Persecuted Maidens

“Blue Beard.” Histories or Tales of Past Times Written for Children Told By Mother Goose with Morals, Charles Perrault, edited by J. Saxon Childers, London: The Nonesuch Press., 1925, pp. 30-40.

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Nov 2022 01:05:21 +0000

“Blue Beard.” Histories or Tales of Past Times Written for Children Told By Mother Goose with Morals, Charles Perrault, edited by J. Saxon Childers, London: The Nonesuch Press., 1925, pp. 30-40. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/11/2022 - 18:05

Tale Summary

There was once a rich man who unfortunately had a blue beard, which made him so ugly that women hated him (it did not help, also, that he had several wives before, and no one knew what had become of them). He had a neighbor with two beautiful daughters, neither of which wanted his hand in marriage, so he arranged a whole week in the country with them and other young people, where they had so much fun that the youngest daughter agreed to be his bride. After about a month, Blue Beard told his wife he must leave for six weeks, and gave her the keys to everything within his estate, but warned her not to unlock a certain closet under threat of a great deal of anger and resentment. After he leaves, his wife invites her neighbors and good friends, who are excited to see her house, and they all run through the rooms, which all had much to admire. The wife is so curious about the closet, however, that she leaves the company to unlock it. Inside, she finds that the floor is covered in blood, and there are several bodies of dead women against the walls. She is frightened and leaves, but not before dropping the keys in blood. She is unable to clean the keys because they are a fairy, and when Blue Beard returns, he spies the blood and knows what has happened. He tells her that she must die, and ignores her pitiful pleas for mercy, but agrees to give her half a quarter of an hour to pray. When she is alone, she calls out to her sister to go to the top of the tower to see if her brothers are in view, for they promised they would come, and to signal them to make haste. For some time her sister looks, seeing nothing, as Blue Beard yells for his wife to come down until the two horsemen come into view. At this point, the distressed wife had to go to her husband. Before he is able to strike, her brothers enter and kill him. The wife becomes the mistress of the estate, marries her sister to a young gentleman, buys Captains Commissions for her brothers, and marries herself to a worthy gentleman.

Fairy Tale Title

Blue Beard

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault, J. Saxon Childers

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

None listed

Common Tale Type

Maiden-killer

Tale Classification

ATU 312

Page Range of Tale

pp. 30-40

Full Citation of Tale

“Blue Beard.” Histories or Tales of Past Times Written for Children Told By Mother Goose with Morals, Charles Perrault, edited by J. Saxon Childers, London: The Nonesuch Press., 1925, pp. 30-40.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

This tale is given two morals:

“O Curiosity, thou mortal Bane!
Spite of thy Charms, thou causest often Pain
And spre Regret, of which we daily find
A thousand Instances attend Mankind:
For thou, O may it not displease the Fair,
A fleeting Pleasure art, but lasting Care;
And always costs, alas! too deat the Prize,
Which, in the Moment of Possession, dies.”

“A very little Share of common Sense,
And Knowledge of the World, will soon evince,
That this a story is of Time long past.
No Husbands now such panic Terrors cast;
Nor weakly, with a vain depotic Hand,
Imperious, what’s impossible command:
And be they discontented, or the Fire
Of wicked Jealousy their Hearts inspire,
They softly sing, and of whatever Hue
Their Beards may chance to be, or black, or blue,
Grizzled, or russet, it is hard to say,
Which of the two, the Man or Wife, bears Sway.”

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

Histories or Tales of Past Times Written for Children Told By Mother Goose with Morals

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault, J. Saxon Childers

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

The Nonesuch Press

Date Published

1925

Decade Published

1920-1929

Publisher City

London

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

This book includes morals at the end of each tale.

Traditional

White

“Blue Beard.” Old French Fairy Tales, Charles Perrault, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1899, pp. 126-137.

