The Twelve Wild Ducks
Encyclopedia
The Twelve Wild Ducks is a Norwegian fairy tale
collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
and Jørgen Moe
in Norske Folkeeventyr
.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 451, the brothers who were turned into birds.
witch told her that she would have a daughter, and the witch would have her sons as soon as the baby was baptized.
Her daughter was born and christened "Snow-white and Rosy-red," and all her brothers were turned
into wild ducks and flew away. Snow-white and Rosy-red was often sad when growing up, and one day the queen asked her why, and she said that everyone else had brothers and sisters, but she had none. So the queen told her about her brothers.
She set out and, after three years, found the cottage where her brothers lived. Having done all the housework, she slept in her youngest brother's bed. Her brothers found her, and her oldest brother wanted to kill her as the cause of their problems, but her youngest brother argued that it was their mother's fault, and the sister pled that she had searched for them for three years. They told her that she could set them free by weaving cloth of thistle-down, and making them all neckerchiefs, shirts, and coats, without crying, laughing, or speaking. She set to work. Her brothers flew off as wild ducks every day, but returned as men every night.
A king found her and brought her to his castle to marry her, over his stepmother's objections. She kept on sewing, but when she had a son, the old queen threw the baby into a pit of snakes and smeared her mouth with blood, to tell her stepson that the young queen killed and ate her baby. This happened three
times, and the old queen finally persuaded the king to have his wife burned at the stake, but she finished the shirts. Her brothers came to take them and having turned back into men, told her to speak. She told the truth, and the princes showed them their babies, still alive in the snake pit.
The king asked his mother what a fitting punishment would be for such an evil crime, and she prescribed being torn apart by twelve horses
, and so she fell victim to her own punishment.
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:...
.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 451, the brothers who were turned into birds.
Plot summary
A queen who had twelve sons and no daughter said she would not care what happened to her sons if she had a daughter as white as snow and as red as blood. A trollTroll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
witch told her that she would have a daughter, and the witch would have her sons as soon as the baby was baptized.
Her daughter was born and christened "Snow-white and Rosy-red," and all her brothers were turned
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...
into wild ducks and flew away. Snow-white and Rosy-red was often sad when growing up, and one day the queen asked her why, and she said that everyone else had brothers and sisters, but she had none. So the queen told her about her brothers.
She set out and, after three years, found the cottage where her brothers lived. Having done all the housework, she slept in her youngest brother's bed. Her brothers found her, and her oldest brother wanted to kill her as the cause of their problems, but her youngest brother argued that it was their mother's fault, and the sister pled that she had searched for them for three years. They told her that she could set them free by weaving cloth of thistle-down, and making them all neckerchiefs, shirts, and coats, without crying, laughing, or speaking. She set to work. Her brothers flew off as wild ducks every day, but returned as men every night.
A king found her and brought her to his castle to marry her, over his stepmother's objections. She kept on sewing, but when she had a son, the old queen threw the baby into a pit of snakes and smeared her mouth with blood, to tell her stepson that the young queen killed and ate her baby. This happened 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...
times, and the old queen finally persuaded the king to have his wife burned at the stake, but she finished the shirts. Her brothers came to take them and having turned back into men, told her to speak. She told the truth, and the princes showed them their babies, still alive in the snake pit.
The king asked his mother what a fitting punishment would be for such an evil crime, and she prescribed being torn apart by twelve horses
Dismemberment
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise removing, the limbs of a living thing. It may be practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, as a result of a traumatic accident, or in connection with murder, suicide, or cannibalism...
, and so she fell victim to her own punishment.
See also
- The RavenThe Raven (Brothers Grimm)"The Raven" is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 93 in their collections.It is Aarne-Thompson type 401, the girl transformed into an animal.-Synopsis:...
- The Seven RavensThe Seven RavensThe Seven Ravens is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.It is tale number 25, and Aarne-Thompson type 451, the brothers who were turned into birds. Georgios A Megas collected another, Greek variant in Folktales of Greece...
- The Six SwansThe Six SwansThe Six Swans is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It is tale number 49. Andrew Lang included a variant in The Yellow Fairy Book. It is Aarne-Thompson type 451: the brothers who were turned into birds...
- Sleeping BeautySleeping BeautySleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm is a classic fairytale involving a beautiful princess, enchantment, and a handsome prince...
- Snow WhiteSnow White"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
- Udea and her Seven BrothersUdea and her Seven BrothersUdea and her Seven Brothers is a Northern African fairy tale collected by Hans von Stumme in Märchen und Gedichte aus der Stadt Tripolis. Andrew Lang included it in The Grey Fairy Book.It is Aarne-Thompson type 451.-Synopsis:...
- The Wild SwansThe Wild Swans"The Wild Swans" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a princess who rescues her eleven brothers from a spell cast by an evil queen....
- The Twelve BrothersThe Twelve BrothersThe Twelve Brothers is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 9. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.It is Aarne-Thompson type 451, the brothers who were turned into birds...
- The Lassie and Her GodmotherThe Lassie and Her GodmotherThe Lassie and Her Godmother is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in Norske Folkeeventyr....
- Mary's ChildMary's ChildMary's Child or Our Lady's Child is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales as tale number 3.The Brothers Grimm noted its similarity to the Italian The Goat-faced Girl and the Norwegian The Lassie and Her Godmother...