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Author
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Comment
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jills11
Registered User
(12/2/03 6:19 pm)
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Help IDing tale: animals help gentle lad win princess
I remember a fairy tale in which young men try to win the hand of a princess, either in a contest designed by the king or by rescuing her. The one who succeeds is a simple, gentle lad who has befriended different animals who help him on his quest.
Does anyone know of a folktale/fairy tale with this plot? Or a similar plot where it's the gentle boy rather than the fighters/warriors who succeeds? I'm not looking for the standard tale of the kind boy versus the selfish ones. I'm specifically interested in a story of a sweet, even impractical lad who succeeds or wins something while those who follow a traditional path fail.
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Valkith
Registered User
(12/2/03 8:07 pm)
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Re: Help IDing tale: animals help gentle lad win princess
Is this the Golden Goose?
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jills11
Registered User
(12/3/03 11:32 am)
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Re: Help IDing tale: animals help gentle lad win princess
No, it's not the Golden Goose, nor the Golden Bird (which is in my gorgeous 1924 Grimm's)-- although there are some similarities.
Jill
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aka
Greensleeves
Registered User
(12/7/03 12:44 am)
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Re: Help IDing tale: animals help gentle lad win princess
I'm fairly certain this isn't the text you're looking for,
but your description put me in mind of "How Culhwch Won Olwen"
from The Mabinogion. Olwen's father sets several impossible
tasks before Culhwch, and Culhwch must consult a series of animals
in order to complete the challenge.
It's a long, long tale, and much else happens that seems unrelated
to Culhwch and his quest, but if you're interested, check out the
Mabinogion Index.
Stephanie
in the prairie
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Valkith
Registered User
(12/7/03 4:43 pm)
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Re: Help IDing tale: animals help gentle lad win princess
Did this story have a cat a donkey and a dog?
Something is tickling the memory snapses.
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laura
Unregistered User
(12/7/03 7:58 pm)
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A few
Well, there's The Magic Swan, about the boy who must cry "Swan, hold fast!" to capture a long string of people to please a princess. In the lovely illustrated edition I had as a child, he was a simple, ordinary boy who only wanted to make the sad princess happy.
My favorite, though, was always Pickle-Chiffon Pie, by
Jolly Roger Bradfield. It's out of print, sadly, but well worth
it if you can find a copy. The boy who wins the girl and the kingdom
isn't the smartest one nor the strongest and bravest, but he is
the most considerate, the kindest -- the one with heart. And heaven
knows there's a menagerie of animals to be seen! Well worth a search
-- perhaps the library?
Laura
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jills11
Registered User
(12/7/03 11:07 pm)
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Re: A few
I have looked at all the suggestions made by you thoughful people, except for Pickle-Chiffon Pie, which I'll try to find. I did find a story called The White Snake, which seems to be a variation of the tale I remember. In The White Snake, a servant eats the King's white snake and finds he can understand animal language. The queen loses her gold ring, and the king suspects the servant stole it. The servant hears a duck talk about swallowing the ring, and returns it to the king, who offers him the hand of princess if he can do several tasks. The servant overhears various animals (ants, fish) in trouble, helps them, and they help him achieve the tasks.
I'm sure the version I remember didn't have the snake, so there must be variants. If anyone remembers variants, I'd love to learn the titles/sources, but if not, The White Snake will have to do.
Thanks,
Jill
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Niniane
Sunyata
Registered User
(12/8/03 10:43 am)
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Puss in Boots
this may or may not be irrelevant, but I can't help thinking of "Puss in Boots". And wasn't he the third, and rather hapless son?
Anita Harris.
Terra Mythogene
www.mythopoetica.com
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