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 21:03:44 +0000

“Blue Beard.” Old French Fairy Tales, Charles Perrault, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1899, pp. 126-137. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/01/2022 - 15:03

Charles Perrault

Tale Summary

A rich gentleman called Blue Beard is unable to find a new wife due to his unusual beard and rumors about his missing wives. After lavishly entertaining a group of ladies, the youngest daughter of a noble lady decides to marry him. He gives his wife a set of keys to all the treasures in the house, commanding her not to use the smallest key, and leaves for business. She discovers his murdered wives after her curiosity gets the best of her. When Blue Beard returns and sees the key, stained with blood, he decides to kill her. She persuades him to let her pray first, and her sister signals their brothers for help. They kill Blue Beard, his widow inherits his wealth, and she eventually marries again and lives happily ever after.

Fairy Tale Title

Blue Beard

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

None listed

Common Tale Type

Maiden-killer

Tale Classification

ATU 312

Page Range of Tale

pp. 126-137

Full Citation of Tale

“Blue Beard.” Old French Fairy Tales, Charles Perrault, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1899, pp. 126-137.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

Unlike the Grimm Brothers’ version, in Charles Perrault's version Blue Beard entertains his guests to win over a wife, the girl decides to marry Blue Beard of her own volition instead of being pressured to, and the girl’s sister call for their brothers to save her. Also, in other versions, the girl returns home with her brothers and keeps the treasures, remaining a widow. Here in Perrault’s she shares her wealth with her sister and two brothers, keeping the rest for herself and her new husband.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Aisha O., 2020

Book Title

Old French Fairy Tales

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault, Madame D'Aulnoy, etc.

Illustrator(s)

"Two hundred illustrations by the most celebrated French artists"

Publisher

Little, Brown, and Company

Date Published

1899

Decade Published

1890-1899

Publisher City

Boston

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White

“Griselidis Nouvelle.” Griselidis Nouvelle avec le conte de peau d’asne, et celuy des souhaits ridicules, Charles Perrault, Quatrième édition, Paris, Jean-Baptiste Coignard, 1695, pp. 5–62.

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 19:08:11 +0000

“Griselidis Nouvelle.” Griselidis Nouvelle avec le conte de peau d’asne, et celuy des souhaits ridicules, Charles Perrault, Quatrième édition, Paris, Jean-Baptiste Coignard, 1695, pp. 5–62. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/18/2022 - 12:08

Charles Perrault

Tale Summary

Griselidis Nouvelle tells the story of a young and valiant Prince who distrusts women. He is beloved by his people, who urge him to marry in order to have an heir, but his jealousy prevents him from seeking a wife. One day while hunting he gets lost and sees a woman in the woods who catches his eye: she is beautiful and living a modest rural life in solitude with only her father.

They marry, and she is as wise leading the people as she was leading the sheep. She gives birth to a girl, whom she chooses to nurse. The Prince decides he must test her devotion by trying to drive her to anger and disobedience. He locks her away in a room and takes away her jewels. She reacts with tenderness. He then removes the child, saying he knows a woman better suited to raise her to be a Princess. Griselidis, face covered in tears, does not protest. The Prince leaves the girl in a monastery but tells Griselidis that she has died. Though she is heartbroken, she consoles the Prince in his false show of sadness.

Fifteen years later, the daughter has grown into a beautiful and sensible woman. A young man from the court falls in love with her, and the Prince decides to torment them so that they may better appreciate the happiness that will come from their marriage. He also sees an opportunity to reveal to the court and his people the incredible patience and virtue of Griselidis. He tells her that the people want him to have an heir and that they are unhappy with her low birth, and so he has found a young princess to marry. He wants Griselidis to help prepare for her arrival. When she meets the young woman, she feels a maternal sadness and protectiveness and warns the Prince to be kind to her, because this beautiful young princess would not be able to deal with the sort of suffering that she had endured.

On the wedding day, the Prince reveals his actions. He praises the limitless patience of Griselidis, and offers his daughter to her beloved. Together he and Griselidis prepare for their daughter's wedding.

