The Tale of the Queen Who Sought a Drink From a Certain Well
Encyclopedia
The Tale of the Queen Who Sought a Drink From a Certain Well is a Scottish fairy tale
collected by John Francis Campbell
in Popular Tales of the West Highlands
, listing his informant as Mrs. MacTavish, Port Ellen, Islay
, and noting the story could be traced back to 1548.
It is Aarne-Thompson 440, the frog prince. The creature involved was called a losgann, which could be either a frog or a toad.
The losgann came to the door and told her to remember her pledge. First she put him behind the door, then under a bucket, then in a little bed by the fireplace, then a bed beside her own bed, but nothing stopped him. Finally, he told her to take down a rusty sword behind the bed and cut off his head. She did, and he became
a handsome young king, who married her.
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 John Francis Campbell
John Francis Campbell
John Francis Campbell , Celtic scholar, educated at Eton and Edinburgh, was afterwards Secretary to the Lighthouse Commission...
in Popular Tales of the West Highlands
Popular Tales of the West Highlands
Popular Tales of the West Highlands is a four-volume collection of fairy tales, collected and published by John Francis Campbell, and often translated from Gaelic as well. Alexander Carmichael was one of the main contributors...
, listing his informant as Mrs. MacTavish, Port Ellen, Islay
Islay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
, and noting the story could be traced back to 1548.
It is Aarne-Thompson 440, the frog prince. The creature involved was called a losgann, which could be either a frog or a toad.
Synopsis
An ill queen sent each of her daughters to a well for healing water. They each met a losgann who asked her to marry him, for a drink. The first two refused him as an ugly creature and were unable to get water. The youngest agreed to marry him for the water. She took the water home and healed her mother.The losgann came to the door and told her to remember her pledge. First she put him behind the door, then under a bucket, then in a little bed by the fireplace, then a bed beside her own bed, but nothing stopped him. Finally, he told her to take down a rusty sword behind the bed and cut off his head. She did, and he became
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
a handsome young king, who married her.
External links
- The Tale of the Queen Who Sought a Drink From a Certain Well
- "The Queen Who Sought a Drink from a Certain Well", with other tales of this type.