The Hut in the Forest

The Waldhaus is a fairy tale (ATU 431). It is in the Children's and Household Tales of the Brothers Grimm from the 4th edition of 1840 instead 169 (KHM 169).

Content

A poor woodcutter wears when he goes to work on his wife to let him take of the eldest daughter lunch. When this does not come, he lets the second and then the youngest email the next day. The first time he scatters millet grains of a marker for the second time lenses and then peas. But all daughters lost in the forest, because the birds pick the grains. Each asks for an old man in a forest house for shelter. The first asks his animals, a hen, a chicken and a cow, and lets the girls cook the food. The two older with him, and then want to sleep. The animals lament the neglect. The old man still sends in a bedroom. When he found them sleeping, he lets them through a trapdoor into the basement sink. Only the most recent powered the animals. The next morning she wakes up in a castle with three servants and a prince that she saved from a curse. She marries the king's son and the older daughters are sent to the improvement as maids at a Köhler.

Stylistic features

The old man keeps asking his animals:

" Pretty little hen, Pretty little cock And pretty brindled cow, What do you say? "

The animals first reply only " Duk ". When the older girls want to sleep, say the animals:

"You have eaten with him, Thou hast drunk with him, You did not think about us, Now also see where you'll stay the night. "

The threefold repetition of "You " this sounds like an indictment. At the end it says, however:

"You have eaten with us You drank with us You gave us all well considered, We wish you a good night. "

The story is reminiscent of many other fairy tales in which a child lost in the dark forest, a lonely house occurs or an enchanted prince is redeemed, which is always possible by goodness and righteousness. Also typical are the threefold repetition.

Origin and notes

Wilhelm Grimm edited the Karl Goedeke be required to Delligsen at Alfeld according to oral tradition, fairy tales. He liked the description of the co-existence of people and pets, as it presupposes the old beast tale. New is their opinion as transformed people here to check the girl like in KHM 24 Mother Holle. For the lost trail in the forest see KHM 15 Hansel and Gretel, KHM 40 The Robber Bridegroom, for testing also KHM 13 The three little men in the wood, KHM 135 The white bride and the black, KHM 201 St. Joseph in the forest.

Lutz Rohrich also came to the view that transformations are only a later rationalization of the original unit concept of humans and animals. The old man with iron-gray beard could be a reference to the Lord of the animals from shamanistic beliefs as Frau Holle. The specially decorated fairy tale type Aath 431 but was found only in German-speaking, therefore appears to be quite young. This is also apparently the Christian reinterpretation of testing and animal companions as pets.

Interpretation

The old man is often seen as a symbol of wisdom. He asks his animals for advice, even though they initially give only sounds. You are more likely to instincts that serve the mind, but also want to be respected and maintained. He apparently lives alone, his behavior and the description of his beard as ice gray indicate a rigid and cold out, surrounded by the dark and untamed wildness of the night forest. Both the cellar under the ground and the Köhler represent some indication of hell, while the good soul awakens in a wide and bright hall.

As a natural spirit of the old man calls regardless of the animal genetic material, as a man devotion. In other tales he himself is an animal (KHM 88). Just as the daughter ( Anima ) compensates for the loss of the Witch ( néfaste mother), the father to the son converts image ( animus ). In Snow White, the Prince will replace the dwarves, for an old man is available in versions.

Theater

• Your premiere experienced the developed by Angelika & Ralph Langlotz for the theater fairytale comedy with music by Benny Oschmann on 04.12.2010, directed by Ralph Langlotz, played by the small stage 70 in Kassel