ATU 402

"The Three Feathers.” The Juniper Tree, and other Tales from Grimm, Brothers Grimm, translated by Lore Segal, Randall Jarrell, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973, pp. 3-10.

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 15:45:40 +0000

"The Three Feathers.” The Juniper Tree, and other Tales from Grimm, Brothers Grimm, translated by Lore Segal, Randall Jarrell, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973, pp. 3-10. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/15/2024 - 09:45

Tale Summary

Once upon a time there was a king who grew old and weak and did not know how to divide up his kingdom amongst his three sons. The eldest two were smart, but the youngest did not speak much and so he was called Dumbkin. He told them to go out into the world, and whoever brought back the finest carpet would be king. The blew three feathers into the air for his sons to choose their direction; the first two went east and west, and Dumbkin’s feather landed on the ground in front of him. He sat down sadly, but noticed a trap door by the feather, and so opened it and climbed down inside. He knocked at another door he came to and was answered by a huge toad surrounded by smaller toads. When Dumbkin asked for a beautiful carpet, one of the young toads fetched him one, and he left after thanking her. The older brothers did not think they would have to travel far to find a carpet, as it would be easy to beat Dumbkin, and so grabbed the rough clothes off the backs of the first shepherd’s wives they met. They all presented their finds and Dumbkin was pronounced the winner. There was much arguing and the old king agreed to a new test, which was that he who brought the most beautiful ring would inherit the kingdom. The feathers blew in the same directions as before, and Dumbkin asked the great toad for what he sought and was given a magnificent ring. The eldest brothers again did not trouble themselves much and each knocked out the iron rings of an old wagon wheel to bring home. Again the youngest won the competition, but the eldest brothers put up such a fuss that another trial was declared. Whoever brought home the most beautiful woman would be king. Dumbkin again went to his toad benefactor and asked this of her, and she gave him a hollow carrot harnessed to six mice, and told him to set one of the tiny toads inside. When he did this, she immediately transformed into a beautiful young lady, and the carrot into a yellow coach, and the mice into horses. The eldest brothers grabbed the first peasant women they came across, who paled in comparison to Dumbkin’s woman, and again he was given the rights to the kingdom. The eldest brothers begged that the prize should go to whoever’s woman was able to jump through a ring that hung down from the middle of the hall, thinking that the peasant women’s strength would be good for something. The old king agreed to this, but the peasant women broke their bones while the toad maiden lept gracefully through. Thus, Dumbkin received the crown.

Fairy Tale Title

The Three Feathers

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Brothers Grimm, Lore Segal, and Randall Jarrell

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Maurice Sendak

Common Tale Type

The Animal Bride

Tale Classification

ATU 402

Page Range of Tale

pp. 3-10

Full Citation of Tale

"The Three Feathers.” The Juniper Tree, and other Tales from Grimm, Brothers Grimm, translated by Lore Segal, Randall Jarrell, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973, pp. 3-10.

Original Source of the Tale

The Brothers Grimm

Tale Notes

It is noteworthy that in a version of ATU 402, The Animal Bride, there is no mention of the protagonist actually wedding the animal girl.

Tale Audio

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Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2024

Book Title

The Juniper Tree, and other Tales from Grimm

Book Author/Editor(s)

Brothers Grimm, translated by Lore Segal and Randall Jarrell

Illustrator(s)

Maurice Sendak

Publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Date Published

1973

Decade Published

1970-1979

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Twenty-seven newly translated fairy tales from Grimm (translated from Kinder- und Hausmärchen) including many old favorites as well as such lesser-known tales as "The Juniper Tree," "Many-Fur," and "Brother Gaily." Illustrated by celebrated children's illustrator Maurice Sendak.

Traditional

White

“The Mouse Bride.” Scandinavian folk & fairy tales: tales from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, edited by Claire Booss, New York: Avenel Books, 1984, pp. 541-547.

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 01:11:36 +0000

“The Mouse Bride.” Scandinavian folk & fairy tales: tales from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, edited by Claire Booss, New York: Avenel Books, 1984, pp. 541-547. Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 03/10/2024 - 19:11

