The Grateful Beasts
Encyclopedia
The Grateful Beasts is a Hungarian fairy tale
collected by Hermann Kletke. Andrew Lang
included it in The Yellow Fairy Book.
, Ferko, was so beautiful that his older brothers thought he would be preferred, so they ate his bread while he slept, and refused to share theirs until he let them put out his eyes and break his legs. When they had blinded and crippled him, they left him.
Ferko crawled on and, in the heat of the day, rested under what he thought was a tree, but was a gallows. Two crows talked together, and one told the other that the lake below them would heal any injury, and the dew on the hillside would restore eyesight. As soon as evening came, he washed his face in the dew, and crawled down to the lake and was whole again. He took a flask of the water and went on. On the way, he met and healed an injured wolf, mouse, and queen bee.
Ferko found a kingdom and sought service with the king. His two brothers worked for the same king and were afraid he would reveal their wickedness. They accused him of being a wicked magician who had come to kidnap the king's daughter. The king summoned Ferko, told him the accusation, and said he would execute him unless he performed three tasks, in which case he would be exiled. His brothers suggested that he had to build a castle more beautiful than the king's. The princess was distressed by the cruelty of their act. Ferko despaired, but the bee came to him and heard his plight. The bees built such a castle, of flowers. For the next task, they suggested that the corn had been cut but not put in barns; let Ferko put all the corn in the kingdom into the barns during the night, not losing a stalk. The mice gathered the corn for him. For the third
task, the brothers suggested that he drive all the wolves in the kingdom to the hill they were on. At this, the princess burst into tears, and her father locked her in a tower. The wolf gathered all his fellows and came to the hill, where the wolves tore the king, the wicked brothers, and all his court to pieces.
Ferko freed the princess and married her, and the wolves went peacefully back to the woods.
and The Prince and the Princess in the Forest
. True and Untrue also has trickery about food; The Three Treasures of the Giants
is similar, although the hero has no food because he does not wish to take it from his poor mother.
The animals who help after being spared are common -- The Two Brothers
, or The Queen Bee
, or The Death of Koschei the Deathless
-- and in The Gold-bearded Man
and Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
, they help with envious, false claims. These envious claims are common in other tales, without the beasts, such as Boots and the Troll
, Thirteenth
, Esben and the Witch
and Dapplegrim
.
In many tales, the king who insists on the task is punished. These include The Gifts of the Magician
, Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
, The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa
, and King Fortunatus's Golden Wig
.
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 Hermann Kletke. 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 Yellow Fairy Book.
Synopsis
Three sons set out to seek their fortune. The youngestYoungest son
The youngest son is a stock character in fairy tales, where he features as the hero. He is usually the third son, but sometimes there are more brothers, and sometimes he has only one; usually, they have no sisters....
, Ferko, was so beautiful that his older brothers thought he would be preferred, so they ate his bread while he slept, and refused to share theirs until he let them put out his eyes and break his legs. When they had blinded and crippled him, they left him.
Ferko crawled on and, in the heat of the day, rested under what he thought was a tree, but was a gallows. Two crows talked together, and one told the other that the lake below them would heal any injury, and the dew on the hillside would restore eyesight. As soon as evening came, he washed his face in the dew, and crawled down to the lake and was whole again. He took a flask of the water and went on. On the way, he met and healed an injured wolf, mouse, and queen bee.
Ferko found a kingdom and sought service with the king. His two brothers worked for the same king and were afraid he would reveal their wickedness. They accused him of being a wicked magician who had come to kidnap the king's daughter. The king summoned Ferko, told him the accusation, and said he would execute him unless he performed three tasks, in which case he would be exiled. His brothers suggested that he had to build a castle more beautiful than the king's. The princess was distressed by the cruelty of their act. Ferko despaired, but the bee came to him and heard his plight. The bees built such a castle, of flowers. For the next task, they suggested that the corn had been cut but not put in barns; let Ferko put all the corn in the kingdom into the barns during the night, not losing a stalk. The mice gathered the corn for him. For the third
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...
task, the brothers suggested that he drive all the wolves in the kingdom to the hill they were on. At this, the princess burst into tears, and her father locked her in a tower. The wolf gathered all his fellows and came to the hill, where the wolves tore the king, the wicked brothers, and all his court to pieces.
