When one thinks of famous male fairy-tale authors, Charles Perrault, the Grimm Brothers, and Hans Christian Andersen come to mind. Yet, another fairy-tale collector has remained unknown until recently.
As with the Grimm Brothers collecting in Germany, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth collected fairy- and folktales from Bavaria. Yet, most of Schönwerth's tales are much shorter than those of the Grimm Brothers. A factor can be Schönwerth's preservation of the oral storytelling style and a lack of explanation behind the magic. Their shorter length makes these tales easier to break down.
Even though these tales were collected by a man, there are some gender-role reverses. For instance, as Maria Tatar writes in the introduction, Schönwerth uses the word "beautiful" for both males and females. It is unfortunate how our society perceives "beauty" as a feminine trait (think "classic" fairy tales like "Sleeping Beauty" and "Beauty and the Beast"). Plus, there are several stories about men lifting the curses from enchanted princesses alongside the more traditional "Enchanted Prince Disenchanted" tales (i.e. "Beauty and the Beast").
Since, of course, all of Schönwerth's tales are new to me, I did not memorize many of them. Of the ones I memorized, one of my favorites is "Ashfeathers," Schönwerth's version of "Cinderella." It is less pagan than the Grimms' version; Ashfeathers gets her gown from a well instead of a tree on her mother's grave. Even better, she goes to church instead of a ball (making the tale more Christian).
Another tale I enjoyed is "The Girl and the Cow," which has some "Beauty and the Beast" elements (three sisters, an enchanted castle, an animal prince). It is about a cow who takes the miller's three daughters to a castle across a lake (which can represent an evangelist bringing nonbelievers to Jesus). The youngest daughter stays at the castle and lifts the curse of an enchanted prince, who asks for her hand in marriage (representing the reward for Christlike obedience).
Some of the "role reversal" tales strike me as anti-Christian, though. For instance, in "Follow Me, Jodel!" an enchanted frog princess gives orders to the boy who freed her from her spell. This implies a woman starting a romantic relationship, a job God has given to men. The toad bride archetype is more faithfully employed in "Hans Dudeldee," in which a golden fish brings Hans to the toad princess.
Schönwerth even has some tales about partnering with Satan, such as "The Devil and the Fisherman" and "Contests with the Devil." Partnering with the deeds of darkness is forbidden by scripture. Some of you might tell me, "You're being too harsh." Fairy tales are not inherently Christian, neither do I know if Schönwerth was a believer, but I write my blog from a Christian perspective to honor God.
One more tale I want to highlight here is "Pearl Tears," which has Catholic undertones. The "Madonna"/"Our Lady of the Angels" (representing the Virgin Mary or a guardian angel) assists with the birth of the protagonist Maria and brings her to the palace, where God the Father and God the Son share a room. After suffering at home, Our Lady of the Angels gives Maria the palace (representing a convent), where she helps the poor and sick until death.
I did not enjoy all of Schönwerth's tales, but I believe they need to become more popular. I hope to see picture book and/or film adaptations of "The Girl and the Cow" and "Hans Dudeldee" in the future. Especially if not, I plan to write my own versions of these tales.
SCORE: Good (8.5/10)
AGE RATING: 12+
Have you read The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales?