Fairy Tale Title

Griselidis Nouvelle

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

None

Common Tale Type

Persecuted Maiden

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 5-62

Full Citation of Tale

“Griselidis Nouvelle.” Griselidis Nouvelle avec le conte de peau d’asne, et celuy des souhaits ridicules, Charles Perrault, Quatrième édition, Paris, Jean-Baptiste Coignard, 1695, pp. 5–62.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

Griselidis Nouvelle is written in verse. Griselidis has only one child, a daughter. There is a preface, in which Perrault addresses the polemic of the ancients vs. the moderns, extolling the morality of modern tales, and of fairy tales in general. He notes the typically female transmission of these stories, as from grandmother or governess to children. This maternal connection is mirrored in the story, in which Griselidis follows her intuition to protect the woman who will be revealed to be her daughter.

In a dedication addressed to Mademoiselle, Perrault states that Griselidis would be too extreme a model of patience, and that the lesson in morality she offers is so ancient that it would likely be laughable in his modern Paris. Nonetheless, he states that one can never have enough antidote to vice, even in Paris where a woman's will shapes society.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Sara Fischer, 2020

Book Title

Griselidis Nouvelle

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Illustrator(s)

None

Publisher

Jean-Baptists Coignard

Date Published

1695

Decade Published

1690-1699

Publisher City

Paris

Publisher Country

France

Language

French

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White

"Peau d'asne." Griselidis Nouvelle avec le conte de peau d’asne, et celuy des souhaits ridicules, Charles Perrault, Quatrième édition, Paris, Jean-Baptists Coignard, 1695, pp. 1-36.

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 18:52:07 +0000

"Peau d'asne." Griselidis Nouvelle avec le conte de peau d’asne, et celuy des souhaits ridicules, Charles Perrault, Quatrième édition, Paris, Jean-Baptists Coignard, 1695, pp. 1-36. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/18/2022 - 11:52

Charles Perrault

Tale Summary

A princess lives in the palace with her parents the king and the queen, surrounded by interesting people and horses, and a donkey with big ears that, instead of producing waste, produces gold coins. The queen grows ill, and makes the king promise to only marry another woman as wise and beautiful as she. The queen believes he will never find such a woman, but in fact, the king falls madly in love with the only woman who can surpass the charms of the wife, his daughter, the princess.

Miserable, the princess goes to her fairy godmother, who says she can avoid the marriage without refusing. She tells her to ask her father for a dress the color of the sky (temps), believing this to be impossible. The father has it done. She then asks for a robe that shines brighter than the color of the moon, and this too is done. She then asks for a robe that shines brighter than the sun, which the king has made with fabric of gold and diamonds. The godmother then recommends that she asks for the skin of the donkey, believing that the king would not deprive himself of this source of wealth. But, with a love of his daughter stronger than that of gold, he has the skin delivered.

The princess runs away, wearing the donkey skin and carrying her godmother's magic wand, which has the power to summon a magic chest packed with her dresses and toiletries. She finds a farmer to take her in as a servant. The valets call her "Peau d'Asne" (Donkey Skin) and make fun of her. On Sundays, alone in her room, she admires herself in the beautiful dresses.

One day, Prince Cephale sees her in her beautiful dress, is consumed with love and desire, and tells his mother, the Queen, that he wants Peau d'Asne to make him a cake. Peau d'Asne, perhaps by accident, or perhaps intentionally because she senses she is loved, bakes a ring into the cake. To heal his yearning heart, the court searches for the woman whose finger will fit the ring, who will become the Prince's bride. All the women of the town attempt to carve down their fingers to fit the dainty ring. Finally, Peau d'Asne fits the ring. She presents herself to the court in her finest dress. At the wedding, the fairy godmother reveals the entire story, and Peau d'Asne is crowned with glory and reunited with her father, whose desire has been tempered with time.

