Behind the Story of the Swan Maiden
The story of the Swan Maiden dates back centuries and is an expansively recognizable fairy tale in Europe, though it has spread worldwide. It has numerous surprising meanings and elements to it that some have deeply searched for. Turns out, this, “kid’s story”, is not as innocent as you may believe. The Swan Maiden has been interpreted through several objectives such as the variations of the tale, the meaning and history, and the beliefs behind the story, which sparks a much more intellectual understanding.
There are many versions of this tale, but its classic structure is as follows. The moral of the story begins with a mystical half woman half swan swimming or bathing in a body of water with several other swan maidens. They remove their magical robe of feathers and plunge into the water. The robe stands for their animal covering, being her feathers that transform this creature into a swan. Following the plunge, a man, usually a hunter, would take the robe or cloak of the Maiden he found to be the youngest and most pleasing to the eye. When the Swan Maiden would descend out of the water and look for her robe, she would not find it. Suddenly, the man would appear with the garment. The maiden would plead for the garment back, but he would not return it and would force her against her will to marry him, have children, and they would often end up very, “happy”, until one day, the wife would find the precious robe that was hidden from her and proceed to fly away and leave her family, often saying to one of her children, “Tell father that if he wishes to see me again, he must find me in the Land East O’ the Sun and West O’ the Moon” (Ashliman). Some other versions just show her flying away without ...
... middle of paper ...
... versions of this story, the couple retreat back together. Multiple assume that this was the original tale, but no one will ever know.
This classic tale has been told for ages and is said to be the most captivating of fairy tales. Editors rant, “it is hard to imagine a more visually beautiful image in folk tales than the one presented by the figures of the swan maiden and her sisters (Snyder).” It has been entertaining and raising questions for years such as, “why did the man take her? Why did the swan maiden fly away?” Turns out, many would not expect the outcome of the research. The story of the swan maiden will continue to be passed on and derived from one another and interpreted differently. Nevertheless, the main meaning of this tale involves the action of women setting themselves free from an abusive relationship and from the hardships of that time period.
The Maiden, the frog and the Chief’s son is not along the tale of the traditional “Cinderella” story that most people have grown to know. In Nigeria, a man had two wives. Of course, he favored one wife more so than the second. Both wives became pregnant with girls. The second wife grew ill and ended up passing away, leaving behind a child “with no mother of her own, just her fathers” (Cinderella 349). The motherless child lived with her stepmother and step sister, being forced to do hard chores such as gathering wood, pound the fura and tuwo, and other strenuous jobs. She could only eat what was left in a pot, usually burnt bits. The girl would bring frogs and feed them some scrapings. Day in and day out of the girl being so kind to the frogs, the told the maiden to come back tomorrow morning, so they could thank her.
Once upon a time there was a young maiden named Cinderella who lived with her wicked stepmother and two ugly stepsisters. There was a ball where the Prince danced with a beautiful maiden. However, at the stroke of midnight, the young woman fled the ball, dropping one of her glass slippers along the way. The next day, the King proclaimed that the Grand Duke visit every house in the kingdom to find the girl who fit into the glass slipper, so that she can be married to the Prince. When the Grand Duke arrives at Cinderella’s house, her stepsisters try on the slipper, but it does not fit them. Then, Cinderella appears, tries on the slipper, and it fits. Soon after, Cinderella is happily married to the Prince (Cinderella). This is Disney’s 1950’s account of the classic fairy tale Cinderella, which greatly differs from the Brothers Grimm retelling. The Brothers Grimm story is filled with violence and misfortune, not with fairy godmothers and singing mice, as in Disney’s version. In the Brother’s Grimm account of Cinderella, when the first stepsister’s toe is too big for the slipper she cuts it off. Similarly, when the second stepsister tries on the slipper she cuts off her heel to make her foot fit. However, the Prince realizes each of the stepsisters has deceived him and does not take them to be his wife. Then, Cinderella tries on the slipper, it fits, and the Prince takes her as his bride. At the wedding, pigeons peck out one eye of each of the stepsisters for their wickedness and falsehood (“Cinderella”).
