The Mermaid and the Boy
Encyclopedia
The Mermaid and the Boy is a Sámi
fairy tale
collected by J. C. Poestion in Lapplandische Märchen. Andrew Lang
included it in The Brown Fairy Book.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. Other tales of this type include Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
, Corvetto
, King Fortunatus's Golden Wig
, and The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa
. Another, literary variant is Madame d'Aulnoy
's La Belle aux cheveux d'or, or The Story of Pretty Goldilocks
.
promised to free him in return for his firstborn, and the king had to agree.
Their son was born, and finally, when he was grown, the king told the queen that they could not keep him by them, because that was where the mermaid would look. He told the prince and sent him out into the world. He met a lion and shared his food with it; it gave him the tip of its ear, and told him it would transform him into a lion. The prince traveled for a time as a lion, but found that he got tired of walking like one. The next day, the same thing happened with a bear, and the day after that, with a bumblebee
, except that he could fly as a bee all day without tiring of it.
He found a city where the princess hated all men and would not permit one in her presence. He refused a bed to sleep on a bench in the palace's hall. Then, as a bee, he flew to the princess's room. He turned back to a man and the princess shrieked; he turned back into a bee and her guards could find nothing. After he repeated this, the guards resolved to let her shriek. She realized it and did not scream the third time. The prince wooed her, and she fell in love. She told him that in three days, her father would go to war, and leave his sword behind, and whoever brought it to him would gain her hand. He told her that he would do it, and if he did not return, she should play a violin on the seashore, loudly enough to reach the seabottom.
He went with the king, and when the king discovered his loss, returned to the city as a lion. The princess gave him the sword and half a ring. The Red Knight tried to take the sword from him by force. He failed, but soon after he pushed the prince into a stream, where the mermaid seized him. The Red Knight carried off the sword to the king.
Soon the war was over, and the king told the princess she must marry the Red Knight
. During the wedding feast, the princess played the violin on the shore. The mermaid commented on the song to the prince, who claimed not to hear it. Even when she brought him to the surface, he said he had water in his ears, and then wished himself into a bee. He flew to the princess.
She took him to the feast and declared that the Red Knight must show him his place by turning into a lion, a bear, and a bee, at all three of which he failed. The prince did all three. The princess told that it was the prince who retrieved the sword, and showed how their rings matched. They hanged the Red Knight, and the prince and princess married.
While the animals who give return are a frequent motif—The Grateful Beasts
, The Two Brothers
, The Queen Bee
, The Death of Koschei the Deathless
, The Gold-bearded Man
—in most cases they come to the hero's aid themselves. These animals fulfill a role more commonly found in fairy godmother
s and like creatures
, of giving the hero magical things that he may use.
SAMI
SAMI is a Microsoft accessibility initiative released in 1998. The structured markup language is designed to simplify creating captions for media playback on a PC, i.e. not for broadcast purposes....
fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
collected by J. C. Poestion in Lapplandische Märchen. Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
included it in The Brown Fairy Book.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. Other tales of this type include Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 126.It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. Other tales of this type include The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa, Corvetto, King Fortunatus's Golden Wig, and The Mermaid and the Boy...
, Corvetto
Corvetto
Corvetto is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone.It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. Other tales of this type include The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa, Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful, King Fortunatus's Golden Wig, and The...
, King Fortunatus's Golden Wig
King Fortunatus's Golden Wig
King Fortunatus's Golden Wig is a French fairy tale collected by Colonel A. Troude and G. Milin in .It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. This type is generally called "The Clever Horse," but is known in French as La Belle aux cheveux d'or, or The Story of Pretty Goldilocks, after the literary variant by...
, and The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa
The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa
The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki.It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. Other tales of this type include Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful, Corvetto, King Fortunatus's Golden Wig, and The Mermaid and...
. Another, literary variant is Madame d'Aulnoy
Madame d'Aulnoy
Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy , also known as Countess d'Aulnoy, was a French writer known for her fairy tales...
's La Belle aux cheveux d'or, or The Story of Pretty Goldilocks
The Story of Pretty Goldilocks
The Story of Pretty Goldilocks or The Beauty with Golden Hair is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Blue Fairy Book....
.
Synopsis
A king, having been married a year, set out to settle some distant subjects. His ship caught on rocks. A mermaidMermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
promised to free him in return for his firstborn, and the king had to agree.