Ferko freed the princess and married her, and the wolves went peacefully back to the woods.
See also
The motif of crippling the hero is found in various other tales, such as True and UntrueTrue and Untrue
True and Untrue is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe. It is Aarne-Thompson type 613, The Two Travelers: Truth and Falsehood.-Synopsis:...
and The Prince and the Princess in the Forest
The Prince and the Princess in the Forest
The Prince and the Princess in the Forest is a Danish fairy tale. It was collected by Evald Tang Kristensen in "Eventyr fra Jylland". Andrew Lang included it in The Olive Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
. True and Untrue also has trickery about food; The Three Treasures of the Giants
The Three Treasures of the Giants
The Three Treasures of the Giants is a Slavonic fairy tale collected by Louis Léger in Contes Populaires Slaves. Andrew Lang included it in The Orange Fairy Book. Ruth Manning-Sanders included it as "King Johnny" in A Book of Giants.-Synopsis:...
is similar, although the hero has no food because he does not wish to take it from his poor mother.
The animals who help after being spared are common -- The Two Brothers
The Two Brothers
The Two Brothers is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 60. It is Aarne-Thompson type 567A, the magic bird heart, and type 303, the blood brothers.-Synopsis:...
, or The Queen Bee
The Queen Bee
The Queen Bee is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 62. It is Aarne-Thompson type 554, the grateful animals.-Synopsis:...
, or The Death of Koschei the Deathless
The Death of Koschei the Deathless
The Death of the Immortal Koschei or Marya Morevna is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki and included by Andrew Lang in The Red Fairy Book...
-- and in The Gold-bearded Man
The Gold-bearded Man
The Gold-bearded Man is an Hungarian fairy tale collected in Ungarische Mahrchen. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
and Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 126.It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. Other tales of this type include The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa, Corvetto, King Fortunatus's Golden Wig, and The Mermaid and the Boy...
, they help with envious, false claims. These envious claims are common in other tales, without the beasts, such as Boots and the Troll
Boots and the Troll
Boots and the Troll is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in Norwegian Folktales.-Synopsis:An old man died. His three sons set out to seek their fortune. The two older would have nothing to do with the youngest son, whom they said was fit for nothing but...
, Thirteenth
Thirteenth (fairy tale)
Thirteenth is an Italian fairy tale collected by Thomas Frederick Crane in Italian Popular Tales. It is Aarne-Thompson type 328, the boy steals the giant's treasures.-Synopsis:...
, Esben and the Witch
Esben and the Witch
Esben and the Witch is a Danish fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Pink Fairy Book. A version of the tale also appears in A Book of Witches and A Choice of Magic, by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is Aarne-Thompson type 327B, the small boy defeats the ogre.-Synopsis:A farmer had twelve sons, and...
and Dapplegrim
Dapplegrim
Dapplegrim is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their Norske Folkeeventyr. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.-Synopsis:The youngest of twelve sons goes off to serve the king for a year...
.
In many tales, the king who insists on the task is punished. These include The Gifts of the Magician
The Gifts of the Magician
The Gifts of the Magician is a Finnish fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book, listing his source as Finnische Mahrchen.-Synopsis:...
, Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 126.It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. Other tales of this type include The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa, Corvetto, King Fortunatus's Golden Wig, and The Mermaid and the Boy...
, The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa
The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa
The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki.It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. Other tales of this type include Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful, Corvetto, King Fortunatus's Golden Wig, and The Mermaid and...
, and King Fortunatus's Golden Wig
King Fortunatus's Golden Wig
King Fortunatus's Golden Wig is a French fairy tale collected by Colonel A. Troude and G. Milin in .It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. This type is generally called "The Clever Horse," but is known in French as La Belle aux cheveux d'or, or The Story of Pretty Goldilocks, after the literary variant by...
.