The Twelve Huntsmen
Encyclopedia
The Twelve Huntsmen is a German fairy tale
collected by the Brothers Grimm
as tale number 67 in their Grimm's Fairy Tales
. Andrew Lang
included it in The Green Fairy Book.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 884, the forsaken fiancée. Other tales which include this type as part of their plot are The True Bride
, The Two Kings' Children
, and Sweetheart Roland
.
. Then, as king, he felt bound by his promise. His fiancee heard of it and asked her father for eleven maidens who looked exactly like her. They dressed as huntsmen and went to court.
The king had a lion who knew everything. It told him that the huntsmen were women, and to test them by putting down peas: a man's firm step would crush them, while a woman's would make them roll. The maiden heard this and warned her companions to step firmly. Then the lion said that he should put spinning wheels in the room, and their interest would betray them, but the maiden learned of it and warned her companions.
One day, the new bride approached. The maiden fainted. The king, fearing a faithful servant had fallen ill, came to her aid and found the ring he had given her. He dismissed the new bride and married the old one, and restored the lion to favor because it had seen the truth.
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 the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
as tale number 67 in their Grimm's Fairy Tales
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Children's and Household Tales is a collection of German origin fairy tales first published in 1812 by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the Brothers Grimm. The collection is commonly known today as Grimms' Fairy Tales .-Composition:...
. 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 Green Fairy Book.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 884, the forsaken fiancée. Other tales which include this type as part of their plot are The True Bride
The True Bride
The True Bride or The True Sweetheart is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales as tale 186.It combines two Aarne-Thompson types: 510, the persecuted heroine, and 884, the forsaken fiancée...
, The Two Kings' Children
The Two Kings' Children
The Two Kings' Children is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales, tale number 113.It is Aarne-Thompson type 313C, the girl helps the hero flee, and type 884, the forgotten fiancée...
, and Sweetheart Roland
Sweetheart Roland
Sweetheart Roland is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 56.It combines several Aarne-Thompson types: type 1119, Ogres Kill Their Own Children; type 313C, the girl helps the hero flee; and type 884, the forgotten fiancée. Others of the second type include The Master Maid,...
.
Synopsis
A prince was betrothed to a maiden he loved. He was summoned back to his father's deathbed and was so grief-stricken that he promised to marry as his father wished, to a neighboring princessFalse 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...
. Then, as king, he felt bound by his promise. His fiancee heard of it and asked her father for eleven maidens who looked exactly like her. They dressed as huntsmen and went to court.
The king had a lion who knew everything. It told him that the huntsmen were women, and to test them by putting down peas: a man's firm step would crush them, while a woman's would make them roll. The maiden heard this and warned her companions to step firmly. Then the lion said that he should put spinning wheels in the room, and their interest would betray them, but the maiden learned of it and warned her companions.
One day, the new bride approached. The maiden fainted. The king, fearing a faithful servant had fallen ill, came to her aid and found the ring he had given her. He dismissed the new bride and married the old one, and restored the lion to favor because it had seen the truth.