Fairy Tale Title

Peau d'asne

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

None

Common Tale Type

Persecuted Maidens

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 3-36

Full Citation of Tale

"Peau d'asne." Griselidis Nouvelle avec le conte de peau d’asne, et celuy des souhaits ridicules, Charles Perrault, Quatrième édition, Paris, Jean-Baptists Coignard, 1695, pp. 1-36.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

Peau d'asne is written in verse. The king desires his daughter. The moral of the story is given in that virtue which survives an unfortunate challenge will always be rewarded. Perrault points out the importance of having beautiful clothing, and says that there is not a woman under the heavens that doesn't believe herself the most beautiful. There is a dedication written in verse to the Madame la marquise de L... extolling the virtue of fairy tales in general. There is a footnote defining the word ogre. He alludes to the feminine transmission of tales, mentioning mothers and grandmothers who will keep this story alive in their memories.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Sara Fischer, 2020

Book Title

Griselidis Nouvelle

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Illustrator(s)

None

Publisher

Jean-Baptists Coignard

Date Published

1695

Decade Published

1690-1699

Publisher City

Paris

Publisher Country

France

Language

French

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White

“The Princess in the Coffin.” Danish Fairy Tales, Svendt Grundtvig, translated by J. Grant Cramer, Boston: The Four Seas Company, 1919, pp. 45-58.

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 21:11:19 +0000

“The Princess in the Coffin.” Danish Fairy Tales, Svendt Grundtvig, translated by J. Grant Cramer, Boston: The Four Seas Company, 1919, pp. 45-58. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/11/2022 - 14:11

Svendt Grundtvig

Tale Summary

In this Danish rendition of the Princess in a Coffin tale type, you observe a king and queen that are unable to naturally bear a child, so they must seek the help of a wise old woman to fulfill their desires. The queen becomes pregnant after she fulfills the prophecy and gives birth to a beautiful, perfect princess whose intellect is that of a grown wise man upon her birth. The child, however, is cursed and must not be seen by either parent until after her 14th birthday or else there will be great misfortune brought upon their kingdom. The king cannot wait for such a lengthy amount of time to see his daughter, so on the day before her 14th birthday, he breaks into the room and the princess says he must pick one of three misfortunes. The king picks the lesser evil, and the following day the princess dies and is put into a wooden coffin. Upon her death, the princess insists that her coffin must be guarded by a guard every night until she awakes again, but every guard that is sent to guard the coffin mysteriously disappears and is never found again. Then a man comes along who against all odds agrees to guard the coffin once more. When the next dawn breaks, the people find him alive and well. He then demands an extraordinary amount of pay to proceed to guard the coffin for the next two days. Every night he attempts to escape, but a dwarf forcefully brings him back and gives him advice on how to remain alive. He then discovers that the princess’s ghost exits the coffin every night in an attempt to slay the guard. On the third night, the princess and the guard of the coffin are both alive and well on the next morning, and they get married and live happily ever after.

Fairy Tale Title

The Princess in the Coffin

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Svendt Grundtvig

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

None

Common Tale Type

Persecuted Maidens

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 45-58

Full Citation of Tale

“The Princess in the Coffin.” Danish Fairy Tales, Svendt Grundtvig, translated by J. Grant Cramer, Boston: The Four Seas Company, 1919, pp. 45-58.

Original Source of the Tale

Straparola’s tale of Tebaldo and Doralice (Night 1, Tale 4)

Tale Notes

In this thrilling rendition of a princess in a coffin, you witness a royal couple’s unusual quest for parenthood. A wicked prophecy is cast upon an unnaturally born princess, and the King’s lack of patience and brings about a great misfortune. The princess is revived but at a great cost to a great number of men who lose their lives.

This version of the tale is not written for young readers, as it presents great horrors and a lack of illustrations and so a child reader would probably not be greatly entertained. Although the editor of the volume was a Danish folklorist, the American translator claims to have heard the same stories when he lived in Denmark as a child. It follows a similar plot path to many other Princess in a Chest Fairy tales, including Straparola’s early version (1550), the tale of Tebaldo and Doralice. But this version contains many Christian references, including a protagonist called Christian who prays to God and setting in a Church.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Anonymous ITAL 4600 student, 2020

Book Title

Danish Fairy Tales

Book Author/Editor(s)

Svendt Grundtvig , translated by J. Grant Cramer

Illustrator(s)

None

Publisher

The Four Seas Company

Date Published

1919

Decade Published

1910-1919

Publisher City

Boston

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White

“The Princess in the Chest.” The Pink Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1897, pp. 57-72.

