her hand. Cola Matteo did this, delivered his message and said:

“The messenger should not be beaten more

Than are the sands upon the shore!”

The King laughed, and promised his permission if the snake could turn all the fruit in his orchard into gold. The serpent, upon hearing this, told his father to gather all of the fruit stones he could find and plant them overnight in the orchard. He did this, and immediately they sprung up into golden fruit trees. The King, pleased, said that the snake must also make the ground and walls of the orchard into precious stones. Cola Matteo collected as much broken crockery as he could find, under the orders of the snake, and threw them into the orchard, where they magically completed the task. The King, again pleased, said that the serpent must turn the castle into gold, and so the snake instructed his father to gather herbs and rub them on the base of the palace. The castle turned into gold, and the king was forced to give up Grannonia, his daughter. When the serpent arrived, everyone except the princess ran and hid out of fear. He took her in his arms, kissed her, and brought her into a room where he shed his snake skin to reveal a handsome youth. The King saw this through the keyhole, and broke in to burn the skin in the fire. The young man then turned into a dove, cutting himself on the window glass as he made an escape. Distraught, the princess snuck out that night to search for him when she came across a fox who offered his company. They slept together in the forest, and when they woke, listened to birdsong. The fox told Grannonia they were talking about what had happened to the King’s son who had been cursed by an ogress to spend seven years as a serpent until he fell in love with a King’s daughter, but also spoke of his head-wound, which was severe. The fox told the girl the only cure was to anoint it with the blood of these birds, and so they waited together for nightfall and the fox then killed them all and put the blood in a bottle. He then told Grannonia the blood was useless unless mixed with his own, and made to run away, but Grannonia lured him back with flattery. She then beat him with a stick and took his blood. When she reached the King of that land, he agreed to give her his son as a husband if he succeeded in curing her. After the blood anointment, the prince was fully healed, and his father said that he had promised him to the maiden who had cured him. The serpent refused, saying that he was already in love, and would never break his devotion to the fair maiden whom he was taken with. Grannonia stepped out of the shadows, and both were joyous. They invited her parents and threw a grand wedding, during which they all made fun of the fox.

Fairy Tale Title

The Serpent

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Selected and translated by Guy Daniels

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Warwick Goble

Common Tale Type

The Search for the Lost Husband/The Animal as Bridegroom

Tale Classification

ATU 425/ATU 425A

Page Range of Tale

pp. 110-121

Full Citation of Tale

“The Serpent." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 110-121.

Original Source of the Tale

Giambattista Basile

Tale Notes

The story ends with this rhyme:

"Pain doth indeed a seasoning prove,

Unto the joys of constant love."

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Stories from the Pentamerone

Book Author/Editor(s)

Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange

Illustrator(s)

Warwick Goble

Publisher

Macmillan

Date Published

1911

Decade Published

1910-1919

Publisher City

London

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“The Snake." The falcon under the hat: Russian merry tales and fairy tales, Selected and translated by Guy Daniels, New York: Funk & Wagnalls; 1969, pp. 29-31.

Anonymous — Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:15:45 +0000

“The Snake." The falcon under the hat: Russian merry tales and fairy tales, Selected and translated by Guy Daniels, New York: Funk & Wagnalls; 1969, pp. 29-31. Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 02/19/2023 - 15:15

Guy Daniels

Tale Summary

There was once a girl named Masha, who one day went with her friends for a swim and left her smock on the shore. After her friends had left, Masha found that there was a huge snake on her smock and was horrified. He lifted up its head and asked for her hand in marriage, and so terrified of the creature, she agreed as long as he got off her smock. Masha ran home and told her mother everything, but the woman laughed it off as a strange dream. A week later a whole army of snakes arrived at their home, slithered under the locked gate, and threw themselves against the window until they were inside. When they found Masha hiding in a corner, they dragged her away with them and took her into the water. Years later, she saw Masha again, carrying a little girl and boy, and was overjoyed. Masha told her she was living in the watery kingdom with her snake husband and was very happy there, and to get back home she would stand on the shore and say:

“Osip! Osip! Come out and get me!”

