Laughing Eye and Weeping Eye
Encyclopedia
Laughing Eye and Weeping Eye or The Lame Fox is a Serbian fairy tale
collected by A. H. Wratislaw in his Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources, number 40. Andrew Lang
included it in The Grey Fairy Book.
sons, of whom the youngest
was rather foolish. One day, out of curiosity, the sons each asked why one eye was weeping and the other smiling. The father went into a rage, which frightened off the older two but not the youngest. So the father told the youngest that his right eye smiled because he was glad to have a son like him, but his left eye wept because he once had a marvelous vine in his garden, and it had been stolen.
All three sons set out to find it, but the youngest parted with his older brothers at a crossroads. A lame fox came up to the older brothers to beg bread, and they drove it off with sticks; it went to the younger, and he fed it. It told him how to find the vine, and to dig it up with a wooden shovel rather than an iron one. He thought the wooden shovel would not be strong enough, but the noise the iron shovel made woke the guards.
His captors told him he could have the vine if he brought them a golden apple. He went back to meet the fox, who told him where it was, and to use the wooden rather than the golden pole to get it, but he used the golden pole, which woke the guards. They told him he had to bring them a horse that could circle the world in a day. The fox told him where to find it, and to use the hempen halter rather than the golden one. He failed again, and his new captor told him he could be free if he brought him a golden maiden who never saw the sun or moon. He persuaded the man to lend him to the horse to help find her.
The fox led him to a cave where he found such a maiden. He brought her out and to his horse. The fox said it was a pity he had to exchange her, and turned himself into a replica of her. The youngest son got back his father's vine and married the real golden maiden as well.
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 A. H. Wratislaw in his Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources, number 40. 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 Grey Fairy Book.
Synopsis
A man once always had one eye weeping and the other smiling. He had threeRule 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...
sons, of whom the youngest
Youngest son
The youngest son is a stock character in fairy tales, where he features as the hero. He is usually the third son, but sometimes there are more brothers, and sometimes he has only one; usually, they have no sisters....
was rather foolish. One day, out of curiosity, the sons each asked why one eye was weeping and the other smiling. The father went into a rage, which frightened off the older two but not the youngest. So the father told the youngest that his right eye smiled because he was glad to have a son like him, but his left eye wept because he once had a marvelous vine in his garden, and it had been stolen.
All three sons set out to find it, but the youngest parted with his older brothers at a crossroads. A lame fox came up to the older brothers to beg bread, and they drove it off with sticks; it went to the younger, and he fed it. It told him how to find the vine, and to dig it up with a wooden shovel rather than an iron one. He thought the wooden shovel would not be strong enough, but the noise the iron shovel made woke the guards.
His captors told him he could have the vine if he brought them a golden apple. He went back to meet the fox, who told him where it was, and to use the wooden rather than the golden pole to get it, but he used the golden pole, which woke the guards. They told him he had to bring them a horse that could circle the world in a day. The fox told him where to find it, and to use the hempen halter rather than the golden one. He failed again, and his new captor told him he could be free if he brought him a golden maiden who never saw the sun or moon. He persuaded the man to lend him to the horse to help find her.
The fox led him to a cave where he found such a maiden. He brought her out and to his horse. The fox said it was a pity he had to exchange her, and turned himself into a replica of her. The youngest son got back his father's vine and married the real golden maiden as well.
See also
- The Golden BirdThe Golden Bird"The Golden Bird" is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, number 57, about the pursuit of a golden bird by a king's three sons.A French version, collected by Paul Sébillot, is called The Golden Blackbird. Andrew Lang included that variant in The Green Fairy Book.It is Aarne-Thompson folktale type 550,...
- Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray WolfTsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray WolfTsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki.It is Aarne-Thompson type 550, the quest for the golden bird/firebird...
- The Foolish Mermaid
- 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....
- The Bird 'Grip'The Bird 'Grip'The Bird 'Grip is a Swedish fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it The Pink Fairy Book. It is Aarne-Thompson type 550, the quest for the golden bird/firebird; other tales of this type include The Golden Bird, The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener, How Ian Direach got the Blue Falcon, The Nunda,...
- The Little Green FrogThe Little Green FrogThe Little Green Frog is a French literary fairy tale, from the Cabinet des Fées. Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...