The Witch in the Stone Boat
Encyclopedia
The Witch in the Stone Boat is an Iceland
ic fairy tale
. Andrew Lang
included it in The Yellow Fairy Book.
His queen and their son were alone on the deck when she saw something approaching: a stone boat with a frightening troll
witch. The witch got into their ship, took the baby from her and laid him on the deck, stripped her naked and took on her clothing, transforming herself into her shape
, and put the queen in the boat and cursed her to go to the witch's brother in the underworld. The boat shot off. The baby began to fuss, and the witch went below to scold Sigurd for leaving her alone on the deck. He was surprised to hear her scold him, but thought she had reason; he too was unable to quiet the boy.
After the voyage, Sigurd had to give his son to a nurse to quiet him and found his wife had changed much, becoming haughty and stubborn One day, two young men, playing chess in the next room, heard her say that the more widely she yawned, the more she transformed back into a troll. She yawned widely, became a troll, and ate from a trough that a three-headed giant
, who called her sister, brought her.
A woman in white, with an iron belt dragging a chain, appeared to nurse the son The new nurse heard her say, the second night, that two are gone and one was left. She confided to the king, who came the third
night and saw the woman was his own wife. He cut the chain in two. Great noises came from beneath the earth.
The queen told how the three-headed giant had tried to force her to marry him, but she at last had consented if she could only visit her son three times. The chain falling on him must have killed him. The king had the false queen immediately captured and then stoned
to death and her body torn apart
by horses, while the real queen was restored to all her dignity.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic 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...
. 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 Yellow Fairy Book.
Synopsis
A king told his son, Sigurd, to marry and recommended the daughter of another king. Sigurd went there and asked to marry her. That king agreed on the condition that Sigurd stayed and helped him as long as he could; Sigurd agreed to stay until he heard of his father's death. When he received the news, he and his wife had a son who was two, and he made preparations to set out.His queen and their son were alone on the deck when she saw something approaching: a stone boat with a frightening troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
witch. The witch got into their ship, took the baby from her and laid him on the deck, stripped her naked and took on her clothing, transforming herself into her shape
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...
, and put the queen in the boat and cursed her to go to the witch's brother in the underworld. The boat shot off. The baby began to fuss, and the witch went below to scold Sigurd for leaving her alone on the deck. He was surprised to hear her scold him, but thought she had reason; he too was unable to quiet the boy.
After the voyage, Sigurd had to give his son to a nurse to quiet him and found his wife had changed much, becoming haughty and stubborn One day, two young men, playing chess in the next room, heard her say that the more widely she yawned, the more she transformed back into a troll. She yawned widely, became a troll, and ate from a trough that a three-headed giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
, who called her sister, brought her.
A woman in white, with an iron belt dragging a chain, appeared to nurse the son The new nurse heard her say, the second night, that two are gone and one was left. She confided to the king, who came the third
Rule of three (writing)
The "rule of three" is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of...
night and saw the woman was his own wife. He cut the chain in two. Great noises came from beneath the earth.
The queen told how the three-headed giant had tried to force her to marry him, but she at last had consented if she could only visit her son three times. The chain falling on him must have killed him. The king had the false queen immediately captured and then stoned
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
to death and her body torn apart
Dismemberment
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise removing, the limbs of a living thing. It may be practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, as a result of a traumatic accident, or in connection with murder, suicide, or cannibalism...
by horses, while the real queen was restored to all her dignity.
See also
- The White DuckThe White DuckThe White Duck is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki. Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
- The Wonderful BirchThe Wonderful BirchThe Wonderful Birch is a Russian fairy tale.A variant on Cinderella, it is Aarne-Thompson folktale type 510A, the persecuted heroine. It makes use of shapeshifting motifs.Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
- The Three Little Men in the WoodThe Three Little Men in the WoodThe Three Little Men in the Wood or The Three Dwarfs is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 13. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book, and a version of the tale appears in A Book of Dwarfs by Ruth Manning-Sanders.It is Aarne-Thompson type 403B, the black and the...
- Brother and SisterBrother and SisterBrother and Sister is a well-known European fairy tale which was, among others, written down by the Brothers Grimm in their collection of Children's and Household Tales ...