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 18:47:50 +0000

“The Princess in the Chest.” The Pink Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1897, pp. 57-72. Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/29/2021 - 11:47

Andrew Lang

Tale Summary

Although it is modified for children, this version of The Princess in the Chest closely follows the typical narrative arc of this tale type. The tale begins with a king and queen who cannot have children. Instructed by a wise woman, the queen has a daughter, but the child is taken away and cannot be seen by her parents until she is fourteen. The king breaks the command on the eve of her fourteenth birthday and so the princess dies and the king must place a guard beside the chest in which her body lays in the church every night for a year. Every guard placed at her chest disappears by morning and the number of men willing to do it grows thin. A smith named Christian agrees to stand guard, but that night he tries to escape and is stopped by a little man who instructs him on how evade the cursed princess who climbs out of her chest at night. He survives three nights guarding the chest, each time following the instructions of the little man. The morning after the third night, the princess is now alive again and freed from sorcery. Christian is rewarded by the king and he marries the princess.

Fairy Tale Title

The Princess in the Chest

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Common Tale Type

Persecuted Maidens

Tale Classification

ATU 307

Page Range of Tale

57-72

Full Citation of Tale

“The Princess in the Chest.” The Pink Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1897, pp. 57-72.

Original Source of the Tale

Danish Tale

Tale Notes

Translated from Danish, this edition of “The Princess in the Chest” has been simplified for young readers. This version of the tale softens some of the frightening themes by incorporating some lighthearted humor and including a few detailed illustrations. This tale has clear religious references, including a hero named Christian who protects himself with a book taken off the altar in the church where the princess lies dead in a chest.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Anonymous ITAL 4600 student, 2020

Book Title

The Pink Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, and Co.

Date Published

1897

Decade Published

1890-1899

Publisher City

New York
London
Bombay

Publisher Country

United States
United Kingdom
India

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White

Brothers Grimm. “The Maiden without Hands.” Grimm’s Household Fairy Tales, translated by Ella Boldey, with illustrations by R. André, New York: McLoughlin Bros., 1890, pp. 150-154.

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 20:53:26 +0000

Brothers Grimm. “The Maiden without Hands.” Grimm’s Household Fairy Tales, translated by Ella Boldey, with illustrations by R. André, New York: McLoughlin Bros., 1890, pp. 150-154. Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/30/2021 - 14:53

Brothers Grimm

Tale Summary

The tale begins with an old man, the antagonist, who approaches a poor miller about an exchange for wealth for what is standing behind the mill (the miller was unaware that his daughter was standing behind the mill). Three years later the old man came to claim his reward three different times but could not take the maiden because she had water on her. Threats from the old man caused the miller to chop off his daughters’ hands since there were tears on them. Ultimately, the old man gave up on his prize, leading to the handless maiden leaving her home and accidentally reaching the kings’ garden. Because she prayed to God, an angel was sent to help the maiden retrieve food from the garden, and she was later discovered by the king. The king and maiden eventually marry and she was given silver hands. Years later when the king left for war, the maiden had a baby and a messenger was sent with a letter that delivered the news. On the way the messenger stopped at the old man's house, and the old man replaced the letters with terrible orders including to murder the maiden and their child. The king’s mother couldn’t follow through with this, so she sent the maiden and child into the woods. Again, the maiden prayed which allowed the two of them to be taken care of in an angels’ house for seven years until the king finally discovered what the old man had done and found his wife and son. The tale concludes with a second happy ending of festivities and rejoicing in the kingdom.

