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Kerrie
Registered User
(5/23/01 5:07:23 am)
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Extreme senses...
Does anyone remember the name of a tale where there was a group of men with fantastic senses- hearing, sigh, speed, breathing? I remember something about this in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (?) when these characters are older. I want to say it's something like the Fabulous Four, although I thought there was a tale about seven people like this somewhere. Any leads?
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janeyolen
Unregistered User
(5/23/01 6:18:34 am)
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extreme senses
This is one of those tale tyhpes that pops up everywhere, tale type 653 "The Four Skillful Brothers."
According to folklore scholar Jack Zipes, “he first European literary version of this tale type was written in Latin by Girolamo Morlini, and Straparola translated it and adapted it.” The story thus entered European consciousness and ended up in multiple versions across the Continent and into the Grimm’s collection as “The Four Skillful Brothers.”
You may know a very popular picture book version from the 1940s I believe, called "The Five Chinese Brothers" which has come under attack the last few years for racism.
Jane
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Sharlit
Registered User
(5/23/01 7:36:27 am)
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Re: Extreme senses...
The version I recall is the Fool and the Flying Ship; which was a Russian tale, iirc.
The fool sets off on a journey to earn the czar's daughter in marriage, and through being naively nice to the people he meets, he manages to procure a flying ship and a number of friends. One is a man who eats a lot, another who can blow down anything, one who runs quickly and another with superhuman strength (might have been the same guy as the eating one...). I don't rember quite exactly.
In any case, they get to the czar's palace and are put through hideously impossible tasks to earn the czar's daughter, which they all pass. Erm, there was some sort of twist in the end.
I recall a stop-motion film version of this tale as well...
etc,
charlotte (off to look it up)
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Laura
McCaffrey
Registered User
(5/23/01 11:27:33 am)
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Fool and the Flying Ship
The Russian tale is the one I remember best, as well. The Fool sets out to win the czar's daughter by making a flying ship, though he has no idea how to do this. Through being kind to an old man in the forest, he gets a flying ship and meets all these seven men - fastest runner, biggest eater, etc. The czar gives the fool impossible tasks because he really doesn't want to give up his daughter. The strange seven men all do the tasks and the last task is to magically brings an army, which one of the men does. The czar can't argue with the army and hands over the daughter to the fool. Laura Mc
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