Little Annie the Goose-Girl
Encyclopedia
Little Annie the Goose-Girl is a Norwegian fairy tale
collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
and Jørgen Moe
in Norske Folkeeventyr
.
When George Webbe Dasent
made his translation of these tales, in his preface he forbade children to read the last two stories, of which this was one. J. R. R. Tolkien
cited this in his essay "On Fairy-Stories
"; although he approved of Dasant's refusal to let prudery dictate his translation, Tolkien thought the command sprang from the belief that fairy tales were naturally children's literature.
The Prince looked over all the pictures of princesses sent him, and chose one. He had a stone that knew everything and would answer questions, so Annie warned the princess that if there were anything about her that she didn't want the prince to know, she had best not step on the stone that lay beside the bed. The princess asked that Annie get into the bed, and then, when the prince was asleep, Annie would get out and the princess would get in. When Annie got in, the prince asked who stepped into his bed, and was told a maid, but when the princess and Annie had traded places, the princess got out in the morning, the prince asked who stepped out, and the stone said someone who has borne three babies.
He sent her away, and sent for another princess. From his warning to Annie not to think to have him, to the princess's stepping out of bed, it went as with the first, except that this princess had borne six. He sent her away, and sent for a third
. But this time, when Annie was still in bed with him, he put a ring on her finger, too tight for her to get off again. When the third princess proved to have borne nine babies, he asked the stone the trick, and it told him how the princesses had all put Annie in their place. The prince went to find Annie. She had a rag tied about her finger, and although she claimed to have cut herself, he pulled it off and found the ring.
So they wed, and Annie had the king's son after all.
, in which the heroine also substitutes for a false bride who stands in no relationship to her, and takes her place.
A Gil Brenton
, Child ballad 5, and its Scandavian variants, uses the same elements as this fairy tale to rather different effect. The hero, on learning that the pregnant bride has substituted a servant who is a maiden, then learns through her story or various tokens he gave her that he is the father of her child.
The substitution of a maiden for the non-virgin bride is found earlier in many forms of the legend of Tristan and Iseult
; Iseult, having lost her virginity to Tristan on the journey, substitutes her maid Brangwin
.
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 Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore...
and Jørgen Moe
Jørgen Moe
right|thumb|Norske Folkeeventyr Asbjørnsen and Moe Jørgen Engebretsen Moe was a Norwegian bishop and author...
in Norske Folkeeventyr
Norske Folkeeventyr
Norwegian Folktales is a collection of Norwegian folktales and legends by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. It is also known as Asbjørnsen and Moe, after the collectors.-Asbjørnsen and Moe:...
.
When George Webbe Dasent
George Webbe Dasent
Sir George Webbe Dasent was a translator of folk tales and contributor to The Times.Dasent was born 22 May 1817 at St. Vincent, West Indies, the son of the attorney general, John Roche Dasent...
made his translation of these tales, in his preface he forbade children to read the last two stories, of which this was one. J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
cited this in his essay "On Fairy-Stories
On Fairy-Stories
"On Fairy-Stories" is an essay by J. R. R. Tolkien which discusses the fairy-story as a literary form. It was initially written for presentation by Tolkien as the Andrew Lang lecture at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, in 1939. It first appeared in print, with some enhancement, in 1947, in...
"; although he approved of Dasant's refusal to let prudery dictate his translation, Tolkien thought the command sprang from the belief that fairy tales were naturally children's literature.
Synopsis
Little Annie or Aase worked for the king as a goose-girl. One day, she sat on the road to see the king's son. He warned her not to look to have him, and she declared that if she was to have him, she would.The Prince looked over all the pictures of princesses sent him, and chose one. He had a stone that knew everything and would answer questions, so Annie warned the princess that if there were anything about her that she didn't want the prince to know, she had best not step on the stone that lay beside the bed. The princess asked that Annie get into the bed, and then, when the prince was asleep, Annie would get out and the princess would get in. When Annie got in, the prince asked who stepped into his bed, and was told a maid, but when the princess and Annie had traded places, the princess got out in the morning, the prince asked who stepped out, and the stone said someone who has borne three babies.
He sent her away, and sent for another princess. From his warning to Annie not to think to have him, to the princess's stepping out of bed, it went as with the first, except that this princess had borne six. He sent her away, and sent for a third
Rule 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...
. But this time, when Annie was still in bed with him, he put a ring on her finger, too tight for her to get off again. When the third princess proved to have borne nine babies, he asked the stone the trick, and it told him how the princesses had all put Annie in their place. The prince went to find Annie. She had a rag tied about her finger, and although she claimed to have cut herself, he pulled it off and found the ring.
So they wed, and Annie had the king's son after all.
Commentary
This tale is similar to Maid MaleenMaid Maleen
Maid Maleen is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 198.It is Aarne-Thompson type 870, the entombed princess.-Synopsis:A princess named Maid Maleen and a prince fell in love, but her father refused his suit...
, in which the heroine also substitutes for a false bride who stands in no relationship to her, and takes her place.
A Gil Brenton
Gil Brenton
Gil Brenton is Child ballad 5, Roud 22, existing in several variants.-Synopsis:A man has brought home a foreign woman to be his wife....
, Child ballad 5, and its Scandavian variants, uses the same elements as this fairy tale to rather different effect. The hero, on learning that the pregnant bride has substituted a servant who is a maiden, then learns through her story or various tokens he gave her that he is the father of her child.
The substitution of a maiden for the non-virgin bride is found earlier in many forms of the legend of Tristan and Iseult
Tristan and Iseult
The legend of Tristan and Iseult is an influential romance and tragedy, retold in numerous sources with as many variations. The tragic story is of the adulterous love between the Cornish knight Tristan and the Irish princess Iseult...
; Iseult, having lost her virginity to Tristan on the journey, substitutes her maid Brangwin
Brangaine
Brangaine is the handmaid and confidante of Iseult of Ireland in the story of Tristan and Iseult...
.