Beschrijving
Through the proof of her cleverness she becomes the king's wife. He becomes angry and banishes her. She takes him home with her as her dearest possession.
I. The Clever Daughter. (a) A peasant finds a golden mortar in a field and against the advice of his clever daughter takes it to the king who demands the pestle as well; or (b) two peasants in court must tell the judge what is the most beautiful, the strongest, and the richest thing on earth and one of them answers as his daughter has advised him: spring, the earth, autumn; or (c) the king finds the girl at home and is impressed by her clever remarks.
II. The Tasks. The clever girl performs various tasks set by the king: (a) comes neither naked nor clad; (b) answers the question, how much his beard is worth; (c) weaves a cloth with two threads; or (d) quickly hatches out boiled eggs (cf. Type 920A); or (e) carves a fowl so as to give appropriate pieces to all members of the family (Cf. Type 1533).
III. As King's Wife. She marries the king and as he decides a dispute over the possession of a colt unjustly, she advises the abused subject how to show the king the absurdity of his decision by an equally foolish act.
IV. The Dearest Possession. When the king casts her out and allows her only to take with her the one thing she holds dearest, she takes her sleeping husband along and thus moves him to forgive her.
Adapted from BP and De Vries.
Motief
J1111.4
H561.1.2
H561.1
H630
H659
H641.1
H631.3
H636
H632
H633
H583.8
H583.7
H583.9
H373
H1050
H1051
H1052
H105
Commentaar
I. J1111.4. Clever peasant daughter. H561.1.2. Found mortar taken to king reveals peasant girl's wisdom. H561.1. Clever peasant girl asked riddles by king. H630-H659 passim. Riddles of the superlative. H641.1. What is most beautiful? The spring. H631.3. What is strongest? Earth. H636. Riddle: what is the richest? Autumn. H632. Riddle: what is the swiftest? Thought. H633. Riddle: what is sweetest? Sleep. H583.8. Maiden (to king): The house has neither eyes nor ears. (No child at window nor dog in yard to announce king's approach: he therefore finds her not dressed to receive him.) H583.7. King: Where shall I tie my horse? Maiden: Between summer and winter. (Between wagon and sleigh). H583.9. Maiden (to king): Shall I feed you with loss or gain. (A slaughtered hen or milk.)
II. H373. Bride test: performance of tasks. H1050. Paradoxical tasks. H1051. Task: coming neither on nor off the road. H1052. Task: standing neither inside nor outside of gate (forefeet of horse inside, hind feet outside). H1053. Task: coming neither on horse nor on foot (riding nor walking). H1054. Task: coming neither naked nor clad. H1055. Task: coming neither barefoot nor shod. (Comes with one shoe on, one off; or in soleless shoes.) H1057. Task: coming neither by day nor by night. (Comes at twilight.) H1058. Task: standing between summer and winter. (Stands between wagon and sleigh.) H1061. Task: coming neither with nor without a companion. (Comes with an animal.) H1062. Task: coming neither washed nor unwashed. (Comes partly washed.) H1063. Task: coming neither hungry nor satiated. (Eats a thin soup, a leaf, a single grain, or the like.) H1064. Task: coming laughing and crying at once. (Rubs eyes with a twig to simulate crying.) H1065. Task: bringing best friend, worst enemy, best servant, greatest pleasuregiver. H712. Riddle: how much is king's beard worth. H1010. Impossible tasks. H1022.1. Task: weaving cloth from two threads. H1024.1. Task: milking bull. H1024.1.1. Task: making a bull bear a calf. H1021.6.1. Task: weaving a silk shirt from hair; countertask: making a loom from shavings. H1021.1. Task: making a rope of sand. H1023.9. Task: mending a broken jug. H1023.7. Task: sewing together a broken millstone. H1023.1. Task: hatching boiled eggs. H951. Countertasks. When a task is assigned, the hero agrees to perform it as soon as the assigner performs a certain other task. J1191.2. Suit for chickens produced from boiled eggs. Countertask: harvesting crop produced from cooked seeds. H1152.1. Task: selling a sheep (goat) and bringing it back along with the money. (Shears and sells wool; brings animal back.) H1185. Task: preparing the food »Oh my». (Needle put in food which causes eater to say »Oh my!») H601. Wise carving of the fowl. Clever person divides it symbolically: head to head of house, neck to wife, etc. L162. Lowly heroine marries prince (king).
III. J1191.1. Reductio ad absurdum: The decision about the colt.
IV. J1545.4. The exiled wife's dearest possession.
II. H373. Bride test: performance of tasks. H1050. Paradoxical tasks. H1051. Task: coming neither on nor off the road. H1052. Task: standing neither inside nor outside of gate (forefeet of horse inside, hind feet outside). H1053. Task: coming neither on horse nor on foot (riding nor walking). H1054. Task: coming neither naked nor clad. H1055. Task: coming neither barefoot nor shod. (Comes with one shoe on, one off; or in soleless shoes.) H1057. Task: coming neither by day nor by night. (Comes at twilight.) H1058. Task: standing between summer and winter. (Stands between wagon and sleigh.) H1061. Task: coming neither with nor without a companion. (Comes with an animal.) H1062. Task: coming neither washed nor unwashed. (Comes partly washed.) H1063. Task: coming neither hungry nor satiated. (Eats a thin soup, a leaf, a single grain, or the like.) H1064. Task: coming laughing and crying at once. (Rubs eyes with a twig to simulate crying.) H1065. Task: bringing best friend, worst enemy, best servant, greatest pleasuregiver. H712. Riddle: how much is king's beard worth. H1010. Impossible tasks. H1022.1. Task: weaving cloth from two threads. H1024.1. Task: milking bull. H1024.1.1. Task: making a bull bear a calf. H1021.6.1. Task: weaving a silk shirt from hair; countertask: making a loom from shavings. H1021.1. Task: making a rope of sand. H1023.9. Task: mending a broken jug. H1023.7. Task: sewing together a broken millstone. H1023.1. Task: hatching boiled eggs. H951. Countertasks. When a task is assigned, the hero agrees to perform it as soon as the assigner performs a certain other task. J1191.2. Suit for chickens produced from boiled eggs. Countertask: harvesting crop produced from cooked seeds. H1152.1. Task: selling a sheep (goat) and bringing it back along with the money. (Shears and sells wool; brings animal back.) H1185. Task: preparing the food »Oh my». (Needle put in food which causes eater to say »Oh my!») H601. Wise carving of the fowl. Clever person divides it symbolically: head to head of house, neck to wife, etc. L162. Lowly heroine marries prince (king).
III. J1191.1. Reductio ad absurdum: The decision about the colt.
IV. J1545.4. The exiled wife's dearest possession.
Subgenre
sprookje
Literatuur
**De Vries Das Märchen von Klugen Ratsellosern (FFC LXXIII)
*BP II 349 (Grimm No. 94)
*Wesselski Der Knabenkönig und das Kluge Mädchen (Prag 1929)
*Anderson Hessische Blatter XXVIII 206ff.
*Liungman SSF III 442
*Wisser Zs. f. Vksk. XL 288ff.
*Anderson in Tauscher Volksmärchen 188.