Master and Pupil
Encyclopedia
"Master and Pupil" is a Danish fairy tale
. Andrew Lang
included it in The Pink Fairy Book.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 325, "The Magician and His Pupil".
, he learned magic, and to change himself into the shape of any animal.
After that, he ran away, to his parents. He would change himself into a horse, have his father sell him, and escape again. The wizard heard of this and went to buy him. The first thing he started to do was lead it away to get a red-hot nail driven into the horse's mouth, which would stop him from changing. The boy turned into dove, and the wizard into a hawk to chase him. The boy turned into a golden ring and dropped into a girl's lap. The wizard wanted to buy it, but the girl did not want to sell a ring that had fallen from heaven. Still, the wizard offered more and more money, until the boy, frightened, turned to a barley grain. The wizard became a hen to eat it, but the boy became a pole-cat to bite its head off.
He married the girl and did no more magic.
" and "The Thief and His Master
" include the transformation chase of a pupil from his master, in those tales, the boy is actually a pupil, and not learning on the sly as in this one.
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...
. 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 Pink Fairy Book.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 325, "The Magician and His Pupil".
Synopsis
A boy tried to get himself hired. A man asked him if he could read, and rejected him because he could, when all his duties would have been dusting the man's books. So the boy ran ahead of him on the road and asked for a place again, this time claiming he could not read. He dusted and read them, and because his master was a wizardMagician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
, he learned magic, and to change himself into the shape of any animal.
After that, he ran away, to his parents. He would change himself into a horse, have his father sell him, and escape again. The wizard heard of this and went to buy him. The first thing he started to do was lead it away to get a red-hot nail driven into the horse's mouth, which would stop him from changing. The boy turned into dove, and the wizard into a hawk to chase him. The boy turned into a golden ring and dropped into a girl's lap. The wizard wanted to buy it, but the girl did not want to sell a ring that had fallen from heaven. Still, the wizard offered more and more money, until the boy, frightened, turned to a barley grain. The wizard became a hen to eat it, but the boy became a pole-cat to bite its head off.
He married the girl and did no more magic.
Commentary
While "Farmer WeatherskyFarmer Weathersky
Farmer Weathersky is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Chr. Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in Norske Folkeeventyr.Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book as "Farmer Weatherbeard"....
" and "The Thief and His Master
The Thief and His Master
The Thief and His Master is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales as tale number 68.It is Aarne-Thompson type 325, The Magician and His Pupil, containing a transformation chase. Others of this type include Farmer Weathersky and Master and Pupil. This tale type...
" include the transformation chase of a pupil from his master, in those tales, the boy is actually a pupil, and not learning on the sly as in this one.