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The Beam (fairy tale)

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The Beam
Folk tale
NameThe Beam
Aarne–Thompson groupingATU 987; ATU 1290
CountryGermany
Published inGrimms' Fairy Tales

"The Beam" (German: Der Hahnenbalken) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm as tale 149.[1] It is Aarne-Thompson type 987, False Magician Exposed by Clever Girl, with an episode like type 1290, A Fool Mistakes a Flax Field for a Lake.[2]

Synopsis

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A magician shows a rooster carrying a beam. A girl carrying a four-leafed clover realizes and declares that it is just a straw, not a beam. When she marries, the magician enchants her to think she sees a stream and then breaks it after she has hiked up her skirts to cross.

References

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  1. ^ Jacob and Wilheim Grimm. "The Beam". Household Tales. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  2. ^ D. L. Ashliman, "The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales"