“The Sunchild.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 275-279.

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 17:39:59 +0000

“The Sunchild.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 275-279. Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/15/2023 - 11:39

Tale Summary

There was once a woman with no children, who wanted one so badly that she went to the Sunball to promise that if he gave her a little girl, she would return her once she reached twelve years old. He granted her wish, and the child was named Letiko. Shortly after she reached her twelfth year, while she was out gathering herbs, Letiko was visited by the Sunball. He asked her to remind her mother of her promise, and after she relayed the message, her mother boarded up the house to protect the girl. The Sunball came in through the keyhole and took the girl, who was heartbroken. Each time the Sunball sent her away for chores, she dallied while thinking about how her mother must miss her, and each time she made an excuse. She said that her shoes were too big, her petticoat was too long, and her hood was too big, and even though the Sunball fixed all of these, Letiko still moved slowly and sadly. The Sunball decided to send her back home to her mother after he followed the girl and heard her laments, and asked two foxes if they would help her on her way. They agreed, but when the Sunball asked what they would do if they became hungry and thirsty, they replied that they would eat the girl’s flesh and drink her blood. He asked instead two hares to escort her, who said they would eat grass and drink from streamlets. On their way to Letiko’s home, they became hungry and stopped to eat grass and asked the girl to hide in a tree in the meantime. It was not long before a lamia appeared and tried to entice the girl down, but Letiko stalled her. First, the lamia told her to come look at her beautiful shoes, but to hurry because she was in a rush to get her house clean. Letiko told her that her own shoes were more beautiful, and that the lamia should go to sweep her house and come back after. Then, the lamia told her to look at her beautiful apron, but to hurry because she was in a rush to go feed her children, but again Letiko was not impressed and told her to go feed her children. While the lamia was away, the girl took off with the hares as fast as possible towards home. The lamia searched for her, asking some people along the way if they had seen the girl, but they would only reply that they were planting beans. As Letiko approached her mother’s house, her dog, cat, and rooster recognized her and announced her arrival, but her mother was so melancholy that she told them to stop giving her false hope. The lamia caught up with Letiko and the hares, and just as one of them slipped through the door, the lamia snatched its tail off. Letiko’s mother was delighted and silvered the hare’s tail, and lived happily with her daughter the rest of her life.

Fairy Tale Title

The Sunchild

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

H. J. Ford

Common Tale Type

The Daughter of the Sun

Tale Classification

ATU 898

Page Range of Tale

pp. 275-279

Full Citation of Tale

“The Sunchild.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 275-279.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

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

Source: Greece

“The Sunchild.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 275-279.

Tale Summary

Fairy Tale Title

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

Full Citation of Tale

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

AV��ʪ and Curation

Book Title

Book Author/Editor(s)

Illustrator(s)

Publisher

Date Published

Decade Published

Publisher City

Publisher Country

Language

Rights

Digital Copy

Book Notes