The Three Feathers

"The Three Feathers" (Die drei Federn) is a story by the Brothers Grimm, in his Kinder- und Hausmärchen. It is KHM nr. 63. It is classified as Aarne–Thompson–Uther ATU 402, "The Animal Bride". A second variant of the tale also collected by the Brothers Grimm is "The Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat" (Der arme Müllersbursch und das Kätzchen), listed as KHM 106.

The Three Feathers
Prince Dummling at the frog princess's court. Illustration by Otto Ubbelohde.
Folk tale
NameThe Three Feathers
Also known asDie drei Federn
Data
Aarne–Thompson groupingATU 402 (The Animal Bride)
RegionGermany
Published inKinder- und Hausmärchen by The Brothers Grimm
RelatedThe Frog Princess
The White Cat

Summary

A king has three sons: the eldest and the middle one are brave and strong, but the youngest is gullible and naïve, so he is called Simpleton. One day, the king casts three feathers into the air, and when they land, each of his children should follow to see where it leads. Simpleton discovers the feather has landed in a lake or pond where a toad lives that speaks in rhyme.

The king asks for marvellous gifts - impossibly difficult to find, or make - for his sons to show him: a carpet, made by the finest craftsmanship and a ring of extraordinary splendour as a second gift. Simpleton manages to produce the items in front on his father, to the jealousy of his older brothers, who are against the idea that he should inherit the kingdom.

For a final task, the king asks for the princes to bring a woman or bride that can do acrobatics and pirouettes so fantastical that they can pass through a very small ring. Simpleton presents his case to the talking toad, who orders another frog of his pond to embark into a carriage pulled by mice and to present themselves in court. When the carriage arrives, out comes a beautiful princess, who performs the impossible feat and earns the hand of Simpleton and the kingdom.

Translation

The tale was sometimes translated as Dummling and the Toad in English compilations.[1]

Variants

The tale is widespread in folktale collections, attesting to a prince who finds a love interest in a(n/ sapient) animal of the female sex. As the story progresses, the prince - the youngest of three royal children - begins to fall in love with the magical animal, and, as his father asks for the princes to show their brides, the animal princess suggests she comes as she is. When the animal bride arrives at the palace with her fantastical carriage, pulled by other animals or dragons, she transforms into a beautiful princess.

The tale type of the Prince-Animal Bride love story was very popular in the salon culture of 17th century France, as attested by the presence of such motifs in the literary works of, for instance, Madame d'Aulnoy.[2]

Europe

Parker Fillmore translated a Czechoslovak variant titled The Betrothal Gifts: The Story of Kubik and the Frog. In this tale, a poor farmer decides to divide his possessions with his three sons, by setting a test: they must find nice wives and bring him a ring and a kerchief. Kubik, the youngest, finds a talking female frog named Kachenka, who helps him in his father's tasks.[3]

Asia

In a tale from Myanmar, The Frog Maiden, a female frog is born to a couple. Years later, the woman dies and her husband remarries another woman with two daughters that mistreat their amphibian stepsister. One day, the youngest prince announces he will partake in a hair-washing ceremony to which all ladies in the kingdom are invited. At the end of the ceremony, he throws a posy of jasmines into the air and lands on the frog maiden's head. She and the prince are then married. Some time later, the king announces he will retire, but first he will see which of his sons shall inherit the kingdom, through a series of tests: finding a golden deer, rice that never goes stale and meat that is ever fresh, and, finally, the most beautiful woman on Earth. The youngest prince succeeds in these tests due to the frog maiden's aid and he brings her to court, where she takes off her frog skin and reveals herself to be the most beautiful princess.[4]

See also

References

  1. Murray, J., Grimm, W., Grimm, J., Taylor, J. Edward., Grimm, W. (1846). The fairy ring: A new collection of popular tales. London: J. Murray. pp. 287-293
  2. Barchilon, J. (2009). Adaptations of Folktales and Motifs in Madame d'Aulnoy's "Contes": A Brief Survey of Influence and Diffusion. Marvels & Tales, 23(2), 353-364, JSTOR 41388930. Retrieved April 10, 2020
  3. Fillmore, Parker. Czechoslovak Fairy Tales. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company. 1919. pp. 113-126.
  4. Aung Maung Htin. Burmese Folk-Tales. Oxford University Press. 1948. pp. 70-74.
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