Fairy Tale Title

The Maiden without Hands

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Brothers Grimm

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Richard André

Common Tale Type

The Maiden without Hands

Tale Classification

ATU 706

Page Range of Tale

pp. 150-154

Full Citation of Tale

Brothers Grimm. “The Maiden without Hands.” Grimm’s Household Fairy Tales, translated by Ella Boldey, with illustrations by R. André, New York: McLoughlin Bros., 1890, pp. 150-154.

Original Source of the Tale

Brothers Grimm

Tale Notes

This tale is a translation from the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale that is about nameless characters including a maiden whose hands get cut off by her own father, a miller, in order to follow through with a promise he had made to an old man who promised him riches. This version has a heavy emphasis on prayer and religion, highlighted in a black and white illustration of an angel that assists and ultimately leads the maiden to a happy ending of being reunited with the king (her husband). There is also a strong emphasis on an old man deceiving the main characters and driving forward the plot.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Bri Doerfler, 2020

Book Title

Grimm's Household Fairy Tales

Book Author/Editor(s)

Brothers Grimm

Illustrator(s)

Richard André

Publisher

McLoughlin Bros.

Date Published

1890

Decade Published

1890-1899

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the University of Florida's Digital Library

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White

“Bluebeard.” In Fairyland: Tales Told Again. Chisholm, Louey, illustrated by Katharine Cameron, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904, pp. 6-12.

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 20:14:52 +0000

“Bluebeard.” In Fairyland: Tales Told Again. Chisholm, Louey, illustrated by Katharine Cameron, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904, pp. 6-12. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 07/23/2021 - 14:14

Louey Chisholm Katharine Cameron

Tale Summary

There once was a man who was incredibly rich, far richer than any other. He had a downfall in his appearance: a blue beard that no women liked to look at. He wished to marry one of two daughters, and since they both did not want to marry him, he devised a plan to invite them to his country house with their mother. He then marries the younger daughter Fatima. Bluebeard leaves one day and warns Fatima not to enter a certain room, for a punishment awaits her if she does. She enters the door and finds the dead bodies of all of Bluebeard’s past wives. Bluebeard finds out that she had entered this room and states that he will kill her, and she will join his past wives. Before he has a chance to kill her, Fatima’s two brothers enter and kill bluebeard. Fatima remarries and gives bluebeard's riches to others and she lives happily ever after.

Fairy Tale Title

Bluebeard

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Louey Chisholm

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Katharine Cameron

Common Tale Type

Maiden-killer

Tale Classification

ATU 312

Page Range of Tale

pp. 6-12

Full Citation of Tale

“Bluebeard.” In Fairyland: Tales Told Again. Chisholm, Louey, illustrated by Katharine Cameron, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904, pp. 6-12.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

The maiden in this tale triumphs over her oppressor with her brothers’ help and lives a long happy life. Although this is a children’s book, the author has included the gory scene in which Fatima, Bluebeard’s wife, discovers the severed heads of her husband’s former wives when she unlocks the room he has forbidden her to visit. There is one color illustration that depicts Fatima calling to her sister Anne to ask if their brothers are on the way to save her.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Austin Weingart, 2020

Book Title

In Fairyland: Tales Told Again

Book Author/Editor(s)

Louey Chisholm

Illustrator(s)

Katharine Cameron

Publisher

T. C. & E. C. Jack and G.P. Putnam's Sons

Date Published

1904

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London
New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom
United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

This book contains a preface that introduces a framing narrative, however, the narrative is never addressed again throughout the book. Through the preface, in which a young girl named Sunflower speaks with her mother, we discover that the tales contained within this book are targeted towards children. Sunflower praises her mother’s story telling because she “leave[s] out all the not interesting bits you know and make me understand what the story is all about.”

Traditional

White

“Donkey Skin.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 1-16.

