The Crow (fairy tale)

Last updated
The Crow
Kazimierz Wladyslaw Wojcicki - Klechdy starozytne podania i powiesci ludowe (page 129 crop).jpg
The princess meets the prince in crow form. Image from a 1922 publication.
Folk tale
NameThe Crow
Also known asThe Enchanted Crow
Aarne–Thompson groupingATU 425, "The Search for the Lost Husband"
Region Poland
Published inKlechdy Tom II (1837)

The Crow is a Slavic fairy tale of Polish origin. Scholars relate it to the international cycle of the Animal as Bridegroom or The Search for the Lost Husband: a human maiden marries an animal that is a prince in disguise, breaks a taboo and loses him, and she has to seek him out.

Contents

Publication

The tale was originally published by Polish author Kazimierz Władysław Wójcicki  [ pl ], with the title Zaklęty w wronę ("Enchantment into a Raven"). [1] [2] It was later translated to German by Hermann Kletke as Die Krähe ("The Crow"), in his folktale compilation Märchensaal aller Völker. [3] Anthony Montalba published it in English as The Enchanted Crow, [4] while Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book with the title The Crow. [5]

Synopsis

A king has three beautiful daughters, although the youngest of them is the most admired. While walking in a garden near the ruins of a castle, the youngest princess comes upon a crow that has been badly wounded. Noticing that the princess pities it, the crow reveals to her that he is a prince enchanted into taking the form of a crow for seven years. However, should the princess agree to live in the one remaining room of the castle and sleep on the golden bed each night without making a sound, she might free him. He warns her that if she does not obey this, his suffering will be doubled.

The fiends drag the princess to the cauldron. Illustration from The Yellow Fairy Book (1894). The Yellow Fairy Book (1894) - p.93.png
The fiends drag the princess to the cauldron. Illustration from The Yellow Fairy Book (1894).

The princess agrees and moves into the ruined castle. Every night at midnight, wicked ghosts appear and threaten her until dawn, yet in spite of her terror she makes no sound. One of her visiting sisters attempts to sleep in the golden bed herself, yet is so terrified by the apparitions she screams; the youngest princess insists on being alone after this incident. The princess continues on with her silence, and notices that each day the grateful crow looks and claims to be doing better than before.

After two years of this, the crow informs her that, to complete her task, the princess must find work as a servant for one year. She succeeds, but is treated poorly by her new master. As the year comes to an end, the prince regains his human form and marries the princess. They return to live in the ruined castle, which has now been fully restored. [6]

Analysis

Tale type

Scholars Jan-Öjvind Swahn  [ sv ] and Julian Krzyżanowski related the tale to the international type AaTh 425, "The Search for the Lost Husband", a cycle of stories related to Cupid and Psyche . [7] [8]

Folklorist D. L. Ashliman classified the tale in the Aarne-Thompson Index (pre-2004) as type AaTh 425N, "The Bird Husband", in his 1987 study of folktales. [9] However, after 2004, German folklorist Hans-Jörg Uther updated the international catalogue and subsumed type AaTh 425N under the more general type ATU 425B, "The Son of the Witch". [10] [11]

Variants

Polish ethnographer Stanisław Ciszewski (pl) collected another variant with the name O zaklętym królewiczu ("About the enchanted prince"). In this tale, the prince character is cursed to be a crow (kruk, in the original text) for seven years, and the heroine is told to help him break the enchantment. [12] On a footnote, Ciszewski cited the previous Polish tale Záklety we wrone. [13]

See also

Fairy tales about a prince transformed into a bird:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Frog Prince</span> German fairy tale

"The Frog Prince; or, Iron Henry" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in Grimm's Fairy Tales. Traditionally, it is the first story in their folktale collection. The tale is classified as Aarne-Thompson type 440.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East of the Sun and West of the Moon</span> Norwegian fairy tale

"East of the Sun and West of the Moon" is a Norwegian fairy-tale. It was included by Andrew Lang in The Blue Fairy Book (1889).

