The Three Dogs
Encyclopedia
The Three Dogs is a German fairy tale
. Andrew Lang
included it in The Green Fairy Book, listing his source as the Brothers Grimm. A version of this tale appears in A Book of Dragons
by Ruth Manning-Sanders
.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 562, The Spirit in the Blue Light. Other tales of this type include The Blue Light
and The Tinderbox.
dogs for his sheep: Salt, which would bring him food; Pepper, who would tear attackers to pieces; Mustard, which could break iron or steel with its teeth. The brother agreed and once the trade was done, asked Salt for food; it instantly gave him some.
He went on and found a town drapped in black. There, he heard that a dragon
demanded the tribute of a maiden every year, and this year the lot had fallen on the princess. He went to where she was left, and set Pepper on the dragon. The dog swallowed it all except for two teeth, which the man pocketed. The princess offered to marry him. The man said he wanted to see the world, and would return in three years. When she was being driven back, the coachman
told her that her rescuer was gone and he would kill her if she did not say that he had killed the dragon. She promised. The king said he would marry her to him, but he put off the marriage a year, because she was so young. At the end of the year, she begged him to put it off another, and again, for a third year. Then the wedding date was set.
The man returned, but when he said he had killed the dragon, he was thrown into prison. He called Mustard, which ate through the bars. Then he sent Salt for food. Salt went to the castle, and the princess recognized it and gave it food in a royal handkerchief. She told her father the truth, the king sent a servant to follow the dog, and the man produced the dragon's teeth to prove his story. The coachman was thrown in prison, and the man married the princess.
After a time, he remembered his sister and sent for her. The dogs appeared before him and told him they had been waiting to see if he would remember his sister. Then they turned into birds and flew into heaven.
, The Three Princes and their Beasts
, The Knights of the Fish
, The Merchant
and The Two Brothers
.
Another common motif is the false hero whose wedding the hero barely arrives in time to interrupt, as in The Blue Mountains
, The Raven
, or The Three Princesses of Whiteland
, but the hero's choice to travel is an unusual cause; normally the hero broke some prohibition, or was attacked by the false hero and severely injured, and so has difficulty reaching 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...
. 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 Green Fairy Book, listing his source as the Brothers Grimm. A version of this tale appears in A Book of Dragons
A Book of Dragons
A Book of Dragons is a 1965 anthology of 14 fairy tales from around the world that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is one in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
by Ruth Manning-Sanders
Ruth Manning-Sanders
Ruth Manning-Sanders was a prolific British poet and author who was perhaps best known for her series of children's books in which she collected and retold fairy tales from all over the world. All told, she published more than 90 books during her lifetime. The dust jacket for A Book of Giants...
.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 562, The Spirit in the Blue Light. Other tales of this type include The Blue Light
The Blue Light
"The Blue Light" is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Many of the features from Hans Christian Andersen's later work "The Tinder Box" and from the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp originate with this version....
and The Tinderbox.
Synopsis
A dying peasant told his son and daughter that he had only his house and three sheep to leave them; they could divide them as they wished, but must not quarrel. The brother asked his sister which she wished to have. She chose the house. He told her he would take the sheep and seek his fortune. He met a stranger who offered to trade threeRule 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...
dogs for his sheep: Salt, which would bring him food; Pepper, who would tear attackers to pieces; Mustard, which could break iron or steel with its teeth. The brother agreed and once the trade was done, asked Salt for food; it instantly gave him some.
He went on and found a town drapped in black. There, he heard that a dragon
Princess and dragon
Princess and dragon is a generic premise common to many legends and fairy tales. It is not a fairy tale itself, but along with Prince Charming, is a repeated cliché...
demanded the tribute of a maiden every year, and this year the lot had fallen on the princess. He went to where she was left, and set Pepper on the dragon. The dog swallowed it all except for two teeth, which the man pocketed. The princess offered to marry him. The man said he wanted to see the world, and would return in three years. When she was being driven back, the coachman
False hero
The false hero is a stock character in fairy tales, and sometimes also in ballads. The character appears near the end of a story in order to claim to be the hero or heroine and is, therefore, always of the same sex as the hero or heroine. The false hero presents some claim to the position. By...
told her that her rescuer was gone and he would kill her if she did not say that he had killed the dragon. She promised. The king said he would marry her to him, but he put off the marriage a year, because she was so young. At the end of the year, she begged him to put it off another, and again, for a third year. Then the wedding date was set.
The man returned, but when he said he had killed the dragon, he was thrown into prison. He called Mustard, which ate through the bars. Then he sent Salt for food. Salt went to the castle, and the princess recognized it and gave it food in a royal handkerchief. She told her father the truth, the king sent a servant to follow the dog, and the man produced the dragon's teeth to prove his story. The coachman was thrown in prison, and the man married the princess.
After a time, he remembered his sister and sent for her. The dogs appeared before him and told him they had been waiting to see if he would remember his sister. Then they turned into birds and flew into heaven.
Motifs
The dragon slayer is a common motif, as in The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of LifeThe Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life
The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki.-Synopsis:...
, The Three Princes and their Beasts
The Three Princes and their Beasts
The Three Princes and their Beasts is a Lithuanian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Violet Fairy Book.-Synopsis:Three princes had a stepsister. They all set out one day, hunting, and were going to shoot a wolf when it offered to give each of the princes a cub if they did not. The same...
, The Knights of the Fish
The Knights of the Fish
The Knights of the Fish is a Spanish fairy tale collected by Fernan Caballaro in Cuentos. Oraciones y Adivinas.Andrew Lang included it in The Brown Fairy Book....
, The Merchant
The Merchant (fairy tale)
The Merchant is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone.-Synopsis:A merchant's son, Cienzo, was throwing stones with the son of the king of Naples, and cracked the prince's head. His father, fearing the consequences, threw him out with some...
and 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:...
.
Another common motif is the false hero whose wedding the hero barely arrives in time to interrupt, as in The Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains (fairy tale)
The Blue Mountains is a fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book, but provided no bibliographical information.-Synopsis:...
, The Raven
The 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:...
, or The Three Princesses of Whiteland
The Three Princesses of Whiteland
The Three Princesses of Whiteland is a Norwegian fairy tale, collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. Andrew Lang collected it in The Red Fairy Book....
, but the hero's choice to travel is an unusual cause; normally the hero broke some prohibition, or was attacked by the false hero and severely injured, and so has difficulty reaching her.