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 21:55:43 +0000

“Donkey Skin.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 1-16. Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/24/2021 - 15:55

Andrew Lang Henry Justice Ford

Tale Summary

The King has a donkey that at night pours gold out of its ears. Before the Queen dies, she says that the king should remarry a woman more beautiful than she is. The King wants to marry his adopted daughter, but she doesn’t want to. So she runs away to consult her fairy godmother. The fairy godmother said that the daughter must ask for a dress that is the color of the sky. The king gets it done. She goes back to the fairy godmother. The fairy godmother said that the daughter must ask for a dress of moonbeams. The King gets it done. She goes back to the fairy godmother. The fairy godmother said that the daughter must ask for a dress of sunshine. The King gets it done. She goes back to the fairy godmother. The fairy godmother said that the daughter must ask for the skin of the donkey that pours gold out of its ears. He does it in an instant and lays it at her feet. Quickly she leaves the castle in the skin of the ass. The king soon realizes this and sends out search parties without success. The girl is hiding at a nearby farm. It is a royal farm, she is renamed “donkey skin” and begins to work there. While she was dressing up in secret for a holiday, the king’s son stopped by and took a peek through the keyhole and sees a gorgeous girl. The king’s son leaves and sleeps with a vision of the girl (the princess) and awakes up with a fever. The king’s son requests a cake made by the donkey skin girl to cure his fever. She makes the cake, and a ring from her hand falls into the cake. The prince eats the cake and secretly finds the ring and tells no-one about it. The prince wishes to marry the woman whose finger fits the ring. They find her at the farm and her hand fits the ring, magically the donkey skin falls off. They live happily ever after.

Fairy Tale Title

Donkey Skin

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

H. J. Ford

Common Tale Type

Peau d'Âne

Tale Classification

ATU 510B

Page Range of Tale

pp. 1-16

Full Citation of Tale

“Donkey Skin.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 1-16.

Original Source of the Tale

Basile’s “The She-Bear"

Tale Notes

The maiden wears the skin of a magical ass/ donkey to hide herself amidst the public of the kingdom. This is unique because instead of her hiding in a dresser or being shipped away to another land, as in some persecuted maiden tales, she is instead hiding under a second skin to make herself unrecognizable. There are three black and white illustrations depicting the king and his pet donkey; the fairy, the princess, and the donkey skin; and the donkey skin falling off the princess as the prince stands nearby.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Anonymous ITAL 4600 student, 2020

Book Title

The Grey Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

H. J. Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, and Co.

Date Published

1905

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

New York
London
Bombay

Publisher Country

United States
United Kingdom
India

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

One of the 12 color Fairy Books edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by Henry Justice Ford.

Traditional

White

"Gracieuse et Percinet." Les contes des fées. Tome premier, Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, Paris, Chez Claude Barbin, au Palais sur la second perron de la Sainte-Chapelle, 1698, pp. 1-71.

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 21:40:59 +0000

"Gracieuse et Percinet." Les contes des fées. Tome premier, Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, Paris, Chez Claude Barbin, au Palais sur la second perron de la Sainte-Chapelle, 1698, pp. 1-71. Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/24/2021 - 15:40

Marie-Catherine D'Aulnoy

Tale Summary

The king and queen have a beautiful and beloved daughter named Gracieuse, who is admired far and wide. The ugly duchess Grognon is filled with jealousy. The queen dies, and after a year of mourning, the king goes out on a hunt and stops at the duchess's castle. He discovers she is enormously rich, and she promises to share her wealth with him, if he marries her, and if she can take control of Gracieuse as her stepmother and mistress. The king agrees.

Gracieuse is dismayed at the news, and goes to cry alone. Percinet appears. He is a handsome prince that has been in love with Gracieuse in secret for some time. He reveals that a fairy has given him a gift and he will protect Gracieuse with it. He gives her a horse and leads her upon it to meet Grognon. Grognon is infuriated that Gracieuse, with her beautiful horse led by the handsome prince, gets more attention than she does. Grognon demands the horse and the young page (Percinet) to lead it. With the wedding procession following, the horse darts off, with Grognon's foot stuck in the stirrup. She is dragged through the mud and the spines, breaking her arm and head. While recovering, she is convinced that Gracieuse has tricked her. Grognon orders that Gracieuse be stripped and beaten with canes, but Percinet changes the canes into feathers and charms the eyes of Grognon's women to believe that the punishment has been delivered.

