ATU 425

“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

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 Iron Stove.” The Fairy Book, Dinah Maria Mulock, New York: Mayflower Books, 1979, pp. 120-126.

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 02:04:07 +0000

“The Iron Stove.” The Fairy Book, Dinah Maria Mulock, New York: Mayflower Books, 1979, pp. 120-126. Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 06/07/2023 - 20:04

Dinah Maria Mulock

Tale Summary

One day, a king’s daughter became lost in a wood, and found an iron stove which contained a prince who was enchanted by an old witch and was condemned to spend his life there. The princess heard a voice come from the stove which promised to guide her home as long as she swore to come back, create a hole in the side of the iron, and marry him. She was so frightened that she agreed and was led back to her castle by some companion, she was not sure exactly what. The maiden explained to her father what had happened, and, not knowing that the Iron Stove contained a prince, they sent out a miller’s daughter in her place. After twenty-four hours the girl could not make any impression on the stove with her knife, and when dawn broke she said aloud that she thought she could hear her father’s mill turning. Realizing that she was not the princess, he sent her back, and a swineherd's daughter was sent out to him. She also could not make an impression in twenty-four hours, and when the sun rose she said that she thought she could hear her father’s little horn sounding. The Iron Stove realized she was not the princess, and sent her back to tell the maiden that if she did not keep her promise her father’s kingdom would be reduced to rubble. She had no other choice but to obey and was able to scrape a hole in the Iron Stove within two hours, when she saw that there was a handsome youth inside dressed in gold. Before the princess was taken to the prince’s kingdom, she asked if she could see her father once more. He agreed but warned her not to speak more than three words to him. She was a chatterbox and broke this promise, and the Iron Stove disappeared so that she could not find the youth again. She looked for nine days, when she found a little house that she hoped to take refuge in, and saw that inside there were a number of fat little frogs and a beautifully set table covered in food. A little frog opened the door for her at the command of a very fat frog, and then brought a box, and afterward the princess had dinner and was led to a beautiful bed to sleep. The next day, the old frog gave her gifts from the box including three needles, a plough-wheel, and three nuts, which he said would be important to her journey. She was told that she would need to go over a high glass mountain, three sharp swords, and a great sea to find her prince. She climbed the glass mountain by digging the needles into it as she walked, safely rolled over the swords on her plough-wheel, and sailed across the water to a castle where she took up work as a servant. The prince assumed she was dead, and so was making wedding plans with another lady. In the evening, the maiden bit into one of the three nuts and a beautiful dress appeared which the bride was determined to have, and so gave permission to the princess to sleep outside the bridegroom’s door in exchange. The prince was given a sleeping draught and could not hear his lover calling to him all night long. The next evening an even more beautiful dress came out of the second nut, and again the girl gave it to the bride in exchange for a night outside the bridegroom’s door. He again had a sleeping draught and did not hear her. The next evening an even more beautiful dress came from the third nut and the maiden was allowed another night outside her lover’s door. This time, he did not take the sleeping draught, and realized her to be his true love. They escaped together in the night and went back to the little old house, which they found transformed into a castle, and inside was no longer a group of frogs but many princes and princesses. Their wedding was celebrated, and the princess’s father was brought to them, and so they lived happily together with two kingdoms.

Fairy Tale Title

The Iron Stove

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Dinah Maria Mulock

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Warwick Goble

Common Tale Type

The Search for the Lost Husband

Tale Classification

ATU 425

Page Range of Tale

pp. 120-126

Full Citation of Tale

“The Iron Stove.” The Fairy Book, Dinah Maria Mulock, New York: Mayflower Books, 1979, pp. 120-126.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

When the princess knocked at the door of the little house, the fattest frog said:

“Maiden sweet and small,

Hutzelbein I call;

Hutzelbein’s little dog,

Creep about and see

Who this can be.”

After the little frog opened the door for her and she told them her story, the fattest frog said:

“Maiden sweet and small,

Hutzelbein I call;

Hutzelbein’s little dog,

Creep about and see;

Bring the great big box to me.”

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

The Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Dinah Maria Mulock

Illustrator(s)

Warwick Goble

Publisher

Mayflower Books

Date Published

1979

Decade Published

1970-1979

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of classic tales, some English, and some from Perrault, d'Aulnois, and Grimm

Traditional

White

“The Enchanted Snake.” The Green Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1892, pp. 186-193.

Anonymous — Wed, 24 May 2023 03:01:59 +0000

“The Enchanted Snake.” The Green Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1892, pp. 186-193. Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/23/2023 - 21:01

