The Red Ettin
Encyclopedia
The Red Ettin or The Red Etin is a fairy tale
collected by Joseph Jacobs
. It was included by Andrew Lang
in The Blue Fairy Book.
He met a shepherd, a swineherd, and a goatherd; each of the three
told that the Red Ettin of Ireland had kidnapped the king of Scotland's daughter, but that he was not the man to rescue her. The shepherd also told him to be wary of the beasts he would meet next. They each had two heads, with four horns on each head, and the man fled them and hid in a castle. An old woman told him that it was the castle of the Red Ettin, which had three heads, and he should leave, but he begged her to hide him as best she could, for fear of the beasts. The Red Ettin returned, soon found him, and asked him three riddles; when he could answer none of them, the ettin turned him to stone.
At home, his knife grew rusty. In the variants with three sons, the younger brother went after the elder, and met the same fate.
The youngest son, or the son of the other widow, set out after him, or them. First, a raven called over his head to look out as he brought the water, and so he patched up the holes and brought back enough water for a large cake. Then, he left half with his mother for her blessing.
He met an old woman on the way who asked for a piece of his cake, and he gave it to her. She, being a fairy
, gave him a magical wand and a great deal of advice on what to do, and vanished.
The shepherd, swineherd, and goatherd told him of the Red Ettin and the king of Scotland's daughter, and said that he was the man to defeat him. He walked boldly through the beasts to the castle, striking one dead with the wand, and stayed at the castle. The Red Ettin asked him his riddle, but the man answered and cut off the Ettin's three heads. He restored the stone and freed the women the Red Ettin held prisoner, and the king married him to his daughter.
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 Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs was a folklorist, literary critic and historian. His works included contributions to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, translations of European works, and critical editions of early English literature...
. It was included by 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...
in The Blue Fairy Book.
Synopsis
Two widows lived in a hut, and one had two sons and the other had one -- or a single widow had three sons. One day the eldest son was told by his mother to fetch water for a cake, because it was time for him to seek his fortune, and the cake was all she could give him. The can was broken, the water he brought back little, and so the cake was small. The mother offered him all of it with her curse, or half with her blessing, and he took the whole. He left behind a knife, and said if the blade grew rusty, he was dead.He met a shepherd, a swineherd, and a goatherd; each of the three
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...
told that the Red Ettin of Ireland had kidnapped the king of Scotland's daughter, but that he was not the man to rescue her. The shepherd also told him to be wary of the beasts he would meet next. They each had two heads, with four horns on each head, and the man fled them and hid in a castle. An old woman told him that it was the castle of the Red Ettin, which had three heads, and he should leave, but he begged her to hide him as best she could, for fear of the beasts. The Red Ettin returned, soon found him, and asked him three riddles; when he could answer none of them, the ettin turned him to stone.
At home, his knife grew rusty. In the variants with three sons, the younger brother went after the elder, and met the same fate.
The youngest son, or the son of the other widow, set out after him, or them. First, a raven called over his head to look out as he brought the water, and so he patched up the holes and brought back enough water for a large cake. Then, he left half with his mother for her blessing.
He met an old woman on the way who asked for a piece of his cake, and he gave it to her. She, being a fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, gave him a magical wand and a great deal of advice on what to do, and vanished.
The shepherd, swineherd, and goatherd told him of the Red Ettin and the king of Scotland's daughter, and said that he was the man to defeat him. He walked boldly through the beasts to the castle, striking one dead with the wand, and stayed at the castle. The Red Ettin asked him his riddle, but the man answered and cut off the Ettin's three heads. He restored the stone and freed the women the Red Ettin held prisoner, and the king married him to his daughter.
Commentary
Joseph Jacobs collected a version with the three men, but suppressed one because it was repetitious. Andrew Lang included all three young men.See also
- The Girl and the Dead ManThe Girl and the Dead ManThe Girl and the Dead Man is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands, listing his informant as Ann Darroch, in Islay.-Synopsis:...
- The Adventures of Covan the Brown-hairedThe Adventures of Covan the Brown-hairedThe Adventures of Covan the Brown-haired is a Celtic fairy tale translated by Dr. Macleod Clarke. Andrew Lang included it in The Orange Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
- The King Of Lochlin's Three DaughtersThe King Of Lochlin's Three Daughters"The King of Lochlin's Three Daughters" is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in his Popular Tales of the West Highlands, listing his informant as Neill Gillies, a fisherman near Inverary.-Synopsis:...
- Jack and His Golden Snuff-BoxJack and His Golden Snuff-BoxJack and His Golden Snuff-Box is a Gypsy fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in English Fairy Tales. He listed as his source Francis Hindes Groome's In Gypsy Tents....
- Jack and his ComradesJack and his ComradesJack and his Comrades is an Irish fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs, listing as his source Patrick Kennedy's Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts.In the Aarne-Thompson categorisation system, it is "type 130", i.e. "outcast animals find a new home"....
- The Giant Who Had No Heart in His BodyThe Giant Who Had No Heart in His BodyThe Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe.George MacDonald retold it as "The Giant's Heart" in Adela Cathcart...
- Tritill, Litill, and the BirdsTritill, Litill, and the BirdsTritill, Litill, and the Birds is a Hungarian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.A version of the tale also appears in A Book of Ogres and Trolls, by Ruth Manning-Sanders. That version is said to come from Iceland....