Their son was born, and finally, when he was grown, the king told the queen that they could not keep him by them, because that was where the mermaid would look. He told the prince and sent him out into the world. He met a lion and shared his food with it; it gave him the tip of its ear, and told him it would transform him into a lion. The prince traveled for a time as a lion, but found that he got tired of walking like one. The next day, the same thing happened with a bear, and the day after that, with a bumblebee
Bumblebee
A bumble bee is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species, existing primarily in the Northern Hemisphere although they are common in New Zealand and in the Australian state of Tasmania.Bumble bees are social insects that are characterised by black...
, except that he could fly as a bee all day without tiring of it.
He found a city where the princess hated all men and would not permit one in her presence. He refused a bed to sleep on a bench in the palace's hall. Then, as a bee, he flew to the princess's room. He turned back to a man and the princess shrieked; he turned back into a bee and her guards could find nothing. After he repeated this, the guards resolved to let her shriek. She realized it and did not scream the third time. The prince wooed her, and she fell in love. She told him that in three days, her father would go to war, and leave his sword behind, and whoever brought it to him would gain her hand. He told her that he would do it, and if he did not return, she should play a violin on the seashore, loudly enough to reach the seabottom.
He went with the king, and when the king discovered his loss, returned to the city as a lion. The princess gave him the sword and half a ring. The Red Knight tried to take the sword from him by force. He failed, but soon after he pushed the prince into a stream, where the mermaid seized him. The Red Knight carried off the sword to the king.
Soon the war was over, and the king told the princess she must marry the Red Knight
False hero
The false hero is a stock character in fairy tales, and sometimes also in ballads. The character appears near the end of a story in order to claim to be the hero or heroine and is, therefore, always of the same sex as the hero or heroine. The false hero presents some claim to the position. By...
. During the wedding feast, the princess played the violin on the shore. The mermaid commented on the song to the prince, who claimed not to hear it. Even when she brought him to the surface, he said he had water in his ears, and then wished himself into a bee. He flew to the princess.
She took him to the feast and declared that the Red Knight must show him his place by turning into a lion, a bear, and a bee, at all three of which he failed. The prince did all three. The princess told that it was the prince who retrieved the sword, and showed how their rings matched. They hanged the Red Knight, and the prince and princess married.
See also
- The Sea-MaidenThe Sea-MaidenThe Sea-Maiden is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands, listing his informant as John Mackenzie, fisherman, near Inverary. Joseph Jacobs included it in Celtic Fairy Tales.-Synopsis:...
- The Grateful PrinceThe Grateful PrinceThe Grateful Prince is an Estonian fairy tale, collected by Dr. Friedrich Kreutzwald in Eestirahwa Ennemuistesed jutud. W. F. Kirby included in The Hero of Esthonia. Andrew Lang included it in The Violet Fairy Book; he listed his source as Ehstnische Märchen, which was the German translation of...
- Nix Nought NothingNix Nought NothingNix Nought Nothing is an English fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in his English Fairy Tales. A similar tale was collected by Andrew Lang in Scotland...
- The White Dove
- The Battle of the BirdsThe Battle of the BirdsThe Battle of the Birds is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in his Popular Tales of the West Highlands. He recorded it from a fisherman near Inverary, John Mackenzie...
- The Nixie of the Mill-PondThe Nixie of the Mill-PondThe Nixie of the Mill-Pond is a German fairy tale. The Brothers Grimm collected in their Grimm's Fairy Tales, as tale number 181. Andrew Lang included a version in The Yellow Fairy Book, citing his source Hermann Kletke and titling it The Nixy....
While the animals who give return are a frequent motif—The Grateful Beasts
The Grateful Beasts
The Grateful Beasts is a Hungarian fairy tale collected by Hermann Kletke. Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book.-Synopsis:Three sons set out to seek their fortune...
, The Two Brothers
The Two Brothers
The Two Brothers is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 60. It is Aarne-Thompson type 567A, the magic bird heart, and type 303, the blood brothers.-Synopsis:...
, The Queen Bee
The Queen Bee
The Queen Bee is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 62. It is Aarne-Thompson type 554, the grateful animals.-Synopsis:...
, The Death of Koschei the Deathless
The Death of Koschei the Deathless
The Death of the Immortal Koschei or Marya Morevna is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki and included by Andrew Lang in The Red Fairy Book...
, The Gold-bearded Man
The Gold-bearded Man
The Gold-bearded Man is an Hungarian fairy tale collected in Ungarische Mahrchen. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
—in most cases they come to the hero's aid themselves. These animals fulfill a role more commonly found in fairy godmother
Fairy godmother
In fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies...
s and like creatures
Donor (fairy tale)
In fairy tales, a donor is a character that tests the hero and provides magical assistances to the hero when he succeeds.The fairy godmother is a well-known form of this character...
, of giving the hero magical things that he may use.