Don Joseph Pear is an Italian
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
collected by
Thomas Frederick Crane
Thomas Frederick Crane (July 12, 1844 in New York – December 10, 1927) was an American folklorist, academic and lawyer.
He studied law at Princeton, earned his undergraduate degree in 1864, and in 1867 graduated with an A.M. He then studied ...
in his ''Italian Popular Tales''.
It is
Aarne-Thompson type 545B.
Synopsis
Three brothers owned a pear tree and lived on the pears. One day, all the pears were stolen, and the brothers decided to watch it during the night. The older two fell asleep on their turns, but the
youngest, Don Joseph, stayed awake, and when a fox came to steal, threatened to shoot him. The fox promised that if he let him go, he would marry the king's daughter. He did not believe it, but let the fox go.
Twice, the fox hunted all manner of game and presented it to the king, as a gift from Don Joseph Pear. He then went to an
ogre
An ogre ( feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the wor ...
ss and convinced her it was time to divide the gold and silver. He went to the king to get a measure for Don Joseph Pear to divide the gold and silver, which convinced the king that Don Joseph was rich.
The fox then dressed Don Joseph well and set him off to travel with the king and his daughter. He the fox went ahead and when peasants threw rocks at him, threatened to have them killed if they did not describe the land and flocks as Don Joseph's. Then he got to the ogress's castle, told her the horsemen were coming to kill them, and suggested they hide in the well. He threw her in, killing her.
One day, Don Joseph threw dust into the fox's eyes, and the fox threatened to tell what he knew. So Don Joseph threw a jar and killed the fox, but he still lived happily ever after.
See also
{{Portal, Children's literature
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How the Beggar Boy turned into Count Piro
How the Beggar Boy turned into Count Piro is an Italian fairy tale collected by Laura Gonzenbach in ''Sicilianische Märchen''. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Crimson Fairy Book''.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 545B, the Cat as Helper. Other tale ...
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The Golden Bird
''The Golden Bird'' (German: ''Der goldene Vogel'') is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 57) about the pursuit of a golden bird by a gardener's three sons.
It is classified in the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index as type ATU 550 ...
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Puss in Boots
"Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for hi ...
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Lord Peter
''Lord Peter'' is a collection of short stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey.
First published in 1972 (), it includes all the short stories about Lord Peter written by Dorothy L. Sayers, most of which were published elsewhere soon after they were ...
External links
SurLaLune Fairy Tale site ''Don Joseph Pear''
Italian fairy tales
ATU 500-559
Thomas Frederick Crane