The Canary Prince is an Italian fairy tale, the 18th tale in Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino. He took the tale from Turin, making various stylistic changes; he noted it developed a medieval motif, but such tales as Marie de France's Yonec produced a rather different effect, being tales of adultery. A variant on Rapunzel, Aarne–Thompson type 310, The Maiden in the Tower, it includes many motifs that differentiate it from that tale. Other fairy tales of this type include Anthousa, Xanthousa, Chrisomalousa, Petrosinella, Prunella, and Rapunzel.

"Cap-o'-Rushes" is an English fairy tale published by Joseph Jacobs in English Fairy Tales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Nine Peahens and the Golden Apples</span>

"The Nine Peahens and the Golden Apple" is a work of Serbian epic poetry. It is classified as Aarne-Thompson type 400*, "The Swan Maiden", and as Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index (ATU) type 400, "The Quest for the Lost Wife".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Glass Mountain (fairy tale)</span> Polish fairy tale

"The Glass Mountain" is a Polish fairy tale, translated from the original Polish into German as Der Glasberg. The tale was also compiled by Hermann Kletke and sourced as from Poland.

The Tale of the Hoodie is a Scottish fairy tale, collected by John Francis Campbell in his Popular Tales of the West Highlands. Andrew Lang included it, as The Hoodie-Crow, in The Lilac Fairy Book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Golden Lion</span> Italian fairy tale

The Golden Lion is an Italian fairy tale collected by Laura Gonzenbach in Sicilianische Märchen. Andrew Lang included it in The Pink Fairy Book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mermaid and the Boy</span> Sámi fairy tale collection

The Mermaid and the Boy is a Sámi fairy tale first collected in the mid-19th century. It tells the story of a prince unknowingly promised to a mermaid before he was born, then obtains magical powers to transform into animals later in the story.

The Green Knight is a Danish fairy tale, collected by Svend Grundtvig (1824-1883) in Danish Fairy Tales (18??) and by Evald Tang Kristensen (1843-1929) in Eventyr fra Jylland (1881). Andrew Lang included a translation of Kristensen's version in The Olive Fairy Book (1907).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener</span> Irish fairy tale

The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener is an Irish fairy tale collected by Patrick Kennedy in Fireside Stories of Ireland. Joseph Jacobs included it in More Celtic Fairy Tales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Norka</span> Russian and Ukrainian fairy tale

The Norka is a Russian and Ukrainian fairy tale published by Alexander Afanasyev in his collection of Russian Fairy Tales, numbered 132.

The Enchanted Snake or The Snake is an Italian fairy tale written by author Giambattista Basile in the Pentamerone, as the fifth story of the second day. The tale is related to the international cycle of the Animal as Bridegroom or The Search for the Lost Husband, wherein a human maiden marries a prince cursed to be an animal, loses him and has to search for him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The King of the Golden Mountain</span> German fairy tale

"The King of the Golden Mountain" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Wildrose</span>

Little Wildrose is a Romanian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grateful dead (folklore)</span> Motif and a group of related folktales

Grateful dead is both a motif and a group of related folktales present in many cultures throughout the world.

In folkloristics, "The Animal as Bridegroom" refers to a group of folk and fairy tales about a human woman marrying or being betrothed to an animal. The animal is revealed to be a human prince in disguise or under a curse. Most of these tales are grouped in the international system of Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index under type ATU 425, "The Search for the Lost Husband". Some subtypes exist in the international classification as independent stories, but they sometimes don't adhere to a fixed typing.

The Story of Princess Zeineb and King Leopard is a French language fairy tale published in the 18th century. The tale belongs to the international cycle of the Animal as Bridegroom as a subtype, with few variants reported across Europe. In it, the heroine is delivered to a cursed or enchanted prince, but breaks a taboo and loses him; later, she finds work elsewhere and wards off the unwanted advances of male suitors with the magical object her enchanted husband gave her.