Andrew Lang

Tale Summary

Once upon a time there was a poor woman named Sabatella who longed for a child. Her husband, Cola-Mattheo brought a baby snake home, who asked her to mother him. The snake grew bigger and bigger under her care, and one day told Cola-Mattheo about his desire to marry the princess, and asked the man to go to the King and ask for this. The King told him that if the snake could turn the palace into ivory, gold, and silver by noon the next day, he may have his daughter. The snake told his father to find green herbs and rub them on the castle before dawn, and so he did, and the castle was transformed per the King’s task. Delighted, the King demanded more tasks be fulfilled, starting with turning the paths and walls of his garden into pure gold. The snake told his father to collect rubbish from the streets and throw it into the garden, and when Cola-Mattheo did this the next morning, it was all transformed into gold. The King then asked for all the trees and fruit of his garden to be turned into precious stones, and the snake told his father to buy fruits from the market and sow the seeds in the palace garden. When Cola-Mattheo did this the next morning, the King’s wish was fulfilled, and he felt obligated to give his daughter, named Grannonia, to the snake. Her new bridegroom appeared at court in a gold carriage drawn by six white elephants, but despite his elegance, all were afraid of him and fled, all except for Grannonia. The snake wrapped itself around her and led her into a room and shut the door, and here he shed his skin and became a beautiful young man. The King and his wife peeked through the keyhole and were amazed, and together burst into the room to burn the skin, causing the prince to transform into a dove and fly away out the window. The princess could not be comforted and disguised herself as a peasant woman and left to find her love, and soon met a fox on the outskirts of the town who offered to accompany her. She gladly accepted, and the next day they awoke together to listen to the birdsong. The fox, after much entreatment by the princess, told her that the birds spoke of the misfortunes of a beautiful young prince whom a wicked enchantress turned into a snake for seven years, and who had wounded himself mortally while flying out of a window as a dove. Grannonia asked the fox if there was any hope, to which he replied that the prince was the son of the King of Vallone Grosso, and the only way to save him was to rub his wounds with the blood of the very birds they listened to. The fox agreed to catch the birds for her that night, and the princess collected the blood in a little vial. The fox then told her the blood was useless unless it was mixed with his own, and so she resorted to flattering the fox into staying with her for the rest of the journey. Not long after, the girl killed him with a stick and collected his blood, and then went straight for the Royal palace. The King granted her permission to see the prince, promising him to her in marriage if she could cure him. When she rubbed the wounds with the blood, he was instantly cured, and the King informed his son that he was to be married with the peasant woman who had cured him. The Prince answered that he couldn’t because he was already in love with another maiden, and would not consent to the marriage, and told the disguised Grannonia that nothing could change his mind. She threw off her disguise and revealed herself, and the joyful prince informed his father who she was. A wedding feast was thrown, and proved that there is nothing better for the joys of true love than pangs of grief.

Fairy Tale Title

The Enchanted Snake

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

H. J. Ford

Common Tale Type

The Search for the Lost Husband

Tale Classification

ATU 425

Page Range of Tale

pp. 186-193

Full Citation of Tale

“The Enchanted Snake.” The Green Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1892, pp. 186-193.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

The Green Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

H. J. Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, and Co.

Date Published

1892

Decade Published

1890-1899

Publisher City

London

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

This is a 1st edition of Lang’s The Green Fairy Book. Green hardback with a gold dragon on the cover. Has the name Betty written in it as well as Montgomery and Kendal.

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

“Pinsomalto." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 252-259.

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:38:58 +0000

“Pinsomalto." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 252-259. Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/08/2023 - 17:38

Guy Daniels Giambattista Basile

Tale Summary

There once was a merchant who wished to see his only daughter, Betta, married, but she would not consent. One day, he asked his daughter what she would like him to bring back from the fair. She asked for half a hundredweight of Palermo sugar, the same amount of sweet almonds, four to six bottles of scented water, a little musk and amber, forty pearls, two sapphires, a few garnets and rubies, some golden thread, and a trough with a little silver trowel. Her father was puzzled, but brought her everything she had asked for. Betta took the things and shut herself in her chamber, where she used them to make a perfect young man. Having heard of a certain King of Cypress bringing a statue to life, she prayed to the goddess of Love, and made her man real. She named him Pintosmalto, and married him under the approval of her father. At the feast, an unknown Queen took a liking to him and stole him away without issue because of his innocence. Betta resolved to search the world and find him. She set off dressed as a poor girl, and after several months came to the house of an old woman who took pity on her. The woman taught her three phrases to say when in trouble:

“Tricche varlacche, the house rains!”

“Anola tranola, the fountain plays!”

“Scatola, matola, the sun shines!”

Betta continued on to the beautiful city of Round Mount, where she begged for shelter at the palace. There, she saw Pinsomalto pass by, and repeated the first phrase the old woman had taught her. Immediately, a bejeweled golden coach appeared, and steered itself around the room on its own. The Queen said she must have it, and would offer anything. Betta asked for one night at the door of Pinsomalto’s chamber, and was granted it. Pinsomalto was giving a sleeping draught, and the girl spent the whole night lamenting because he would not wake. The next morning, after being led away by the Queen, she repeated the second phrase, which produced a gold cage with a bejeweled bird inside which sang beautifully. As before, the Queen consented to Betta’s wish to spend a night at Pinsomalto’s bedchamber in exchange for the item. Again, he slept through her weeping. The next morning, Pinsomalto met a cobbler who slept nearby, who recounted all that he had heard throughout the night. Pinsomalto resolved not to take the sleeping draught if offered to him, and that night heard all that Betta had to say. She had uttered the last phrase, and exchanged a collection of beautiful textiles for one more night. Pinsomalto embraced her, and went into the Queen’s chambers to take back all Betta had given her, and more. The two then traveled to her home, where her father met her joyfully. The Queen, however, found no trace of Pinsomalto and the beggar-girl, and called to mind the phrase:

“He who cheats must not complain if he be cheated”

Fairy Tale Title

Pinsomalto

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 Bridegroom

Tale Classification

ATU 425

Page Range of Tale

pp. 252-259

Full Citation of Tale

“Pinsomalto." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 252-259.

Original Source of the Tale

Giambattista Basile

Tale Notes

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 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 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"

Traditional

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