Claire Booss

Tale Summary

There was once a laborer named Pekka, who went to talk to an old Lapland woman to hear his fortune. She told him that he would have three sons, and when each was born he should plant a tree bearing the name of the child. When they were grown he would have each chop down his name tree, and wander in the direction that the tree fell until he met his bride. His firstborn son, named Onni, had a birch tree, his second born, named Aarne, had an oak tree, and his youngest, named Jukka, had a fir tree. When it came time for them to marry, Onni’s tree fell in the direction of a rich man’s house, Aarne’s tree pointed to a farmer’s house, and Jukka’s tree faced nothing but the forest. He walked and walked for three days until he found a tiny house in a clearing which was home to a little mouse. He told her his troubles and she insisted that he marry her. Jukka agreed because he thought he could not be any worse off than he was already, and walked home to announce that he had found a very fine wife. The next morning, Pekka announced that he wished to see bread baked by the brides so he could judge which was the best. Jukka visited his mouse bride and sadly relayed this to her. She rang a bell and a thousand mice appeared, and each brought a fine grain of wheat, which she ground and made into bread. This loaf was judged the best, as Onni’s bride had made rye and Aarne’s bride had made barley. Pekka next wanted to see how fine each bride could weave, and so Jukka asked the mouse to make a piece of cloth. She called on the thousand mice again, who all brought fine pieces of flax, which they all worked to make into thread which the mouse bride herself wove into cloth which she folded into a nutshell. When the cloth was unfolded in front of Pekka, he was impressed to see that the cloth was so fine that fifty yards had fit into the nutshell. He told all of his sons to fetch their brides so that he could judge the best, and so that the sons could all be married on Midsummer’s day. Jukka told this to his bride, distraught and embarrassed, but she told him not to worry as she beckoned five sleek gray mice to pull her in a chestnut burr carriage topped with a toadstool canopy. On the second day of the journey, they crossed a bridge and met a mean peasant boy who kicked the carriage into the water. The boy disappeared, but out of the water appeared five sleek gray horses drawing a glittering carriage, which held a lovely maiden.She explained that she was his mouse bride, and that she used to be a king’s daughter named Olga who was cursed by a jealous Lapland woman. She and all her servants became mice, and the spell could not be broken until one young man asked to marry her, and another tried to drown her. When they arrived, everyone was stunned by her beauty. They were married and returned back to the valley together, where the little house had been transformed into a castle, and they lived there together in happiness.

Fairy Tale Title

The Mouse Bride

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Claire Booss

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

The Animal Bride

Tale Classification

ATU 402

Page Range of Tale

pp. 541-547

Full Citation of Tale

“The Mouse Bride.” Scandinavian folk & fairy tales: tales from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, edited by Claire Booss, New York: Avenel Books, 1984, pp. 541-547.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

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 Toad Bride.” The Turnip Princess: and other newly discovered fairy tales, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth, New York: Penguin Books, 2015, p. 101.

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 21:55:05 +0000

“The Toad Bride.” The Turnip Princess: and other newly discovered fairy tales, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth, New York: Penguin Books, 2015, p. 101. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/04/2023 - 15:55

Franz Xaver von Schönwerth

Tale Summary

There was once a man with three sons, and he told them that whoever spun the finest thread of flax would inherit his house. The two older sons, who were clever, set to work and spun day and night, while the foolish youngest son ran back and forth everywhere imaginable with the flax until he found himself in the mud of a swamp. He met some toads, and they told him that they would help him as long as he came back, and when he did the toad ordered him to take the thread and let everyone know that he was planning to marry, and to put a bridal veil and dress on the altar. When the young man returned home, his father gave him the house because his thread was so fine, but there was no bride in sight when everyone arrived at his wedding. When the church bells rang, a toad appeared and slipped into the wedding dress, and suddenly became the most beautiful woman ever seen. She told the groom that he had set her free from a spell by an evil witch, which could have only been broken when a young man needed her help. They were married and lived in harmony for many years.

Fairy Tale Title

The Toad Bride

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Franz Xaver von Schönwerth

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Engelbert Suss

Common Tale Type

The Animal Bride

Tale Classification

ATU 402

Page Range of Tale

p. 101

Full Citation of Tale

“The Toad Bride.” The Turnip Princess: and other newly discovered fairy tales, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth, New York: Penguin Books, 2015, p. 101.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

The Turnip Princess : and other newly discovered fairy tales

Book Author/Editor(s)

Franz Xaver von Schönwerth

Illustrator(s)

Engelbert Suss

Publisher

Penguin Books

Date Published

2015

Decade Published

2010-2019

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Franz Xaver von Schönwerth traversed the forests, lowlands, and mountains of northern Bavaria to record fairy tales. Most of Schönwerth's work was lost-- until a few years ago, when thirty boxes of manuscripts were uncovered in a German municipal archive. Available for the first time in English, the tales are violent, dark, full of action, and upend the relationship between damsels in distress and their dragon-slaying heroes.

Traditional

White

“The Frog Princess.” The magic egg and other tales from Ukraine, Barbara J. Suwyn, Englewood, Colo. : Libraries Unlimited, 1997, pp. 122-131.