To please Grognon, the king has a portrait painted of her, and organizes a tournament for the best knights in the court, all fighting to assert that Grognon is the most beautiful princess in the universe. An unnamed knight arrives, insisting that Grognon is the ugliest, and that he has with him a painting of the most beautiful. He defeats twenty-four knights before revealing the painting of Gracieuse. Gracieuse knows this knight is Percinet.

Grognon has Gracieuse abandoned in the middle of a dense forest. She calls for Percinet, and sees a path opening to a crystal palace. Divided by her feelings, she turns away from the palace. He appears, and assures her of his respect, explaining that his mother and sisters, who already love her, are in the castle. They go by a carriage drawn by deer into his enchanted land of joy and beauty. In the fairy castle, she finds that her story is being engraved on the walls.

All is perfect in this land, yet Gracieuse wonders if she can trust Percinet, and thinks that this must all be enchantment. She tells him she is duty-bound to her father, and must return. He shows her that Grognon has told her father that she is dead by suicide. The king is distraught, crying day and night. This scene makes Gracieuse's will to return even greater. Percinet must obey, but as they leave, all the enchantments crumble behind them, and he tells her that she will only be able to return after she is buried.

Gracieuse returns to her father, who has the coffin disinterred and sees that Grognon has buried a log. Nonetheless, Grognon convinces him that Gracieuse is an imposter, and he abandons his daughter anew. Grognon consults a fairy to invent torments for the princess. They first lock her in a room and give her a tangle of fibers, large as four people, that she must untangle without breaking a thread. Certain that she will not succeed, she cries her last farewell to Percinet, who appears, saying he could not abandon her, and uses his magic wand to untangle the huge knot. He asks her to free herself from this tyranny and come with him, yet she again refuses.

Grognon gives Gracieuse a ton of feathers and orders her to sort them by bird. Again Percinet appears and helps complete the task. Grognon then gives Gracieuse a magic box that the fairy had created, and tells her to deliver it but forbids her from opening it. On the journey, Gracieuse cannot help herself, and opens the box, from which springs a court of tiny people, who begin a great ball in the field, dancing and cooking. Once they have started, Gracieuse cannot convince them to go back into the box. Percinet arrives to help her, pointing out that she only thinks of him when she is in trouble.

Grognon has a pit dug, and a giant rock placed over it, and tells all that there is a treasure buried beneath the rock. When Gracieuse tries to reveal the treasure, Grognon pushes her in the pit. Gracieuse regrets her decision to not marry Percinet sooner, but explains that she needed to be certain that his love for her was unchangeable. A door opens in the pit, and Gracieuse finds the crystal palace and the sisters and mother of Percinet. She agrees to marry him. The evil fairy who helped torture Gracieuse is present at the wedding. She casts a spell to make Gracieuse forget the torments, and returns to wring Grognon's neck.

Fairy Tale Title

Gracieuse et Percinet

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Aulnoy, Madame Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Comtesse d’

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

None listed

Common Tale Type

Persecuted Maidens

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 1-71

Full Citation of Tale

"Gracieuse et Percinet." Les contes des fées. Tome premier, Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, Paris, Chez Claude Barbin, au Palais sur la second perron de la Sainte-Chapelle, 1698, pp. 1-71.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

Grognon has a wine cellar, and mentions several types of wines. The beauty of Gracieuse is compared to Venus. Initially, Gracieuse is insulted to be admired by Percinet when she believes him to be a Page, and considers his admiration a sign of how low she has fallen. The dangers of love are comparable to the tortures of the evil stepmother. At the end of the story is the moral, written in verse, in which Envy is blamed for human evil, and for the anger of Grognon.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Sara Fischer, 2020

Book Title

Les contes des fées

Book Author/Editor(s)

Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

Chez Claude Barbin, au Palais sur la second perron de la Sainte-Chapelle

Date Published

1698

Decade Published

1690-1699

Publisher City

Paris

Publisher Country

France

Language

French

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White