The following tales are similar to the Hans Christian Andersen original fairy tale, Thumbelina. The tale is classified under Aarne-Thompson 700: Tom Thumb. I have included the English language tales of this type which have been gathered by D. L. Ashliman in his guide to folktales: A Guide to Folktales in the English Language and from other sources. I have also included tales from other tale types when I have deemed them appropriate to my purpose. The tales come from many cultures and are similar to the Thumbelina story in various ways. I have placed the tales in alphabetical order with a small discussion and links to other pages which have texts of the stories if a text is available on the world wide web.
A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.
This tale is AT-700 and comes from Great Britain.
An English language version is available in:
Briggs, Katherine M., ed. A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1970, 1971. Part B, v. 1, p. 205.
While it is best classified as AT-402, this tale shares elements with AT-700. It comes from Norway.
An English language version is available in:
Asbjornsen, Peter Christen and Moe, Jorgen. East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon. George Webbe Dasent, translator. Popular Tales from the Norse. Edinburgh: David Douglass, 1888.
Also available in reprint under:
Dasent, George Webbe. East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon. New York: Dover, 1970.
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MacDonald, Margaret Read. Tom Thumb: The Oryx Multicultural Folktale Series. Phoenix: Oryx, 1993.
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A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.
This tale shares elements with AT-700 and AT-327: Hop O' My Thumb. It comes from Africa although the specific African origin is unknown. It uses Motif K1611.
An English language version is available in:
Arnott, Kathleen. African Myths & Legends. New York: Henry Z. Walck, 1962.
MacDonald, Margaret Read. Tom Thumb: The Oryx Multicultural Folktale Series. Phoenix: Oryx, 1993.
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This tale is AT-700 and comes from Bukovina in Europe. According to Margaret Read MacDonald, "Bukovina is a region in the foothills of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains straddling the border of Romania and the Ukraine."
An English language version is available in:
Lang, Andrew, ed. The Yellow Fairy Book. New York: Dover, 1966. (Original published 1894.) p. 222.
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MacDonald, Margaret Read. Tom Thumb: The Oryx Multicultural Folktale Series. Phoenix: Oryx, 1993.
Amazon.com: Buy the book inpaperback.
A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.
This tale is AT-700. The tale comes from Vietnam.
An English language version is available in:
Vuong, Lynnette Dyer. The Brocaded Slipper, and Other Vietnamese Tales. Vo-Dinh Mai, illustrator. New York: Lippincott, 1985, c1982. Amazon.com: Buy the book in hardcoverandpaperback.
A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.
This tale is AT-700 and comes from Japan.
An English language version is available in:
Seki, Keigo. Folktales of Japan. Robert J. Adams, translator. Folktales of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963. no. 28.
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A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.
This tale is AT-700 and comes from Italy.
Calvino, Italo. Italian Folktales. George Martin, translator. New York: Pantheon Books, 1980. no. 91.
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A web version of this tale is available at Thumbikin.
This tale is AT-700 and comes from Norway.
An English language version is available in:
Asbjornsen, Peter Christen and Moe, Jorgen. East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon. George Webbe Dasent. New York: Dover, 1970. (This is a reprint of all the Asbjornsen and Moe stories in Popular Tales from the Norse. Edinburgh: David Douglass, 1888.) p. 372.
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A web version of this tale is available at Thumbling.
This tale is AT-700 and comes from Germany.
An English language version is available in:
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Jack Zipes, translator. New York: Bantam, 1987. no. 37.
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Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. Household Tales. Margaret Hunt, translator. London: George Bell, 1884. no. 37.
Thompson, Stith, ed. One Hundred Favorite Folktales. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1974. no. 68.
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Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Jack Zipes, translator. New York: Bantam, 1987. no. 45.
Amazon.com: Buy the book inpaperback.
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. Household Tales. Margaret Hunt, translator. London: George Bell, 1884. no. 45.
Briggs, Katherine M., ed. A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1970, 1971. Part A, v. 1, p. 531.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.
A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.
This tale is AT-700 and comes from France.
An English language version is available in:
Massignon, Genevieve, ed. Folktales of France. Jacqueline Hyland, translator. Folktales of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1968. no. 19.
The tale is known as "Tommelise" in Andersen's original Danish. In English translations, it is most often known as "Thumbelina" and "Inchelina" depending on the translation.
An English language version is available in:
Opie, Iona and Peter. "Tommelise." The Classic Fairy Tales. New York: Oxford University Press, 1974. p. 290.
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Andersen, Hans Christian. The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories. Erik Christian Haugaard, translator. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1983.
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Andersen, Hans Christian. Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales. Mrs. Henry H. B. Paull, translator. London: Warne & Co., [1875].
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Jack Zipes, translator. New York: Bantam, 1987. no. 90.
Amazon.com: Buy the book inpaperback.
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. Household Tales. Margaret Hunt, translator. London: George Bell, 1884. no. 90.