Notes to the Grimm Tales for Households and Childen - 1

THE GOLD SCALES Comments on Grimm Tales - 1
Fairy Tales Set The Fisherman and His Wife AT 555 - A poor fisher catches a flounder and puts him back in the sea. In gratitude the fish grants all the wishes of the fisher's wife up to a point. Then the couple is back where they started. A fisherwife's hubris (overwheening presumptuousness) comes into the open and finally flounders. However, she may be no better for it. [THE TALE] The Bremen Town-Musicians AT 130 - The animals in night quarters. Domestic animals join company with each other, wish to live together, hoping to become town musicians too. They come to a house in the woods, and frighten villains away from the place by singing. The four musicians stay in the house from then on. ♦ Each to his ability. ♦ Cooperation equals tact at times. [THE TALE] The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids AT 123 - When the mother goat was away, the wolf came to her house and swallowed her kids whole. Then he fell so fast asleep that he did not wake up when she found him, cut up his belly and rescued the kids. The mother then replaced them with stones and sewed him shut. When he awoke he went to a well to drink. The stones made him fall in, and he drowned. From this we learn that things do not always go according to plan, and that some ill-meaning bad ones take to tricks. It is also good to consider the strange unrealism of the tale after the wolf has eaten the kids, and bear in mind that such happy rescues do not happen in real life, but in fairy tales. Compare the comments on Red-Cap next. [THE TALE] Little Red-Cap AT 333 - The tale serves to warn little children against confiding in strangers, and dealing with them. There is a need for it. The wolf in this tale may have been a werewolf originally. In seven French versions the bad one that the little girl meets is a werewolf, and some versions, notably Perrault's, end with the girl's death. Also, in a historical light, in the many werewolf trials in the 1500s and 1600s the accused werewolves were charged with having killed children and eaten them. Some versions tone down the gruesome side to it and let a hero come to the rescue. After all, the rescue and what happens afterward, is really artificial, invented.There is no reason to think that wolves swallow their victims whole and alive either. [Nov 61] [THE TALE] The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean AT 295 - font size="2">[THE TALE] Snow-White and Rose-Red AT 426 - [THE TALE] Little Snow-White AT 709 - [THE TALE] Frau Trude AT 334 - [THE TALE] The Tailor in Heaven AT 800 - [THE TALE] The Wise Servant AT 1681B - [THE TALE] The Devil With the Three Golden Hairs AT 461 with 930 - [THE TALE] The Golden Bird AT 550 - [THE TALE] The Little Peasant AT 1538 (+ 1737) Is like 1539 - [THE TALE] The Golden Goose AT 571 + 513B - [THE TALE] The Fox and His Cousin AT 152A* - [THE TALE] The Old Man and His Grandson AT 980B - [THE TALE] The Fox and the Geese AT 227 - [THE TALE] Old Hildebrand AT 1360C - [THE TALE] Doctor Know-All AT 1641 - [THE TALE] The Devil's Sooty Brother AT 475 - [THE TALE] The Two Travellers AT 613 (+ 554) - [THE TALE] The Seven Swabians AT 1321, mostly, 1231, and a 1297* ending - [THE TALE] The Three Army Surgeons AT 660 - [THE TALE] Ferdinand the Faithful AT 531 - [THE TALE] The Four Skilful Brothers AT 653 - [THE TALE] The Fox and the Horse AT 47A - [THE TALE] The Girl from Brakel AT 1476A - [THE TALE] The Old Man Made Young Again AT 753 - [THE TALE] The Shepherd Boy AT 922 - [THE TALE] The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean AT 295 - font size="2">[THE TALE] Snow-White and Rose-Red AT 426 - [THE TALE] Little Snow-White AT 709 - [THE TALE] Frau Trude AT 334 - [THE TALE] The Tailor in Heaven AT 800 - [THE TALE] The Wise Servant AT 1681B - [THE TALE] The Devil With the Three Golden Hairs AT 461 with 930 - [THE TALE] The Golden Bird AT 550 - [THE TALE] The Little Peasant AT 1538 (+ 1737) Is like 1539 - [THE TALE] The Golden Goose AT 571 + 513B - [THE TALE] The Fox and His Cousin AT 152A* - [THE TALE] The Old Man and His Grandson AT 980B - [THE TALE] The Fox and the Geese AT 227 - [THE TALE] Old Hildebrand AT 1360C - [THE TALE] Doctor Know-All AT 1641 - [THE TALE] The Devil's Sooty Brother AT 475 - [THE TALE] The Two Travellers AT 613 (+ 554) - [THE TALE] The Seven Swabians AT 1321, mostly, 1231, and a 1297* ending - [THE TALE] The Three Army Surgeons AT 660 - [THE TALE] Ferdinand the Faithful AT 531 - [THE TALE] The Four Skilful Brothers AT 653 - [THE TALE] The Fox and the Horse AT 47A - [THE TALE] The Girl from Brakel AT 1476A - [THE TALE] The Old Man Made Young Again AT 753 - [THE TALE] The Shepherd Boy AT 922 - [THE TALE] The Star-Money (The Star-Talers) AT 779 - [THE TALE]

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