...n” is a great example of an old myth or tale reconstructed and adapted for a modern audience in a new medium. It is a progression on one hand in its use of modern language, setting, and style but it is also the product of the old myths in that it is essentially the same on the thematic level. In addition, the level of self-awareness on the part of the narrator and, by extension, the author marks it out as an illustration of the very notion of evolutionary changes of myths and fairy tales. Adaptation is the solution to the fairy tale, and fairy tales have been endlessly changing themselves throughout history and, by some strange transforming or enchanting power endlessly staying the same.”
We all grew up hoping that we were the princesses who met the dreamy prince and lived ‘happily ever after’ like in a fairytale.People debate over whether or not Disney fairytales are beneficial for children. Like Melissa Taylor the author of the piece ‘10 reasons why kids need to read non disney fairy tales’, I am against disneyfied fairy tales. In this essay I will argue on why kids should not only watch disney fairytales but also the real versions.
The fairy tale begins with a miller betrothing his daughter to the first suitable man who comes along. The man choosen happens to live deep in the forest, and fills the daughter with dread everytime that she sees him. One day, the suitor demands that his bride come visit him at home. When she tells him she does not know the way, he says he with spread the path to his house with ashes. Nodoubt this fictional element is meant to invoke sadistic images of Nazi Germany and the use of ashes of cremated concentration camp inmates for road construction. The daughter does follow the path with great unease, however, as she follows the path she marks it with peas. She finally comes to the house, and is promptly warned by a bird that she is entering a house of murderers. The girl enters and house and finds it almost entirerly deserted. However, in the basement she finds an old women who repeats the bird’s warning. The crone then prphesizes that the girl will marry death and her bridegroom only seeks to kill her, cut her pieces up, and eat her. As the two prepare to escape, the bridegroom and his band of theives return with maiden [virgin]. The old woman hides the girl behind a large barrel. From her hiding place, she whitnesses the thieves give the maiden three glasses of wine to stop her heart. They then rip her clothes off, and hack the body into pieces with axes. On of the murders notices the girl wears a gold band, but cannot pull it off her finger. He cuts off thefinger which flies from the table and lands in the girls lap. Before the thieve can look for it, the crone offers them some wine, which she has laced with a sleeping potion. The thieves fall prey to the potion and sleep deeply. The g...
Everyone knows and loves the enchanting childhood fairytales of magic, princes, and princesses, but very seldom are privy to the detrimental impacts of “happily ever after” on the developing youth. Fairy tales are widely studied and criticized by parents and scholars alike for their underlying tone and message to children. Peggy Orenstein, feminist author, mother, and fairy tale critic, has made it her personal mission to bring these hidden messages to the surface. In the article, “What’s Wrong with Cinderella?” Orenstein dissects the seemingly innocent tale of love and magic, and the princess many know and love, and points out its flaws and dangers. Fairy tales, Cinderella in particular, are not suitable for children because upon deeper evaluation,
Saden over his separation from his beloved, the knight sends the maiden a letter hidden within the feathers of a swan. The lady which was left behind with the weight of her sins, betrothed to a man she did not love is now freed from her life and trapped their love. Utilizing the swan as messenger they continue to communicate. Much like their malnourished love for each other, that flourishes in brief conversations after a period of abandonment. The swan is starved so that is could carry the message to the other which feeds it briefly. This remains because it is not the man itself that the lady loves but rather the appeal of a secret love, and the fame the knight carries. As fame is the object which fueled their affections, so it be fitting that the object of their affections also be fueled by fame. As the son grows to learn of his heritage, he is not driven to seek out his beloved father and mother, but rather seeks out fame, becoming a knight. Eventually the to two knights, father and son are reunited in a joust neither of them knowing their connection to one another. Reunited not through shared love but out of their lust for
Anne Sexton’s poem “Cinderella” is filled with literary elements that emphasize her overall purpose and meaning behind this satirical poem. Through the combination of enjambment stanzas, hyperboles, satire, and the overall mocking tone of the poem, Sexton brings to light the impractical nature of the story “Cinderella”. Not only does the author mock every aspect of this fairy tale, Sexton addresses the reader and adds dark, cynical elements throughout. Sexton’s manipulation of the well-known fairy tale “Cinderella” reminds readers that happily ever after’s are meant for storybooks and not real life.
