Trusty John
Encyclopedia
Trusty John, Faithful John, Faithful Johannes, or John the True is a German fairy tale
collected by the Brothers Grimm
, tale number 6, and by Joseph Jacobs
in his European Folk and Fairy Tales. Andrew Lang
included it in The Blue Fairy Book.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 516. Others of this type are Father Roquelaure
and The Raven
. Antti Aarne
and Stith Thompson
catalogued about 500 tales under this type, of which over 200 were Irish, and the remainder, from the rest of Europe and European colonies in America. Such tales include In Love with a Statue
, How to find out a True Friend
, The Man of Stone
, and Amis et Amiles
.
In all variants, when the new king comes to power, he forces his way into the room. Instantly, he falls in love with the princess. In Joseph Jacobs's version, her country had been at war with his, and the portrait stems from betrothal negotiations that had fallen through; but in all versions, the king does not know how to win her. Trusty John tells him to prepare a ship with all manner of rich treasure, and then either sails with it himself, or has the king sail with him, to her country. The princess is lured aboard by the goods, and the ship sets sail, carrying her off.
While they travel, John hears three ravens. One says that as soon as they reach shore, a horse will come; if the king mounts it, it will carry him off or dash him and the princess to pieces. The solution is for someone to kill the horse, but anyone who reveals this by stating it out loud would have his legs turn to stone up to the knees. The second raven says (with variations in different tellings) that the king would be killed by wine at the wedding feast if it were not dashed to the ground, or that he would be burned up by a wedding garment if it was not burned, etc.; in all variants, whoever says so would turn to stone to his waist. The third raven says, again in different variants, that the princess would faint and die unless someone draws three drops of blood from her right breast; or a dragon would attack their bridal chamber and unless driven off, kill them. True to form, whoever states this would turn entirely to stone.
John prevents all three
fates. For the first two, the king trusts that John has acted in his service; but for the third, the king decides to execute him. At the place of execution, John tells the story of the ravens and turns progressively to stone.
In time, the queen bears twin sons. The king and queen learn that if they kill the boys and rub John's statue with their blood, he would come to life again. When the queen agrees to the sacrifice, Faithful John immediately comes back to life, the curse broken, and as a reward for the king's loyalty, the two children are restored to life as well. The king and queen live happily until their deaths.
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...
, tale number 6, and by Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs was a folklorist, literary critic and historian. His works included contributions to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, translations of European works, and critical editions of early English literature...
in his European Folk and Fairy Tales. 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 Blue Fairy Book.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 516. Others of this type are Father Roquelaure
Father Roquelaure
Father Roquelaure is a French fairy tale collected by Achille Millien.It is a type 516 tale in the Aarne-Thompson classification system. Others of this type are Trusty John and The Raven.-Synopsis:...
and The Raven
The Raven (Italian fairy tale)
The Raven is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone. The story is a man winning a bride for his brother the king, and then having to protect the couple from perils that he can not tell anyone about, without being turned to stone.It is...
. Antti Aarne
Antti Aarne
Antti Amatus Aarne was a Finnish folklorist.-Background:Aarne was the student of Julius Krohn and his son Kaarle Krohn...
and Stith Thompson
Stith Thompson
Stith Thompson was an American scholar of folklore. He is the "Thompson" of the Aarne-Thompson classification system.- Biography :...
catalogued about 500 tales under this type, of which over 200 were Irish, and the remainder, from the rest of Europe and European colonies in America. Such tales include In Love with a Statue
In Love with a Statue
In Love with a Statue is an Italian fairy tale collected by Thomas Frederick Crane in Italian Popular Tales.-Synopsis:A king had two sons. The younger one fell in love with a statue. His older brother set out to see if he could find a woman like it...
, How to find out a True Friend
How to find out a True Friend
How to find out a True Friend is an Italian fairy tale collected by Laura Gonzenbach in Sicilianische Märchen. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
, The Man of Stone
The Man of Stone
The Man of Stoneis a Romanian fairy tale collected by Petre Ispirescu in Legende sau basmele românilor.-Synopsis:A king and queen had no children. A black man or Arab came to the king and offered a potion that would make the queen pregnant. The cook prepared it and, not knowing its powers, tasted...
, and Amis et Amiles
Amis et Amiles
Amis et Amiles is an old French romance based on a widespread legend of friendship and sacrifice. In its earlier and simpler form it is the story of two friends, one of whom, Amis, was sick with leprosy because he had committed perjury to save his friend. A vision informed him that he could only be...
.
Synopsis
In some variants, a king on his deathbed orders his servant, Trusty John, not to let his son see a certain room, which holds a portrait of a princess.In all variants, when the new king comes to power, he forces his way into the room. Instantly, he falls in love with the princess. In Joseph Jacobs's version, her country had been at war with his, and the portrait stems from betrothal negotiations that had fallen through; but in all versions, the king does not know how to win her. Trusty John tells him to prepare a ship with all manner of rich treasure, and then either sails with it himself, or has the king sail with him, to her country. The princess is lured aboard by the goods, and the ship sets sail, carrying her off.
While they travel, John hears three ravens. One says that as soon as they reach shore, a horse will come; if the king mounts it, it will carry him off or dash him and the princess to pieces. The solution is for someone to kill the horse, but anyone who reveals this by stating it out loud would have his legs turn to stone up to the knees. The second raven says (with variations in different tellings) that the king would be killed by wine at the wedding feast if it were not dashed to the ground, or that he would be burned up by a wedding garment if it was not burned, etc.; in all variants, whoever says so would turn to stone to his waist. The third raven says, again in different variants, that the princess would faint and die unless someone draws three drops of blood from her right breast; or a dragon would attack their bridal chamber and unless driven off, kill them. True to form, whoever states this would turn entirely to stone.
John prevents all three
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...
fates. For the first two, the king trusts that John has acted in his service; but for the third, the king decides to execute him. At the place of execution, John tells the story of the ravens and turns progressively to stone.
In time, the queen bears twin sons. The king and queen learn that if they kill the boys and rub John's statue with their blood, he would come to life again. When the queen agrees to the sacrifice, Faithful John immediately comes back to life, the curse broken, and as a reward for the king's loyalty, the two children are restored to life as well. The king and queen live happily until their deaths.
Adaptations
Trusty John is a supporting character in the long-running comic book series Fables.See also
- The Enchanted PigThe Enchanted PigThe Enchanted Pig is a Romanian fairy tale, collected in Rumanische Märchen and also by Petre Ispirescu in Legende sau basmele românilor. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.It is Aarne-Thompson type 425A, the search for the lost husband...
- Long, Broad and SharpsightLong, Broad and SharpsightLong, Broad and Sharpsight or Long, Broad, and Quickeye is a Bohemian fairy tale, collected by Louis Léger in Contes Populaires Slaves.Andrew Lang included it in The Grey Fairy Book.A. H...
- How Ian Direach got the Blue FalconHow Ian Direach got the Blue FalconHow Ian Direach got the Blue Falcon is a Scottish fairy tale, collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands. He recorded it from a quarryman in Knockderry, Roseneath, named Angus Campbell....