| The Thief and His Master | |
|---|---|
| Folk tale | |
| Name | The Thief and His Master |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | ATU 325 |
| Country | Germany |
| Published in | Grimms' Fairy Tales |
"The Thief and His Master" is a German fairy tale (original title: "De Gaudeif un sien Meester") collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales as tale number 68. [1] In the first edition (published on 20 December 1812) there was another fairy tale at place 68. The name of the fairy tale is "Von dem Sommer- und Wintergarten".
It is Aarne–Thompson type 325, The Magician and His Pupil, [2] containing a transformation chase. Others of this type include Farmer Weathersky , The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Master and Pupil . This tale type is well known in India and Europe and notably stable in form. [3] A literary variant is Maestro Lattantio and His Apprentice Dionigi . [4]
Jan wants his son to learn a profession, so he goes to church to ask the Lord what profession would be good for him. The sexton behind the altar says "steal, steal" and Jan tells his son that he should learn to steal. They go looking for someone who can teach him and in a large forest they find a small house with an old woman. Jan's son is allowed to stay for a year to learn the profession.
Jan apprenticed his son to a master-thief, who said he should pay nothing for the education, but if he could not recognize him, then he would have to pay. When he returned after a year, a dwarf advised him to bring bread, and that the little bird peeping from the basket he finds there is his son. By this means, he gets his son back. He tells the dwarf that he is worried about not recognising his son anymore.
On a tree there is a little bird that turns out to be Jan's son. Jan throws the bread at the bird and they talk to each other. The master thief says that Jan has been helped by the devil, otherwise he could never have recognized his son.
On the way back they come across a carriage and the son changes himself to a dog. The man in the carriage wants to pay for the beautiful dog and his father sells him. Moments later the dog jumps out of the window of the carriage and changes his shape. The son escapes and goes back to his father.
They go home and the next day they go to the market in the neighbouring village. The son then changed himself to a horse, warning his father not to sell him with the bridle, his father sells him to the master-thief without taking off the bridle. When the master-thief stables him, he asks the maid to take off the bridle, and she is so surprised that he talks that she does so. The son and the master-thief interchange a transformation chase — first sparrows, then fish — with throwing lots, and the son ends it by turning into a fox when the master is a cock, and biting its head off. [5]
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection Grimms' Fairy Tales, numbered as Tale 53. The original German title was Sneewittchen; the modern spelling is Schneewittchen. The Grimms completed their final revision of the story in 1854, which can be found in the 1857 version of Grimms' Fairy Tales.
The Sisters Grimm is a children's fantasy series written by Michael Buckley and illustrated by Peter Ferguson. The series features two sisters, Sabrina Grimm and Daphne Grimm, and consists of nine novels that were published from 2005 to 2012.
The Golden Bird is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm about the pursuit of a golden bird by a gardener's three sons.
The Langs' Fairy Books are a series of 25 collections of true and fictional stories for children published between 1889 and 1913 by Andrew Lang and his wife, Leonora Blanche Alleyne. The best known books of the series are the 12 collections of fairy tales also known as Andrew Lang's "Coloured" Fairy Books or Andrew Lang's Fairy Books of Many Colors. In all, the volumes feature 798 stories, besides the 153 poems in The Blue Poetry Book.
"The Master Thief" is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Chr. Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. The Brothers Grimm included a shorter variant as tale 192 in their fairy tales. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book. George Webbe Dasent included a translation of the tale in Popular Tales From the Norse. It is Aarne–Thompson type 1525A, Tasks for a Thief.
Farmer Weathersky is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Chr. Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in Norske Folkeeventyr.
The youngest son is a stock character in fairy tales, where he features as the hero. He is usually the third son, but sometimes there are more brothers, and sometimes he has only one; usually, they have no sisters.
"The Three Little Birds" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 96. The story is originally written in Low German. It is Aarne-Thompson type 707, the dancing water, the singing apple, and the speaking bird. The story resembles Ancilotto, King of Provino, by Giovanni Francesco Straparola, and The Sisters Envious of Their Cadette, the story of the 756th night of the Arabian Nights.
"Old Sultan" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.
Prunella is an Italian fairy tale, originally known as Prezzemolina. Andrew Lang included it in The Grey Fairy Book. It is Aarne-Thompson type 310, the Maiden in the Tower.
"The Water of Life" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 97.
"The Four Skillful Brothers" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It is Aarne-Thompson type 653.
"The Brown Bear of the Green Glen" is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands, listing his informant as John MacDonald, a "Traveling Tinker". He also noted the parallels with The Water of Life.
The Magic Book is a Danish fairy tale collected by Ewald Tang Kristensen in Eventyr fra Jylland. Andrew Lang included it in The Orange Fairy Book, listing it as translated by Mrs. Skavgaard-Pedersen.
The Tale of the Shifty Lad, the Widow's Son is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands. Andrew Lang included it, as The Shifty Lad in The Lilac Fairy Book. The tale was reprinted in Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales, by George Brisbane Scott Douglas.
Maestro Lattantio and His Apprentice Dionigi is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giovanni Francesco Straparola in The Facetious Nights of Straparola.
American McGee's Grimm is a 23-part episodic video game series based upon Grimm's Fairy Tales, designed by American McGee, developed by Spicy Horse and distributed online initially by GameTap starting July 31, 2008. Grimm was originally thought to resemble the warped fairy tale style of American McGee's Alice, but the art style appears to be much more child-friendly and simplistic. Grimm is written and executive-produced by the same person as American McGee's Alice, R. J. Berg. The original announcement was made in the June 2007 issue of PC Gamer.
"The Dog and the Sparrow" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It is a story of Aarne-Thompson type 248.
The Man and the Girl at the Underground Mansion is a Danish folktale collected by theologue Nikolaj Christensen in the 19th century, but published in the 20th century by Danish folklorist Laurits Bodker.
"Thumbling's Travels" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812. The original German name for the character is "Daumerling," not to be confused with the similar tale "Daumesdick" or KHM 37, which was added in 1819. Both tales are frequently translated into English as "Tom Thumb" or "Thumbling" and are categorized as Aarne-Thompson type 700.
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