The Slave Mother
Encyclopedia
The Slave Mother is an Italian fairy tale
, collected by Italo Calvino
in Italian Folktales
, from Terra d'Ortano.
Two years later, the family found a treasure in the fields. They smuggled it off, gave up the farm, and went to the city to live a fine life. One day the sons wanted to buy a beautiful young slave girl. The father refused, saying they should buy an old slave woman, who knew how to work. He saw one and bought her, and they gave her new clothing and put her in charge of the house. Still, she sighed every time she saw the five sons. The old man asked her one day, and she explained that she had once had five sons, but she had been taken by pirates while gathering greens for salad. The old man realized she was his wife. They were delighted to have her back, and she lived her old age in wealth.
Catherine and her Destiny
and also such chivalric romances as Sir Isumbras
.
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 Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino was an Italian journalist and writer of short stories and novels. His best known works include the Our Ancestors trilogy , the Cosmicomics collection of short stories , and the novels Invisible Cities and If on a winter's night a traveler .Lionised in Britain and the United States,...
in Italian Folktales
Italian Folktales
Italian Folktales is a collection of 200 Italian folktales published in 1956 by Italo Calvino. Calvino began to undertake the project that will lead to the Italian Folktales in 1954, influenced by Vladimir Propp's Morphology of the Folktale; his intention was to emulate the Brothers Grimm in...
, from Terra d'Ortano.
Synopsis
A couple of tenant farmers had five sons. One day the woman heard an owl ask her whether she would rather be rich while young or in old age. After telling her husband of it, she told it in old age. Soon she went out to get greens for a salad and was carried off by pirates. The family lamented her but had to go on.Two years later, the family found a treasure in the fields. They smuggled it off, gave up the farm, and went to the city to live a fine life. One day the sons wanted to buy a beautiful young slave girl. The father refused, saying they should buy an old slave woman, who knew how to work. He saw one and bought her, and they gave her new clothing and put her in charge of the house. Still, she sighed every time she saw the five sons. The old man asked her one day, and she explained that she had once had five sons, but she had been taken by pirates while gathering greens for salad. The old man realized she was his wife. They were delighted to have her back, and she lived her old age in wealth.
Motifs
The choice of destiny features in the fairy taleFairy 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...
Catherine and her Destiny
Catherine and her Destiny
Catherine and her Destiny is an Italian fairy tale collected by Thomas Frederick Crane in Italian Popular Tales, and included by Andrew Lang in The Pink Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
and also such chivalric romances as Sir Isumbras
Sir Isumbras
Sir Isumbras is a medieval metrical romance written in Middle English and found in no fewer than nine manuscripts dating to the fifteenth century...
.