In a society unbridled with double standards and set views about women, one may wonder the origins of such beliefs. It might come as a surprise that these ideals and standards are embedded and have been for centuries in the beloved fairy tales we enjoyed reading as kids. In her analytical essay, “To Spin a Yarn: The Female Voice in Folklore and Fairy Tales”, Karen Rowe argues that fairy tales present “cultural norms which exalt passivity, dependency, and self-sacrifice as a female’s cardinal virtues.” Rowe presents an excellent point, which can be supported by versions of the cult classics, “Cinderella” and “Snow White”. Charles Perrault’s “ The Little Glass Slipper” and the Brothers Grimm’s “ Snow White” exemplify the beliefs that females are supposed to be docile, dependent on the male persona and willing to sacrifice themselves. In many cases, when strong female characters are presented they are always contradicting in these characteristics, thus labeled as villainous. Such is the case of the Cinderella’s stepsisters in Perrault’s “Cinderella” and the stepmother in the Brothers Grimm’s “Snow White.” These female characters face judgment and disapproval when they commit the same acts as male characters. With such messages rooted in our beloved fairy tales it is no wonder that society is rampant with these ideals about women and disapprove of women when they try to break free of this mold.
Fairy tales portray wonderful, elaborate, and colorful worlds as well as chilling, frightening, dark worlds in which ugly beasts are transformed into princes and evil persons are turned to stones and good persons back to flesh (Guroian). Fairytales have long been a part of our world and have taken several forms ranging from simple bedtime stories to intricate plays, musicals, and movies. However, these seemingly simple stories are about much more than pixie dust and poisoned apples. One could compare fairytales to the new Chef Boyardee; Chef Boyardee hides vegetables in its ravioli while fairytales hide society’s morals and many life lessons in these outwardly simple children stories. Because of this fairytales have long been instruments used to instruct children on the morals of their culture. They use stories to teach children that the rude and cruel do not succeed in life in the long run. They teach children that they should strive to be kind, caring, and giving like the longsuffering protagonists of the fairytale stories. Also, they teach that good does ultimately defeat evil. Fairy tales are not just simple bedtime stories; they have long been introducing cultural moral values into young children.
As the world has transformed and progressed throughout history, so have its stories and legends, namely the infamous tale of Cinderella. With countless versions and adaptations, numerous authors from around the world have written this beauty’s tale with their own twists and additions to it. And while many may have a unique or interesting way of telling her story, Anne Sexton and The Brother’s Grimm’s Cinderellas show the effects cultures from different time periods can have on a timeless tale, effects such as changing the story’s moral. While Sexton chooses to keep some elements of her version, such as the story, the same as the Brothers Grimm version, she changes the format and context, and adds her own commentary to transform the story’s
The simplicity of fairy tales and non-specific details renders them ideal for manipulation allowing writers to add their own comments often reflecting social convention and ideology. Theref...
Fairy Tale Text & Motif. Prod. Distribution Access. Distribution Access, 2001.Discovery Education. Web. 1 December 2001. .
Few people can grow up within today's society without knowing the tale of Snow White. From the Grimm Brothers to Disney, it has been told and retold to children throughout the ages. However, what is often overlooked are the true meanings within the story. Fairytales typically have underlying messages that can be found written between the lines, generally in terms of the key themes. Snow White discusses the themes of envy and beauty, and shows how humans' obsessions can lead to their own downfall as well as the harm of others. When focusing on the relationship between Snow White and her step-mother the Queen, it is evident that the combination of these two themes results in a power struggle in which beauty is seen as a commodity and is the basis for the step-mother?s envy towards Snow White.
“The Fisherman and His Wife” is a tale that teaches us about moderation, greed, and that the magnitude of material objects one accumulates does not measure happiness. In this tale, the wife is never satisfied and constantly wants more. The Brothers Grimm identified “Fisherman and His Wife” as an ideal fairy tale because it utilizes magic along with juxtaposing character development as well as religious and progressively more violent symbolism in order to convey a battle between the sexes.