The Belbati Princess is an Indian folktale, from the Ho people in Eastern India, collected by Cecil Henry Bompas. The tale is a local form of the tale "The Love for Three Oranges", which is classified as type ATU 408 of the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index (ATU). As with The Three Oranges, the tale deals with a prince's search for a bride that lives in a fruit, who is replaced by a false bride and goes through a cycle of incarnations until she regains physical form again. Variants are known across India with other species of fruits.

The Dead Prince and the Talking Doll is an Indian folktale collected by scholar A. K. Ramanujan in Kannada. It tells the story of a princess destined to marry a seemingly dead man, who is, in reality, under a curse, his body prickled by numerous pins. The princess begins a task of removing the pins to revive the prince, but a servant replaces her and claims the prince's resurrection as her doing. Finally, the princess is given a talking doll she reveals her story to, which alerts the prince of the truth.

References

  1. ↑ Wójcicki, Kazimierz Władysław (1837). Klechdy: starożytne podania i powieści ludu polskiego i Rusi (in Polish). Vol. II. w Warszawie: w Drukarni Piotra Baryckiego. pp. 82–87.
  2. ↑ Robotycki, Czesław (1983). "W każdej bajce jest ułamek prawdy (o "funkcji" daru w bajce)" [There Is Some Truth in Every Tale (On the Function of Gift a Tale)]. Prace Etnograficzne (in Polish). 18. Uniwersytet Jagielloński: 81–100 [81].
  3. ↑ Kletke, Hermann. Märchensaal: Märchen aller völker für Jung und Alt . Zweiter Band. Berlin: C. Reimarus. 1845. pp. 122-123.
  4. ↑ Montalba, Anthony Reubens (1850). Fairy Tales From All Nations. New York: Harper. pp. 132–136.
  5. ↑ "THE CROW from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books". mythfolklore.net. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
  6. ↑ Robotycki, Czesław (1983). "W każdej bajce jest ułamek prawdy (o "funkcji" daru w bajce)" [There Is Some Truth in Every Tale (On the Function of Gift a Tale)]. Prace Etnograficzne (in Polish). 18. Uniwersytet Jagielloński: 81-100 [86-87 (entry nr. 7)].
  7. ↑ Swahn, Jan Öjvind. The Tale of Cupid and Psyche. Lund, C.W.K. Gleerup. 1955. p. 179.
  8. ↑ Krzyżanowski, Julian. Polska bajka ludowa w ukìadzie systematycznym: Wa̜tki 1-999 . Wydawn. Polskiej Akademii Nauk, 1962. p. 135 (entry nr. 1).
  9. ↑ Ashliman, D. L. A Guide to Folktales in the English Language: Based on the Aarne-Thompson Classification System. Bibliographies and Indexes in World Literature, vol. 11. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1987. pp. 90-91. ISBN   0-313-25961-5.
  10. ↑ Uther, Hans-Jörg (2004). The Types of International Folktales: A Classification and Bibliography, Based on the System of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Academia Scientiarum Fennica. pp. 250, 255. ISBN   978-951-41-0963-8.
  11. ↑ Oriol, Carme. «La catalogació de les rondalles en el context internacional». In: Revista d’etnologia de Catalunya, [en línia], 2007, Núm. 31, p. 94. https://raco.cat/index.php/RevistaEtnologia/article/view/74325 [Consulta: 11-08-2021].
  12. ↑ Ciszewski, S. "Lud rolniczo-górniczy z okolic Sławkowa w powiecie olkuskim opisał..., cz. II". In: Zbiór Wiadomości do Antropologii Krajowej {ZWAK), Tom 11, 1887. pp. 99-100.
  13. ↑ Ciszewski, S. "Lud rolniczo-górniczy z okolic Sławkowa w powiecie olkuskim opisał..., cz. II". In: Zbiór Wiadomości do Antropologii Krajowej {ZWAK), Tom 11, 1887. p. 100.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.