The Old Woman in the Wood
The old woman in the forest is a fairy tale (ATU 442). It is in the Children's and Household Tales of the Brothers Grimm in place 123 ( KHM 123).
Content
A poor servant girl survives as a single a raid on a ride through the forest. It knows itself alone does not help. There comes a white dove brings him little golden key in order to unlock trees, so that it finds everything it needs if it eat, sleep or dress wants. Finally, the dove asks the girl to go into a hut, and without the old lady to note there pick out a plain ring with many magnificent and bring them to him. The girl follows this call and place the ring in the beak of a bird in the cage, trying to carry out the old lady. As it there waiting for the dove, it takes the king's son in her arms, who was transformed by the old witch in a tree, and they marry and be happy.
Origin
Grimm's note quoted from the Paderborn 's. You heard it between 23 and 26 July 1813 by the family of Haxthausen. It is very similar to Jorinda and Joringel who suspects the fairy tale researcher Hans -Jörg Uther as a direct template. In folk tradition, the combination of patterns found little, though a separate fairy tale type has been set Aath 442. Lutz Mackensen guessed 1933, an internationally popular tale type with Circe Motif in otherwise germanoskandinavischer design combination.
Related stories: KHM 3 Marie Child, KHM 21 Cinderella, KHM 47 From the almond tree, KHM 65 Allerleirauh, KHM 69 Jorinda and Joringel KHM 88 The Singing springing lark, KHM 93 The Raven, KHM 127 The iron furnace, KHM 169 The Waldhaus.
Interpretation
Hedwig von Beit indicated depth psychology tree and dove as a splitting of the Prince in a vegetating and a spiritualized half due to the predominance of the devouring mother. It can only be freed by the true self ( the simple ring ) are transferred to a woman and lifted as contrast and association between anima and animus on human level.
Walter Scherf also believes that the girl has to solve the lover of a demonic son - mother bond and compares Cistl in Körbl from Zingerle Children 's and Household Tales from Tyrol.
Ulla Wittmann thinks of fairy tales from the animal husband ( Beauty and the Beast, KHM 88, 127), the unconscious partner ( animus ). The ring overcomes the split between conscious and unconscious through transcendence and wholeness. It has the unconscious, here lonely old man, be withdrawn in silence, meditative.
Animated series
- Gurimu Meisaku Gekijo, Japanese cartoon series in 1987 Episode 30: The old woman in the forest.