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Author
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Comment
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Compulsion
Registered User
(10/22/03 6:28 pm)
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Fairy tale search
I'm looking for a fairy tale about a man who married a fairy or some such creature and didn't follow her rule (shouting, hitting, I don't quite remember). The only way he could then keep her with her was to hold on her no matter what she turned into (various monsters, fire, etc.). He managed to do it but I can't remember the name of the tale or the country of origin. No one I know seems to remember ever reading such a tale so I was hoping someone here might be able to help me.
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Andrey
Bobev
Registered User
(10/23/03 2:00 am)
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Re: Fairy tale search
Yes, the type is usually called "Monster Bride" and there are many variants. There is a nice site where You can find them, but I don't have its name here, so I shall check it and write again. O.K.?
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janeyolen
Registered User
(10/23/03 5:48 am)
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Re: Fairy tale search
Sounds to me like two different motifs here--the fairy bride's rules (there's a wonderful Scandanavian version of this I recall) that has the repeating "That's one....that's two....that's three....") and the motif of holding the magical creature as it changes. The earliest of these is the Greek Proteus story, where if you can hold him through his various changes, he wll have to tell you the truth/the future. The most famous (I would guess) is the ending of TAM LIN where Janet/Jennet/put heroine's name here holds on to Tam Lin and when he becomes a brand of fire, throws him into the well and douses the fairy flame. Whereupon he becomes a mortal man again.
Jane
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Richard
Parks
Registered User
(10/23/03 5:12 am)
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Shape Shifting
Also from Greek myth there's the story of Peleus and Thetis. Thetis is immortal and Peleus isn't, so he can only win her hand by holding onto her as she goes through a round of shapeshifting.
I have seen modern retellings of some classic tales, where first the fairy bride (or groom's) rules are violated, then the offending spouse has to go through a trial by holding onto their shapeshifting love in order to win them back, but I don't remember any classic tales that combined the two motifs directly. Usually, once the Rules are violated or the taboo broken, that's it. "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" allows the girl to win back the enchanted prince, but by this point he's not shapeshifting. I think he started out as a bear, though.
Edited by: Richard Parks at: 10/23/03 5:55 am
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Laura
McCaffrey
Registered User
(10/23/03 3:03 pm)
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Re: Shape Shifting
In East of the Sun, West of the Moon, the man is originally a bear by day, as in Cupid and Psyche. In the end the girl has to prove her worth, purity, by washing the tallow out of his shirt, which the troll women can't do. (Interesting about the purity as it is clear she's already shared a bed with him and there's no mention of any ceremony sanctifying their mariage. Purity of love, of spirit, compassion?) Black Bull of Norroway, and another bear version - Norse I think, King something, I'm totally blanking and don't have the book at hand - has the girl win back the man after a series of trials. None of these stories have the three transgressions. Shapeshifting is at the beginning, not the end. If you find the story that combines the Tam Lin and the three violations of the taboo, please share it here.
LauraMc
Edited by: Laura McCaffrey at: 10/23/03 3:06 pm
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Heidi
Anne Heiner
ezOP
(10/23/03 10:39 pm)
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Re: Shape Shifting
Laura,
Are you thinking of King Valemon?
I have many East of the Sun variants listed at:
www.surlalunefairytales.c...other.html
And don't miss the best Tam Lin site on the web at:
www.tam-lin.org/
It's the reason why I haven't added Tam Lin to SurLaLune.
Heidi
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Compulsion
Registered User
(10/24/03 9:26 pm)
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Re: Shape Shifting
Thanks guys. I think it's the Tam Lin one I'm thinking of. I was
trying to find it by looking for Tamerlane.
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