Masha agreed to spend the night with her mother. When she fell asleep, the woman took an ax and went to the water’s edge, calling out what her daughter had told her. When the snake appeared, she cut off its head. When she got back home, her daughter woke up and said she was going to leave because she didn’t feel right. She arrived at the water’s edge with her children but saw that it was red with blood, and found her husband’s severed head. Masha turned to her children and said that they no longer had a father and soon would not have a mother. She told her daughter to be a little swallow and to fly over the water, her son to be a nightingale and to sing at twilight, while she would be a cuckoo and cry for her murdered husband. They all flew away in different directions.

Fairy Tale Title

The Snake

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Selected and translated by Guy Daniels

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Feodor Rojankovsky

Common Tale Type

The Animal as Bridegroom

Tale Classification

ATU 425A

Page Range of Tale

pp. 29-31

Full Citation of Tale

“The Snake." The falcon under the hat: Russian merry tales and fairy tales, Selected and translated by Guy Daniels, New York: Funk & Wagnalls; 1969, pp. 29-31.

Original Source of the Tale

Leo N. Tolstoy

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

The falcon under the hat: Russian merry tales and fairy tales

Book Author/Editor(s)

Selected and translated by Guy Daniels

Illustrator(s)

Feodor Rojankovsky

Publisher

Funk & Wagnalls

Date Published

1969

Decade Published

1960-1969

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“The Black Bull of Norroway.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 4-7.

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 17:04:19 +0000

“The Black Bull of Norroway.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 4-7. Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/22/2023 - 10:04

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

Once upon a time there was a king with three daughters, the youngest of whom was the most beautiful and gentle girl ever seen but the older two rather ugly and proud. One night, the three were talking about who they might marry. The two oldest would not settle below a King or Duke, and the littlest princess laughed at their pride, saying she would be happy even with the Black Bull of Norroway. The next morning the Bull, a horrible creature, came for his bride. The girl’s parents gave the Bull every woman servant, maid, and even their two eldest daughters, in order to spare the princess, but eventually she had to be given up. She traveled a long way on his back until they came to a noble castle, where the lord and his company encouraged them to stay. The princess saw a pin stuck in the Bull’s side and pulled it out, breaking an enchantment and revealing him to be a handsome prince. Suddenly, he disappeared. The princess was so broken-hearted that she searched the world for him. Once, she became lost in the woods, and a little old woman took her into her hut. In the morning, she gave the princess three nuts, and told her not to break them until her heart was “like to break and owre again like to break”. She went off, and had not traveled far when she saw many people riding merrily by, all speaking of the Duke of Norroway’s wedding. The Duke was announced, and she saw her prince ride with a beautiful lady, and feeling her heart break, broke one of the nuts, and out came a little woman carding wool. She went to the castle and offered this gift to the lady in exchange for delaying her marriage by a day and giving her a night alone with the Duke, which she eagerly accepted. The princess spent the night singing to the Duke, but he did not wake. The next day, she broke another nut and out came a little woman spinning wool, which she exchanged again to the lady for the same as before. Again, she sang, and again, he did not wake. The princess broke the last nut, out of which came a little woman reeling, and the lady was given possession of her under the same conditions as before. That morning, the prince’s man asked him about the singing he had heard the last two nights, and told him not to take his sleeping draught that night in order to hear it. That night, the princess sat by his bed and sang, and this time he heard her, and recognizing her voice was snapped out of an enchantment. He explained that he had been under the power of a witch-wife. The two were happily married, and the witch-wife fled, never to be heard from again.

Fairy Tale Title

The Black Bull of Norroway

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

The Search for the Lost Husband/The Animal as Bridegroom

Tale Classification

ATU 425/ATU 425A

Page Range of Tale

pp. 4-7

Full Citation of Tale

“The Black Bull of Norroway.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 4-7.

Original Source of the Tale

Based on a fairy tale from Scotland; a similar tale titled "The Red Bull of Norroway" appeared in Popular Rhymes of Scotland by Robert Chambers in 1842.

Tale Notes

The tale opens with this rhyme:

“To wilder measures next they turn:

The black, black bull of Norroway!

Sudden the tapers cease to burn,

The minstrels cease to play!”

This is what the princess sings to the Duke of Norroway as he sleeps:

“Far hae I sought ye, near am I brought to ye,
Dear Duke O’ Norroway, will ye no turn and speak to me?”

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

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