Anonymous — Sat, 24 Jun 2023 19:46:34 +0000

“The Frog Princess.” The magic egg and other tales from Ukraine, Barbara J. Suwyn, Englewood, Colo. : Libraries Unlimited, 1997, pp. 122-131. Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 06/24/2023 - 13:46

Barbara J. Suwyn

Tale Summary

Long ago, there was a great king who decided it was time for his three sons to be married. He instructed each of them to shoot an arrow into the sky, and that their bride would be found where it lands. The oldest let an arrow fly, where a beautiful princess in a neighboring kingdom picked it up, and when she wondered at it, her father told her to save it for the one who would marry her. The prince found her and she would not let up the arrow because only the one who would be her husband could take it from her, and so they were engaged. The second son launched his arrow into the courtyard of a nearby merchant, whose beautiful daughter was found by the prince with the arrow in her hands. She, too, refused to give it up because it belonged to the man who would marry her, and they were engaged. The youngest son, named Vasyl, shot his arrow into a swamp, where a frog found it. She would not give it up to him, saying that it belonged to her future husband, and so he carried her home. The king and queen had a triple wedding ceremony, and all three couples were given a house. After some time they resolved to get to know their new daughters-in-law, and so instructed their sons to have their wives make them a piece of cloth to test their spinning and weaving skills. Vasyl’s heart sank, and went home to weep. His frog wife comforted him, telling him to sleep and see what tomorrow would bring. As soon as he drifted off, his wife shed her frog skin to become a beautiful young maiden and magically made a loom, yarns, and a dozen maids appear. They worked all night and made two fine embroidered shirts of linen, which his wife laid on Vasyl’s pillow before again becoming a frog. The king and queen marveled at these shirts, saying the other maidens had only given them handkerchiefs. They went on to ask that their daughters-in-law bake a sweet treat for the next day, testing their cooking skills. Vasyl again went home feeling defeated, and again his wife urged him to bed. That night, she again used magic to conjure ingredients and helpers and made a huge beautifully decorated cake which pleased the king and queen greatly, as the other two maidens’ treats were inedible. However proud he was of his wife, the third request crushed Vasyl, as his parents wished to hold an event for everyone in the kingdom to feast and dance with them. Seeing how disheartened her husband was when he came home, the frog told him to wait and see what the next day would bring. As Vasyl prepared for the feast, she told him that he must go ahead to the party, and know that when it began to rain she would be bathing, that when the lightning was flashing she was getting dressed, and that when the thunder cracked her carriage would arrive at the castle. At the party, his brothers made fun of him for his frog bride. All were astounded to hear him say that his wife was washing and dressing herself as a storm began, but when thunder cracked she entered the room as a very beautiful woman draped in a rainbow gown. She had strange table manners as she slipped wine and chicken bones down her sleeves, and because the other two daughters-in-law did not want to be outdone by her again they did the same. The king told his sons to lead the dance with their wives, Vasyl going first. His wife waved each arm and from the right came a glittering pond, and from the left snowy swans which glided on it as tiny stars fell. The other two wives attempted to mimic the princess but only wine and chicken bones flew out of their sleeves. The king invited everyone to dance to stop their embarrassing display when Vasyl slipped home to solve his wife’s mystery. He found the frog skin on the floor and understood what had happened and so burned it. When he brought the princess home she despaired to learn what he had done, telling him that his father had placed a spell on her and that now she must return to the crystal kingdom, and so left as a cuckoo bird. After several days, the prince packed his bow and arrows to search for her. He searched for a long time but no one knew anything about the crystal kingdom until one day he met a shriveled old man who gave him a ball of string and instructed him to follow it wherever it went. Vasyl went through a dark wood and met a bear, who advised him not to shoot because he would someday be a friend. He spared him, and later spared both a large falcon and a pike for the same reason. When he reached the end of the string he found a little hut where Baba Yaha lived, and she told him that the frog princess now belonged to her brother, who was a dragon in the crystal kingdom, which was on an island in the middle of the sea. When the prince reached the water’s edge, the pike appeared and created a bridge for him. He crossed the bridge into a forest, where he almost died of hunger but was saved when the falcon brought him a rabbit, and the bear appeared afterwards to clear him a path through the trees. Vasyl’ entered the castle on the other side of the woods, and found his love alone in a room sorrowfully spinning as though in a trance. As soon as he spoke to her she smiled and told him that the spell was broken, but they heard the footsteps of the dragon approaching. The princess turned into a cuckoo and carried her husband through a window, and after many days they returned home and she resumed her human form. They were happy this way for the rest of their days.

Fairy Tale Title

The Frog Princess

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Barbara J. Suwyn

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Barbara J. Suwyn

Common Tale Type

The Animal Bride

Tale Classification

ATU 402

Page Range of Tale

pp. 122-131

Full Citation of Tale

“The Frog Princess.” The magic egg and other tales from Ukraine, Barbara J. Suwyn, Englewood, Colo. : Libraries Unlimited, 1997, pp. 122-131.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

The magic egg and other tales from Ukraine

Book Author/Editor(s)

Barbara J. Suwyn

Illustrator(s)

Barbara J. Suwyn

Publisher

Libraries Unlimited

Date Published

1997

Decade Published

1990-1999

Publisher City

Englewood

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A historical overview and an introduction to Ukrainian folk literature are followed by 33 traditional tales-humorous animal tales, instructive fables, how and why stories, heroic legends, and even spooky tales.

Traditional

White